Speed limitMexico
3. Speed limit
A speed limit is the maximum legal speed permitted on a road, lane or within a designated area. It may be established by general traffic law or indicated by fixed, variable or temporary traffic signs.
A speed limit is a maximum, not a target speed. Drivers must travel more slowly whenever traffic, visibility, weather, road conditions, vulnerable road users or the condition of the vehicle make the maximum permitted speed unsafe.
Wikimedia.org • Roman Eugeniusz • CC BY-SA
Which general speed limits should car drivers know in Mexico?
The national framework sets ceilings of 30 km/h on secondary and tertiary streets, 50 km/h on primary avenues without controlled access, and 80 km/h on central lanes of controlled-access avenues. State-highway ceilings are 80 km/h outside urban areas and 50 km/h inside them. The federal car ceiling is 110 km/h, but Article 134 gives unsigned federal carreteras defaults of 100 km/h by day and 90 km/h at night, and 50 km/h on carreteras urbanas. Follow any lower applicable restriction and the road’s actual category.
Are Mexican national speed figures guarantees that I may drive that fast?
No. The national mobility law specifies maximum ceilings for different road categories. The competent authority can establish a lower applicable restriction. A 110 km/h federal-road ceiling therefore does not cancel an 80 km/h sign on the section you are using.
Start of a speed limit.
English • Traffic sign SR-9 • Maximum speed: 50 km/h. Do not exceed 50 km/h. Travel slower when road, traffic or weather conditions require.
Español • SR-9 • Velocidad máxima: 50 km/h. No exceda de 50 km/h en el tramo señalado. Circule a menor velocidad cuando las condiciones de la vía, del tránsito o del clima lo requieran.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Dof.gob.mx • SICT/SEDATU · Manual federal 2024, p. 195 del PDF
SVG source: Commons.wikimedia.org • Original SVG
United Mexican States • Public domain • Original revision 2020-09-02. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Artwork reviewed against the Mexican federal Manual de señalización y dispositivos para el control del tránsito en calles y carreteras (2024): Dof.gob.mx • SR-9, PDF page 195. Intentional educational illustration update from the previous PNG; original SVG unmodified.
Do Mexican school and hospital areas have lower national speed ceilings?
Yes. Hospital and similar care areas have a 20 km/h ceiling. School areas have 20 km/h on secondary and tertiary streets, and up to 30 km/h on primary roads and highways. A lower applicable restriction still applies.

Traffic rules
Mexico