Here's my account of a car accident in Riviera Maya. About 10 years ago I was on the highway northbound in heavy traffic, heading to the airport to fly home. A small Isuzu truck behind me didn't stop in time. A cop came to the site, interviewed both of us, and he gave me the other guys license and told me not to give it back until the insurance adjusters and rental car company arrived. This is how they do it in Mexico. She who holds the licenses wins.

After everyone arrived, the rental company told me that I would have to wait for them to bring another car. My car had only a scratch. So I told them that I purchased all of the insurance on the rental car agreement and I've got a plane to catch. That changed everything. They let me leave and expedited my drop off at the rental car place. They quickly got our luggage in the shuttle van and dropped us at the airport. We made our plane and never heard another word about it.

Luckily I speak some Spanish. Here's another person's experience with a car accident.