Transportation

TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning Guatemala is provided for general reference only, and may not apply to all locations or circumstances.

Driving in Guatemala requires one’s full attention, and all drivers must take extraordinary efforts to drive defensively to avoid dangerous situations.

Traffic rules are only casually observed. Many drivers do not use their turn signals to alert other drivers. Instead, a common custom is for a driver or passenger to stick a hand out the window and wave it to indicate that they will be taking an unspecified action. Speed limits, lane markings, and stop signs are frequently ignored. Passing blindly on winding and/or steep mountain roads, poorly designed surfaces, and unmarked hazards, including frequent landslides and precarious temporary highway repairs, all present additional risks to motorists. Lethal head-on collisions are common.

All drivers involved in accidents resulting in injury may be detained and held in protective custody pending investigation. In several instances, police officers have been posted outside hospital rooms of drivers who were injured; the drivers were not allowed to depart the country without judicial intervention. Such cases require the assistance of private local attorneys.

The most common form of public transportation is the system of bright red recycled school buses, which serve almost every town in the country. Criminal activity and frequent fatal accidents, however, make these low-priced local and inter-city buses particularly dangerous.

Hailing taxis on the street in Guatemala City is a practice best-avoided. Use of radio-dispatched taxis is far safer. In Guatemala City several radio taxi companies operate. Taxi Seguro can be reached at 2312-4243, but may not always be available, especially late at night. Taxi Amarillo Express (yellow taxis) is a radio-dispatch taxi service reached by dialing 1766. A Green Cab radio dispatch service operates in the suburbs near zone 15 and the Cayala shopping district,. The Guatemalan tourist assistance agency, PROATUR, may be able to provide additional information, and can be reached by dialing 1500.

Although city streets are usually well lit, secondary and rural roads have little to no illumination. Driving outside of urban areas at night is dangerous and not recommended. The Inter-American Highway (CA-1) and the road from Guatemala City to the Caribbean coast (CA-9) are especially dangerous both day and night, due to heavy traffic, including large trucks and trailers. There are no roadside assistance clubs; however, a roadside assistance force (PROVIAL) patrols most of the major highways in the country. PROVIAL can be contacted by calling 2419-2121. Their vehicles are equipped with basic tools and first aid supplies, and their services are free. Police patrol the major roadways and may assist travelers, but the patrols are sporadic and may be suspended due to budget constraints. For roadside assistance, travelers may call the police by dialing 110 or 120 or the fire department by dialing 122 or 123. Cellular telephone service covers most areas frequented by tourists.

Road hazards are common and cars and trucks are often stalled in travel lanes or parked unattended in the middle of the road. Tree branches are sometimes placed in the road a hundred meters or so before the stalled vehicle to warn approaching traffic of the hazard. While driving in or near large cities, be vigilant of pedestrians who unexpectedly dart across roads, even in heavy traffic, due to the lack of defined cross walks.

Highway Safety: There have been numerous reports of violent criminal activity along Guatemala’s main highways, including the Carretera a El Salvador (Inter-American Highway CA-2). In addition, travelers using alternate routes out of Antigua have reported armed assaults in recent years. There has also been an increase in alcohol-related traffic accidents on this same road at night. U.S. Embassy employees are discouraged from driving at night. Embassy employees are also prohibited from driving from or through Mexico and Belize to Guatemala.

The main road to Lake Atitlán via the Inter-American Highway (CA-1) and Sololá is safer than the alternative secondary roads near the lake. Specifically, the main road is preferable to the alternative road through Las Trampas and Godinez to Panajachel (RN-11) where robbery, rape, and assault are known to have occurred in the past. Armed attacks have occurred on roads between Guatemala City and the Petén region as well as between Tikal and the Belize border. Visitors to the Mayan ruins at Tikal are urged to fly to nearby Flores and then travel by bus or tour van to the site. Violent attacks have occurred in the Mayan ruins in the Petén region, including in the Cerro Cahui Conservation Park, Yaxha, the road to and inside Tikal Park, and in the Tikal ruins, particularly during early morning sunrise tours of the ruins. Tourist police (POLITUR) patrols, however, have significantly reduced the incidence of violent crime inside the park and there have been no reports of armed assaults on tourists there since October of 2012. Travelers should remain in groups, stay on the principal trails leading to the Central Plaza and the Temple IV complex, and avoid remote areas of the park.

Robberies of occupied vehicles are becoming more common in Guatemala City. Often two assailants are on motorcycles and pull up alongside a car stopped at a traffic light. The passenger on the motorcycle is armed and will indicate to the vehicle’s occupants to roll down their windows and hand over their cell phone and cash. The assailants are able to flee the scene quickly on their motorcycle .In some cases, armed pedestrians on foot will approach vehicles at stoplights and rob the passengers. Often the vehicle occupants were visibly using their cell phones or other handheld devices at the stoplight. Leaving cars unattended, even briefly, in parking lots of fast food franchises can also invite break-ins in spite of the presence of armed guards.

Valid U.S. driver’s licenses are accepted for the first 30 days of a visit, and international driving permits are accepted in Guatemala for extended stays. Guatemala’s road safety authorities are the Department of Transit and the Joint Operations Center of the National Police. Drivers use the right-hand side of the road in Guatemala, and speed limits are posted (in kilometers) depending on the condition of the road. Speed limits are rarely enforced, and drivers often drive at the absolute maximum speed their vehicle can handle at that particular time. These drivers share the road with slow vehicles, some barely able to manage 20 miles per hour, creating a hazardous mix of velocities. Turning right on red is not permitted unless otherwise posted, and drivers must yield when entering a traffic circle. Seat belts must be worn in Guatemala, but there are no laws regarding the use of child safety seats. It is against the law for drivers to operate cellular phones while driving but cell phone usage while driving in city traffic remains commonplace and increases the risk of minor car accidents from distracted drivers. Defensive driving is a must in Guatemala.

People found driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs are arrested and may serve jail time. For accidents resulting in death, every driver involved is taken into custody and the vehicle(s) impounded until a judge determines responsibility following a re-enactment of the accident. For accidents resulting in injury, the non-injured party may be taken into custody until a judge determines fault and financial responsibility.

In an effort to combat crime committed by two-person teams on motorcycles, Guatemalan law now mandates that only the operator is allowed on a motorcycle. The law also states that the motorcycle license plate number must be printed on a sticker on the back of the motorcycle driver's helmet.The Guatemalan government modified the law to require motorcycle riders to wear orange vests and display the license plate numbers on those vests. The law also requires motorcycle riders to drive on the right-hand side of the road only. However, enforcement has lagged considerably and two persons sharing a motorcycle and changing lanes without signaling is a sight still commonly seen, despite the increased use of vests and helmets.

Please refer to our Road Safety page for more information. Also, we suggest that you visit the website of Guatemala’s national tourist office and national authority responsible for road safety, or contact them via e-mail.

AVIATION SAFETY OVERSIGHT: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has assessed the Government of Guatemala’s Civil Aviation Authority as being in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards for oversight of Guatemala’s air carrier operations. Further information may be found on the FAA’s safety assessment page.