driving in the USA

pavlovs_dog

apologies if this has already been discussed, i did do a search but couldnt find anything...

does anyone have any experience of driving in the states?

are there any major differences between their highway code and ours?

im the passenger, so all i'll have to get my head around is the navigating (no quips about woman and maps, or else!) but the other half (parker to my lady penelope!!!) has never driven abroad before.

any advice gratefully appreciated

Chris25

It depends where you're going. Most cities, like ours are not brilliant and can be tricky for a first-time driver but out on the freeways driving is much more enjoyable as there are usually more lanes and more space.
In Florida for instance, you can turn right at most red stop-lights if it's safe to do so.
You could check out websites for the Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles or Department of Transportation for whichever state you are visiting for more details.

Dumyat

we got caught out not having change as we left the airport...and then headed for a toll road...

otherwise I found driving easy, no speeding, large lanes.

mzmoneypenny

It's relatively easy - especially if you have an automatic.

Driven in Florida a few times - even went for and passed my driving licence there!

Things I would watch out for is undertaking on highways/interstates. Always check both side mirrors before you manouevre. Also, another thing that caught me out was parking the wrong way on a street - you can only park facing the same direction that the traffic is going.

Not sure if it's Florida you're going to, but found a page with some tips on it:
http://goflorida.about.com/cs/drivinginflorida/a/driving.htm

GeeJay

Here are a few tips gleaned from nine fly-drives to various parts of the United States:

A credit card is virtually essential, even if your car is prebooked, otherwise a large cash deposit will be taken. Full prepayment in the UK is well worth considering as there are many extra local costs and taxes which add greatly to the price if you pay in the States.

The main driver must be the one whose credit card is used. You MUST take your driving licence.

Cars are virtually always automatics, many with cruise control.

The ‘handbrake’ is referred to as the parking brake and is often a pedal which will be set by your foot rather than your hand.

On Interstates or ‘freeways’ = dual carriageways, cars may overtake on either side.

On interstates the speed limit may be as high as 75 m.p.h. This will reduce as you approach the turn-off for major junctions.

When approaching a turn-off from an interstate, the right-hand lane may make you leave the interstate. Ensure you are in the correct lane, well in advance, if you don’t want to leave the interstate.

In California there is usually no extra charge to put a second driver on the insurance. This can be useful in the case of one driver feeling unwell or to share the load on long journeys.

Petrol is called ‘gas’. Many gas stations require payment in advance of pumping the fuel. Often $20 to $30 will completely fill a tank. In California the design of fuel nozzles are different, they lock into the fuel pipe of the car, making a complete seal.

If your car rental allows you the option of returning the car with the tank full, this is often cheaper and more convenient. Otherwise you spend the last day or so worrying whether you will have sufficient fuel.

School buses are yellow. When they have stopped to pick-up or put-down children, NO CARS MAY PASS the bus on either side of the road. They have flashing lights when this is happening.

A right turn at a red light is usually permitted, provided you stop first. If it is not permitted, a notice will be at the lights.

You should allow at least an hour to check-in your car at the end of the holiday. Most rental stations are not located on the actual airport, so you will be transported by bus to your terminal.

If you drive in rain, dipped headlights must be used.

Alcohol must only be carried in the trunk (boot) of the car. Simply having an opened bottle of alcohol inside a vehicle is an offence.

On very long inclines it may be advisable to turn off air conditioning to prevent the engine overheating.This depends on how powerful the car is.

In busy areas it may be advisable to use the central locking to drive with the doors locked. This now happens automatically on new cars.


Enjoy your trip!

user1234_2

Nice post GeeJay. Pretty much covers everything.

A couple more tips:

Consider getting all the optional insurance available.

In car parks do not reverse park into the space else you might be in trouble with the cops

You must stop if the junction has a stop sign.

Freeways are long and mostly straight so cruise control is a real helpful aid

Oh and don't forget to drive on the RIGHT!

Elljay_2

Some very good tips there. The other thing I find helpful when navigating is to kow the general direction you are heading in (sounds obvious but isn't always) as interstates and freeways are sometimes just signposted "South" or "North" or to the next City which isn't much help on longer journeys. The signs are quite easy to follow as they are nearly always above you and not at the side of the road. I agree with the post about the exits from the freeway, travel in the right lane (slow lane?) and you may find yourself leaving the freeway.

Murphy_The_Cat

My advice is to hire the biggest car you can afford (before leaving Britain), turn on the aircon, switch on the cruise and enjoy every minute of driving in the USA.

And when you come back ask why driving in America was no nice, relaxing, cheap and enjoyable - and why it isn't in the UK.

MTC

paulie558

A couple of years back we hired a compact from dollar at Boston Logan airport.
We arrived about 11 at night.
The first thing the guy behind the desk tried to do was to try to get us to upgrade to a Jeep cherokie"at a really good price"
I declined,as I'm not a fan of 4x4's,and unused to driving them ,especialy in the USA.
He then said they were completly out of compacts and the next groups up,so he pointed to a car in the lot and said we could have that one.
We jumped in it,and headed about 5 miles up the road for a good nights kip.
It was'nt until the next day that we realised he had given us a Chrysler Concorde,which came from the luxury group.It was just out of the factory,200 miles on the clock,and the best car I have ever driven.We cruised up to Nova Scotia Canada,and back to Boston 10 days and 2000 miles later.
Last year at Toronto airport National gave us a compact when we booked an intermidiate.Needless to say we soon took that back!

pavlovs_dog

wow - you guys are a mine of info!

i didnt think that there might be different laws for different states, seems kinda obvious now lol (should have been a blonde!)

its florida we're heading for this time round, might hit a different state next time.

Ronn1e_2

All of the above is very useful.

One tip concerning parking in a car park (parking lot). You are required to drive into the parking space and do not reverse in for an easy/quick getaway. This is so that police patrols can cruise parking lots and check the registration plates of cars.