American Roadtrip - Help!

dassad

Hi
We are in the early stages of planning a roadtrip, we haven't worked out the exact itinery but we would like to visit Las Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite, San Francisco, LA, San Diego, Grand Canyon, etc.

Me, hubby and 2 kids, 16 and 14. Hubbies worry is that he will have to do all the driving as I don't drive and he is a bit wary of driving in America and my worry is I have watched too many horror movies and I know I am being silly but can anyone reassure me that we will all be safe driving all that way!

Thanks for your help!
Mrs Dassad

dzug1

Well I've done two similar trips without the slightest safety worry.

The only time I've come anywhere near a 'problem' is driving in the left hand lane of a one way street turning left into a two way street.

fiendishly

rest assured you will have a fab time! I'm on my fifth American road trip this year (New York, Washington, Niagara Falls, Boston). In 2008 I did Phoenix, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Tombstone and Tucson.

Make sure you plan your route in advance - it's so tempting to think 'well we might make it to such and such a place' and before you know it, the driving is a chore and the distances too great. Also pick your car carefully - too small is uncomfortable with big kids in the back and four massive suitcases! if you want any advice just ask - I love talking about my trips!

kittykarate

Really be careful about the distances between the places - it all looks so close on the map, but when you look at the scale you might be planning a drive of a crazy distance each day for your husband (for example, San Fran to Yosemite is about 200 miles! I've never made it there despite being in San Fran for work 3 times). As a family you might not want to have 50% of your time spent in a car.

It's a bit weird driving on the wrong side of the road, for the first few days I'm super alert and and find it all very tiring... then after that I relax a bit and it's not so bad. As a passenger you also will have to be alert, as sometimes UK driving instinct can take over and you might suddenly end up going the wrong way round things, so even just a word from a passenger can prevent this. Oh, and something I NEVER get right is STOP sign etiquette, as in America they seem to use these in some places where we would have either lights or a roundabout.

Generally, the US drivers drive slower than us, are MUCH slower to pull away from lights as there is no 'red+amber' stage before green to give them time to prepare to pull away.

Music in the car can be a faff in the USA - I did a holiday round Montana and all I could find on the radio was Country and Western or hard rock. So I took an MP3 player and one of those FM thingies.

dassad

Ok, thanks all! Is it safe in general, like stopping in the middle of nowhere for petrol or cafes etc?

Fiendishly - i might take you up on your offer!

ferf1223

200 miles in most places in the US takes a lot less time than 200 miles in the UK though especially on interstates...in general there is far less traffic on US interstates than on UK motorways so it's much less stressful (I think, being American and having lived in the UK for 9 years). My FIL has driven in the US a couple of times and has always been a bit wound up about it beforehand but always comes back saying how easy it is.

One thing to remember about the US is at a red light if you are turning right, if there is no sign that says 'no turn on red' you can go if it's clear...US drivers will no doubt remind you of this by leaning on their horn.

And because this has confused people I know before, US interstate exit numbers correspond to the mile marker they are closest to. So you may get on at exit 10 and be looking to get off at exit 50...in the UK that would imply a very, very long drive with 40 exits in between...in the US, it's 40 miles (give or take a fraction of a mile).

As far as overall safety, just use your common sense and you will be fine. One thing I learned in my many years driving in the US is if I needed to stop for petrol or food or a motel, I won't stop unless I can SEE the thing from the exit even if the signs on the approach show petrol/food/motel...because sometimes it can be quite some way off the exit. We once stayed in a rather scary and rather dirty motel having left it quite late in the night and having not stuck to the 'if I can't see it I carry on to the next one I can see' rule...by the time we finally got to it we didn't have the will to go back and carry on.

ferf1223

dassad wrote: »

Ok, thanks all! Is it safe in general, like stopping in the middle of nowhere for petrol or cafes etc?

It's no less safe than stopping in the middle of nowhere for petrol or cafes in the UK. In general if you're on a US interstate there will be a variety of options you will pass on the way that will be right at the exit - big brand name places that will be well lit, clean, etc. On secondary roads the choices will be fewer and in some cases more run down but in general will be safe.

Get a satnav with US maps or get US maps for your existing satnav and you can quickly get used to brands of petrol stations you've seen a million times in your drive and can see where they are in relation to where you are.

A lot of US interstate petrol stations will have fast food outlets inside...then there are truck stops with more homey sort of restaurants...plus there will be big chain restaurants at many exits and they will be signposted as you're approaching so you can see what's at that exit before you pull off. Many of the petrol stations will also have a huge selection of food and snacks, etc- way more than the average UK petrol station too.

wdyw

ferf1223 wrote: »

One thing to remember about the US is at a red light if you are turning right, if there is no sign that says 'no turn on red' you can go if it's clear...US drivers will no doubt remind you of this by leaning on their horn.
on.

While your trip may be to the west it should be pointed out that the above does not apply in New York, just about the only place in the USA that still bans the right turn on red.

As others have said, driving is easy and its safe but there are a few things you could do with knowing such as parking in San Francisco!

dassad

I'm really not sure where to start! Whenever I start to look into it I discover somewhere else that would be cool to visit! We haven't been to USA before and may not get to return again, we are looking at a 3 week trip and would really like to visit Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Death Valley, San Diego and probably Sedona and would like to have a week based in a holiday home somewhere so hubby has a bit of a break from driving! And maybe i'm trying to fit too much in??
It's alot more complicated than we initially thought (which is why I keep putting it off!) but the kids are desperate to go so I need to get my finger out. As we are looking at a 3 week break it will probably have to be in the summer hols which I know will be hot!

ferf1223

it will be extremely hot in some of those places during the summer...100F+ hot...you'll have air con in your car and hotels, but it's going to be pretty toasty when you're out and about.

It probably seems pretty daunting, but if you get a map of the US you can probably work out a reasonable route and get your flights sorted (open jaw/multi-city ticket - into one city at the start, out of the last city). From there you can work on the rest of it.

Gloomendoom

Be wary of trying to cram too much in, if you want any time to get out of the car and actually experience the places you are going to.

If your husband is nervous about driving in the US, have him look at the Californian equivalent of the Highway Code. It won't help him stay on the right side of the road though!

California Driver's Handbook