Is it Safe in Cozumel? Is Cozumel Safe?
One of the most frequent questions we get is "is Cozumel Safe? or is it Safe in Cozumel for tourists?". We would also assure them that Cozumel is one of the safest places they will ever travel, but we were never sure whether they believed us or not. So we decided to put together a Cozumel Article on how Safe Cozumel really is. During the process of making this article, we were very surprised to find Cozumel is much safer than we originally thought.
My wife and I have been living on this paradise island of Cozumel for some time now, and never dealt with any issues of safety or anything close to it. The island is very calm and tranquilo, but during Mexican holidays or Cozumel Events, the island does come alive and is an experience of a lifetime. Don't get me wrong, no matter where you go there are opportunist, but even then they are usually always caught because of how fast things go aroud on the island. Your on an island so criminals don't have anywhere to hide. Even when the jewelry store was robbed, the thieves were in custody within hours of the incident! The people of Cozumel are very friendly and love their island very much, and work very hard on keeping it safe and friendly. The people of Cozumel are very hard workers and something
unique about the island, is that a many of Mexicans residing on the island speak English. Not only the Cozumel locals want Cozumel to be safe place to live, but the government as well, since Cozumel has the largest cruise ship traffic in the world.
There arent many vacation destinations where you may go venture on your on off the resort and discover the true sights of that travel destination. Cozumel is one of those places where its encouraged to get away from the tourist traps, cruise piers and resorts to explore the island
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You may walk the streets anytime of night no matter where you are on the island, and we always recommend Cozumel tourists and Cozumel Cruise Passengers to take advantage of Cozumel and explore the island. The police here are very nice and arent trying to scam money out of Tourists, and if they try to, they usually get caught and end up in big trouble. So the risk of them losing their job isnt worth it. Please watch the video as it discusses the opinions of tourists upon whether Cozumel is safe or not?
The people of Cozumel are friendly, the government of Cozumel is legitimate and the area is designed with the needs of tourists in mind. Nevertheless, common sense precautions should always be taken when traveling, especially when traveling to a new location or foreign destination. by Cozumel Tours
Crime: Luckily, crime is almost non-existent in Cozumel, which is not true of many Mexican vacation spots. Violent crime is rare and travelers don’t need to worry about it at all. Pick pocketing and purse snatching are much of a worry and very rare. The most commen theft, is someone fortgetting something somewhere or putting a phone or purse down and someone picking it up when they arent looking. There are more opportunists on the island than criminals. The only other thieves are the taxi drivers trying to charge more for their taxi fare. Remember, you shouldnt pay more than $10 usd no matter where you go on the island.
Driving: Driving in Cozumel is as easy as back home, but be careful to keep your distance from the cars ahead of you. Taxi drivers especially like to follow too close then make sudden stops or turns without signaling and cause most of the accidents. The people of Cozumel drive normal and its a lot better driving than in t
he states. Make sure to watch out for motos as they tend to pass you from the right so try to always stay close to the left when you see a scooter coming from behind. Always double check when crossing an intersection or backing up as scooters tend to pop out of no where. Its highly recommended to rent a Cozumel rental car instead of a moped, because of safety. We are not saying riding a moped in Cozumel is horrible, just dont recommend a first time rider getting onto a scooter in Cozumel with the active moped traffic here. We always have the lowest prices and no hidden fees on our Cozumel Car Rentals and our cheapest Car Rental in Cozumel is the same price as a moped. All of our Cozumel Rental Cars include tax, liability insurance and free mileage. Make sure to checkout our "What to do in Cozumel" Page and "Cozumel Beach Guide" to help you plan out your trip to Cozumel if you plan on renting a car in Cozumel Mexico. Find out more about Cozumel traffic laws, regulations, free roadside assistance, and Cozumel car rental prices here: Renting a Car in Cozumel
Eating and Drinking in Cozumel: Everyone knows that “you don’t drink the water in Mexico” and its safe to assume that rule applies to Cozumel Mexico. Bottled water is an absolute must, even for brushing your teeth. All Cozumel Restaurants are required to use purified water, as well for making ice cubes. For a list of restaurants, visit: http://www.restaurantscozumel.com
Medical Emergencies
Let's hope you don't need these services, but if you do, then here is your contact information and locations. Cozumel has a number of basic life support ambulances and two small hospitals.
They aren't the exact addresses, but will get you within visual sight. The street intersections are good enough for finding these locations.
Cozumel Medical Center (aka: CMC): 872-5370 On Calle 1 South (Sur), 
between Avenidas 50th and 55th or about 2 blocks west of Avenida 65th on Calle 1 South. (101 Sur 1 Corner of Avenida 50) English speaking Doctors. For accidents requiring advanced emergency treatment such as broken bones, head injury, anything requiring stitches, cardiac treatment, diabetic & allergic reactions, medivac, etc. Clinica San Miguel: 872- 0103 or 872-0140
Clinica San Miguel is on Calle 6 Norte between Aves. 5 & 10. Has very good emergency room service and able to treat most any injury or illness. Specialists available for gastrointestinal upset or other internal medicine treatment. ENT (ear, nose/sinus, throat), dive recompression, medivac. Buceo Medico Mexicano Hyperbaric Chamber: 872-1430
Buceo Medico Mexicano (BMM) Clinic is also known as the "SSS" or the Cozumel Recompression Center. (Three names, one location!)
It's on Calle 5 Sur between Melgar and Ave. 5. Ear, nose and throat, dive recompression, flu & colds, gastrointestinal upset, medivac.
Cozumel Red Cross: 987-872-1058 On Avenida 65 South and Calle 25 (renamed Calle Lourdes Castilla) -- near the new sports complex & one block north of the San Francisco supermarket. Ambulance service, pediatrics, dentistry, internal medicine, laboratory, nebulization, first aid, physical exams, injections. Diabetics can check blood sugar & receive insulin.
Centro de Salud, the General Hospital, which primarily treats Mexican nationals but all are welcome and you often will be treated by the same doctors from the private hospitals.
On Calle 11 South (Sur) near the intersection with Avenida 20 South(Sur) 24 hours Av. This might be worth printing and sticking in your wallet. All give referrals to specialists. (Thanks to ds2 for the specialties each offer.)