Traffic rules in Argentina are something of an enigma, even more so when it comes to the question of when these rules are enforced and when they are not. It boils down to a mysterious mix of (bad) luck, location, moment, the police officer and our own attitude.
Attitude Towards Traffic Police in Argentina
Whenever we were motioned to stop, the traffic police always asked for documents. They often moved behind the Land Cruiser to check the license plate and sometimes conferred with a colleague.
Our strategy: stay patient, smile and be friendly. We learned very quickly, in fact during our first encounter with traffic police (unfortunately on that infamous Ruta 14 in Entre Ríos – see below) that an arrogant attitude, or showing signs of being in a hurry, only has a negative effect.
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A Fine Related to the Price of Gasoline?
How high fines are for what offense is another enigma. Apparently it is up to a police officer to decide the severity of the violation and therefore the price of the fine.
Because Argentina has had such an unstable economy, they do have an interesting way of determining a fine: it is based on the price of a liter of nafta (gasoline) multiplied by X whereby the police officer decides X.
Officially, and this happens in most of Argentina as far as we know, you will get a traffic ticket that you subsequently have to pay at the Municipal office. Traffic police don’t (shouldn’t) accept the money. The moment they don’t give a ticket and demand to be given the money themselves, a scam is up.
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Reality in Argentina’s Northeastern Provinces
In general you can travel without worrying about traffic police through Argentina’s Andes Mountains, Ruta 40, Patagonia, its central provinces as well as the province of Buenos Aires. On the larger part of Argentinean roads traffic police are nice fellows simply doing their job. Often, they are curious about foreigners and their vehicle, and just like to chat.
Unfortunately, the northeastern regions of Argentina are the corrupt ones, at least when it comes to traffic police. Ruta 14, kms 341 in Entre Ríos, is notorious: at this permanent police post you can be assured of getting a traffic fine for a real or imaginary offense.
While foreigners can count on being motioned to the side of the road, Argentineans are targeted as well. Even when you comply with all requirements, the traffic police make up an imaginary offense, and we’ve heard they can be quite creative in that respect.
Note that by law it’s mandatory for a car to carry two warning triangles, a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, a rigid tow bar and at the back of the car a red, reflective sticker. At some gas stations you can buy these items in a complete set for about 200 pesos.
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Yep, We Fell for the Scam
New in Argentina, South America for that matter, who had no idea about this police post and the scams going on. Having just arrived from Asia, we were not used to police officers enforcing laws and rules such as wearing seat belts and driving with lights on during the day. So we didn’t pay much attention to the zillion road signs in and around Buenos Aires telling us we should.
Thus we were stopped. And since we were breaking the law, we didn’t realize this was a scam post. The fine, however, was ridiculously high. Coen used the arrogant attitude he had learned worked miracles in Asia, but here it backfired. The price went up! And so I tried the polite and submissive version and at last managed to bring down the fine considerably. Then came the discussion of paying on the spot or at the border with Uruguay and, in retrospect stupidly, we paid on the spot.
So, we learned the hard way. To respect road rules while driving in Argentina, but also that Ruta 12 and Ruta 14 simply have corrupt police officers. We’ve seen a front page feature in an Argentinean newspaper on the subject. Everybody knows about it, but nothing has changed. The stories from overlanders continue to be told.
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So the Officer is Corrupt, Now What?
Tips from other overlanders who were stopped on the same spot (or elsewhere dealt with a corrupt police officer):
- Contrary to the larger part of Argentina, where it’s always good to chat with traffic police officers, in the northeastern states it may be wise to pretend not to speak Spanish.
- Just smile and remind yourself you have more time than they do.
- In case of an imaginary offense, or if the police officer does not want to write a traffic ticket but wants to receive the money himself, first agree to pay. Instead of taking out the money, however, present them with a form asking for their names, functions and other relevant information and ask the officer to fill it in. Don’t forget to take a picture of the police officers, or at least pretend to have every intention of doing so. Tell them that you have no problem with paying the fine, but that you want to protest the traffic fine at a higher level. There is a good chance they will back off and motion you on.
Tips on Traffic Police & Complaint Forms
The website of Horizons Unlimited has several threads about corrupt traffic police and traffic fines. The website of the Ministry of Justice used to provide a form that could be used when you want to protest a fine or behavior of traffic police, but I can’t find it anymore. Maybe somebody else still has a link (please put it in the comment section below, thanks).
Argentina is a fantastic country for overlanding. It’s a peaceful country with friendly inhabitants. Despite what you read here and maybe on travel forums, don’t worry too much about traffic police. Stay polite and if coming across a traffic police officer, have a form and camera at the ready and the problem will most likely solve itself.
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Excellent write-up on some techniques to evade corrupt police! It´s a sad reality that strikes most of Central America, Mexico and Peru, but with our bright smiles, (apparently) poor Spanish and all the time in the world, there is no official we won’t be able to avoid.
Good for you!
All good tips – I think waiting them out will almost always lower your fine or they will eventually tire of dealing with you when it becomes too much effort.
We too were unprepared for the corruption in Entre Rios after driving Argentina for a year with absolutely no issues. ( http://bodeswell.org/2012/07/12/entre-rios-sucks/ >/a>)
So far all Argentinean traffic police have been polite and friendly – nothing more than checking documents. Our front number plate is almost invisible due to age and wear and one told us we had to get it replaced, but no fine. But this was down in the Bariloche area. Our policy with corrupt police has always been that we have more time than they do, and our genuinely poor Spanish has been a bit of an advantage: largely comprising of a puzzled look and repeating “no entiendo” with a strong English accent! Other than that, the Argentinean people are great and no-one seems to care we are English despite the debacle of the recent funeral of Mrs.T.
We never ever paid any “multa” (traffic fine) on our entire trip of 3 years, not even in Costa Rica, where the police is less corrupt and caught me speeding… I talked my way out of it 😉
‘Entre Rios’ in Argentina we once were close, the police guy insisted on some stupid insurance paper we didn’t have (and later learned we didn’t need!), I had long stopped the engine and gone into “I have all the time in the world”-mood, but the discussion was tedious – until my wife intervened: in a very “motherly” fashion she dressed down the police officer for giving us such a hard time. It worked. He was visibly shocked, handed back my papers, excused himself to my wife (who has a few grey hair, which obviously helped) and wished us a good trip. LOL!
Never underestimate the macho latino’s respect for his mother (or any mother figure)!
Yep, I had my luck with a lot of “No entiendo’s” with a bunch of kind of corrupt Policemen – one in riding gear and mirror glasses and helmet trying to impress. “watching to much ‘CHAPS’ on TV, buddy?” Smiling and my inner voice saying; “you know I am fooling you back right?, but you can’t do anything about it” Ha ha ha…
But overall, only nice guys, interested in knowing where from. My plates are probably the first they have ever seen anyway… Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands…
Thanks for the great tips…
Safe cruising…
write in Portuguese and google translator use.
I’m from Brazil and everyone knows that Argentine police are corrupt and must use the following ways:
1) Always say you do not understand. With very accent!
2) Never show that you have money “cash”.
3) It could be good, that you introduce yourself as a journalist.
4) Write down the name of the Argentine consul in your country and say that you are very friend.
5) Always present car color copies of the document (not the original), because if they say they will learn, you leave with them and leaves.
6) The main: Never! Ever, demonstrate hurry!
http://www.vialidad.gov.ar/multas/multasfotograficas.php
this form is for “fotomultas” .
Cheers from Argentina..!
Excellent! Hope this will help some people out there.
Here is the updated page for disputing a traffic violation along with links to forms:
https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercer-derecho-defensa-ante-una-multa-de-transito
Hi Luis,
Thanks for this!