The safety of traveling to Mexico is a redundant topic for those of us living here, but Americans still don’t seem to be getting the message (especially my mother).
When explaining the situation to friends and family back home (about 30 miles north of Philadelphia), I always draw an analogy along the lines of: “Do you not feel safe living outside Philly because some got murdered in a back-alley in Memphis, Tennessee?” Obviously, the answer should be no as Memphis is more than a 20 hour drive from Philadelphia just as Mexico City is much more than 20 hours away from these boarder towns (Juarez specifically) where murders are occurring.
A new study from Brookings Institute compares Washington D.C. with the country of Mexico in general, strengthening my point. Apparently, Washington D.C. has a murder rate of 31 people per 100,000 inhabitants, where as the country of Mexico has a murder rate of approximately 11.5 people per 100,000 inhabitants. New Orleans’s murder rate is 74/100,000!
It’s a shame that the American media creates such a biased portrait of the safety of traveling to Mexico, when there are so many unbelievable trips to be taken and incredible sites to be seen in this breathtaking country.
You can find the full article via the Miami Herald Online
