AAA Warns Spring Breakers to Exercise Caution

When Traveling to Mexico

Helena, Mont. 3/3/09 –While millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year, violence in the country has increased recently. A travel alert for Mexico was published by the U.S. State Department on February 20. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has also taken steps to urge college students to avoid parts of northern Mexico during spring break.

Mexican drug cartels are engaged in an increasingly violent conflict - both among themselves and with Mexican security services. U.S. citizens are advised to be alert to safety and security concerns when visiting the border region near Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez.

“Citizens traveling to Mexico this spring should exercise great caution,” said Denice Harris, AAA Spokeswoman. “Travelers must understand the risks of traveling to Mexico, how best to avoid dangerous situations and who to contact if one becomes a crime victim.”

When you travel abroad, the odds are in your favor that you will have a safe and incident-free trip.  However, travelers are sometimes victimized by crime and violence. To ensure you have a safe trip abroad, the U.S. State Department has provided the following traveling tips:

• Register your travel plans with the State Department so they can better assist you in an emergency.
• Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home in case they need to contact you.
• Pack an extra set of passport photos along with a photocopy of your passport’s information page to make replacement of your passport easier.
• Check your overseas medical insurance coverage.
• Confirm your cell phone is capable of roaming in Mexico.
• Always try to travel light.  You can move more quickly and will be more likely to have a free hand.
• Visit only well-known business and tourist areas during daylight hours.
• Travel on main roads during daylight hours only.
• Do not wear conspicuous clothing or jewelry to avoid being a target of crime.

AAA MountainWest Club is dedicated to providing its over 160,000 members in Alaska, Montana and Wyoming with travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services.  A fully taxpaying, not-for-profit corporation, AAA MountainWest, Inc. works for the improvement of motoring and traveling conditions and is a leader for travel, civic and safety issues. AAA can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com.  To have up-to-date news and safety information from AAA delivered right to your desktop, sign-up for the new RSS Feed at http://aca.aaa.com/exts/email/?club=066#rss

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