Find cheap car insurance in Brownsville, a Texas border city with direct access into Mexico and near the scenic Padre Island beaches. Home to an estimated 183,823 residents, Brownsville lies at the southern tip of Texas, just across the Rio Grande from Matamoros, Mexico. It’s a fast-growing area with a low cost of living, ranked on various “most affordable cities in the U.S.” listings. It’s also a large city in terms of geography, at just over 146 square miles. This makes it the third largest U.S. city by land area, after San Diego, Calif. and El Paso.

Driving Conditions in Brownsville

Interstate 169/State Highway 550 is a toll road providing access to the Port of Brownsville. U.S. Route 77 runs northward toward Corpus Christi. If you decide to drive over the border, be aware that many car insurance companies do not extend coverage into Mexico. Temporary coverage can be purchased, however. Three bridges cross the river: The “Old Bridge,” as it is known, the “New Bridge” and an even newer bridge called the “Veterans” bridge at Los Tomates.

Current information on accidents, construction and weather-related delays is available at transguide.dot.state.tx.us, or drivetexas.org.

Unique Laws in Brownsville

Adults 18 and up can legally ride in the back of a truck, according to Texas state laws, and there are also exceptions to the laws that allow children to ride in truck beds, one being if the truck is the family’s only vehicle. After an auto accident, there is a two-year statute of limitations on filing a lawsuit for personal injury or property damage.

Many laws in Texas were obviously written before the Internet existed. For example, the entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer. Texas law also prohibits dusting a public building, selling your own eyes or shooting a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.

Brownsville Crime Statistics

Brownsville’s violent crime and property crime rates have increased in recent years, according to FBI statistics. Overall crime rates in Brownsville remain above both state and national averages, which has been attributed to the area’s high level of poverty. An exception is auto theft, where rates have continued to drop. The Brownsville-Harlingen metro area had 572 cases of auto theft in 2016, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau – a rate of 151 incidents per 100,000 people, below the national average of 220 incidents per 100,000 people.

In Texas, the most stolen cars are actually trucks. The No. 1 most stolen vehicle is the full-sized Ford Pickup, followed by full-sized Chevrolet and Dodge pickups.

Brownsville Safety Requirements

Texas law requires everyone in a vehicle to buckle up or face fines and court costs up to $200. Children younger than 8 must be in a child safety seat or booster seat unless they’re taller than 4 feet 9 inches, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. If they aren’t properly restrained, the driver faces fines up to $250 plus court costs.

More information on seat belt and car safety is available at texasclickitorticket.com. Texas in 2017 enacted a statewide ban on texting while driving.

Brownsville Impaired Driving Laws

Like most other states, Texas drivers are considered legally intoxicated and are charged with Driving While Intoxicated with a .08 BAC (blood or breath alcohol concentration) or higher. A driver can also be deemed intoxicated if impaired due to alcohol or other drugs, regardless of BAC. Both drivers and passengers also can be fined $500 for having an open alcohol container in a car.

DWI first offenders face a fine of up to $2,000, three to 180 days in jail, loss of driver’s license for up to 2 years and an annual fee of up to $2,000 for three years to retain a driver’s license. Charges are enhanced if there is a child under 15 in the car. Regardless of your background or circumstances, it’s not impossible to find cheap car insurance in Brownsville; contact us for rate comparisons.