Tips for driving in US
Discussion
"Bang" in the middle of NYC might the operative word if the roads haven't improved in recent years. You think potholes are bad here? Just wait.
If you get stopped by the police, place both hands on the steering wheel and make no sudden moves except as directed. They have less sense of humour than the GRU had, and their halitosis should be banned under the Geneva Convention.
Streaky
If you get stopped by the police, place both hands on the steering wheel and make no sudden moves except as directed. They have less sense of humour than the GRU had, and their halitosis should be banned under the Geneva Convention.
Streaky
Edited by streaky on Friday 22 July 17:07
As above,
If pulled by the police, do as instructed, do not get out of the car, keep hands where they can be seen, Also yes sir, no sir responses are good.
Always park facing the direction of traffic.
Always STOP completely (supposed to be for 3 seconds) at stop signs.
Never turn right on red if the sign says not too, Cops like to hang out in sight of these.
At 4 way stop signs (It will have 4 way stop written under the sign), it is first come first serve.
In FL at least they use planes to monitor speed, and have a gaggle of cops waiting to swoop.
Doing twice the speed limit will land you in jail (no personal exp of this)
Americans have no clue how to use Circles (Roundabouts) Approach with caution.
Americans are typically crap drivers, who eat, drink, smoke, text, call, shave, put make up on all at the same time, so treat them all as unpredictable moving nightmares (Fl based research)
They also have no lane discipline, so you will need to undertake, not nec legal in some states tho.
ETA if renting a car, Take the best ins package, with the highest coverage on Public Liability, Legal cover etc, as even a tiny fender bender can lead to a $10,000 Ambulance ride or 100k private property damage claim!
Buy good travel insurance for medical coverage before you go! A credit card too as most is prepay and then you claim on your return (for medical stuff even a simple prescription)
If pulled by the police, do as instructed, do not get out of the car, keep hands where they can be seen, Also yes sir, no sir responses are good.
Always park facing the direction of traffic.
Always STOP completely (supposed to be for 3 seconds) at stop signs.
Never turn right on red if the sign says not too, Cops like to hang out in sight of these.
At 4 way stop signs (It will have 4 way stop written under the sign), it is first come first serve.
In FL at least they use planes to monitor speed, and have a gaggle of cops waiting to swoop.
Doing twice the speed limit will land you in jail (no personal exp of this)
Americans have no clue how to use Circles (Roundabouts) Approach with caution.
Americans are typically crap drivers, who eat, drink, smoke, text, call, shave, put make up on all at the same time, so treat them all as unpredictable moving nightmares (Fl based research)
They also have no lane discipline, so you will need to undertake, not nec legal in some states tho.
ETA if renting a car, Take the best ins package, with the highest coverage on Public Liability, Legal cover etc, as even a tiny fender bender can lead to a $10,000 Ambulance ride or 100k private property damage claim!
Buy good travel insurance for medical coverage before you go! A credit card too as most is prepay and then you claim on your return (for medical stuff even a simple prescription)
Edited by twiglove on Friday 22 July 15:50
Keep your eyes on your mirrors on highways etc. If there's a bunch of lanes, you can get cars going faster than you in any of them, so don't be surprised if you get undertaken.
Stop at stop signs. Sounds obvious, you'd be surprised how easy it is to just slow down and go because you can see the road and know there's nothing there, but you'll still get busted for it if you get caught.
Don't let speed get the better of you on the highway. The cops are great at hiding, even on the longest, most arrow straight road imaginable you can get caught out and not see them until it's too late. Also, I've noticed what they consider an acceptable gap before you're tailgating is quite a lot bigger than what I'm used to on the busy UK routes. That might just be an Ohio thing but everyone seems to leave big old gaps, and should you dare nip into it, they look at you like you just flung your faeces at their car.
Carry your licence, rental agreement / registration / whatever with you, and your passport. It makes life a lot easier if you do get tugged. I speak from experience. As Twiglove said, do as you're told when you get tugged too.
Other than that it's a breeze, you can't go wrong if you're used to driving in the UK as genrally they're pretty crap drivers - they still manage to get around without taking their eyes off their meal. If you take the time to learn how the numbering system works, it's damn near impossible to get lost on the major roads. For everything else you can pick up a cheap sat nav from Walmart or Target etc.
Stop at stop signs. Sounds obvious, you'd be surprised how easy it is to just slow down and go because you can see the road and know there's nothing there, but you'll still get busted for it if you get caught.
Don't let speed get the better of you on the highway. The cops are great at hiding, even on the longest, most arrow straight road imaginable you can get caught out and not see them until it's too late. Also, I've noticed what they consider an acceptable gap before you're tailgating is quite a lot bigger than what I'm used to on the busy UK routes. That might just be an Ohio thing but everyone seems to leave big old gaps, and should you dare nip into it, they look at you like you just flung your faeces at their car.
Carry your licence, rental agreement / registration / whatever with you, and your passport. It makes life a lot easier if you do get tugged. I speak from experience. As Twiglove said, do as you're told when you get tugged too.
Other than that it's a breeze, you can't go wrong if you're used to driving in the UK as genrally they're pretty crap drivers - they still manage to get around without taking their eyes off their meal. If you take the time to learn how the numbering system works, it's damn near impossible to get lost on the major roads. For everything else you can pick up a cheap sat nav from Walmart or Target etc.
Edited by Stu R on Friday 22 July 15:50
Don't park in front of fire hydrants.
If you get stopped by the police, put your hands high on the wheel and wait for the police to come to you. If you are stopped then providing you weren't being silly you'll probably get a light fine or just a b
king.
Check on the state for booze rules - some don't allow it in the main body of the car IIRC.
Fuel - many gas stations will make you pay first, then pump.
Speed - go with the flow and you'll be ok. Don't tailgate. Undertaking is common so watch you inside on faster roads.
I've clocked up about 25k of driving in the US and to be honest, the standard of driving is much lower, but I found it less stressful than, say, driving in a city in the UK.
All in all a positive experience.
If you get stopped by the police, put your hands high on the wheel and wait for the police to come to you. If you are stopped then providing you weren't being silly you'll probably get a light fine or just a b
king.Check on the state for booze rules - some don't allow it in the main body of the car IIRC.
Fuel - many gas stations will make you pay first, then pump.
Speed - go with the flow and you'll be ok. Don't tailgate. Undertaking is common so watch you inside on faster roads.
I've clocked up about 25k of driving in the US and to be honest, the standard of driving is much lower, but I found it less stressful than, say, driving in a city in the UK.
All in all a positive experience.
Guidance if you get stopped by the US police.
- Pull over quickly. He/she will pull in behind.
- Hands on wheel. Don't dip down to your bag for paperwork, etc. Really, don't. They'll assume you are hiding drugs, getting a gun.
- Don't be worried if he/she gives you directions via tannoy. US police are jumpy (as you would be with so many guns about)
- Be very very polite - Sir/Ma'am, be very respectful.
- Ham up the British accent. It is likely to help.
- Admit fault and be very apologetic. You made a stupid mistake.
- If they ask, yes you have been to Buckingham Palace. You have met the Queen/Charles/William at a garden party
- You love the US and how friendly everyone has been, it's a great country
- Thank the officer for his/her help and advice
tex200 said:
If you are passing a police car which is parked on the hard shoulder then make sure that you pull over into lane two - do not pass in lane one.
That's *any* emergency vehicle. If you can't move over and leave a clear lane then slow to 20MPH below the speed limit.Webber3 said:
In some states they enforce the wipers on / lights on law. Something we should have in this country IMO.
When you collect the hire car, take a moment to figure out how the wipers turn on, including the rear one if it's an SUV. It's not always obvious and you don't want to be trying to figure it out if you get caught on an Interstate in a sudden thunderstorm.twiglove said:
In FL at least they use planes to monitor speed, and have a gaggle of cops waiting to swoop.
I can confirm they do this in New Hampshire as well now that I am $367 lighter and have my first speeding ticket from the Aviation department. Look out for white lines across the entire road perpendicular to the direction of travel. They will be at the start of a long straight and mark the start of the measured mile.Cops hide and they hide well. Also, I was done once traveling south on a motorway when the cop was traveling North. He cut in front of me through a gap in the divider forcing me to do an emergency stop before pulling me.
Take note of the GPS/Sat Nav mounting laws of the state that you are in. Or, always place the GPS/Sat Nav in the bottom left hand corner of the windscreen closest to the drivers door. (little known one law there against them being in the line of sight which they are if mounted in the middle of the windscreen)
Pay at the pump gas stations are normal here. Chip and pin are not.... If your pin doesn't work for the chip try 0000. (probably shouldn't post that one as I think I may have destroyed security for all chip and pin visitors unless they have fixed it.)
When in NYC avoid anyone who doesn't have a New York plate. They are about to do something dumb, guaranteed. This is because they will most likely be called Chad or Maud and it will be their first time at driving in a city and they will be either panicking or oblivious. When driving in NYC drive like a cab driver. Be aware of your car's size and use all gaps that are only a few centimeters larger than you. It is bloody good fun sometimes. Do not go on the West side highway on Fridays in Summer. It is not worth it. As someone else said previously, the roads in NYC are absolutely shocking. This is because there is no good time to close them to repair and every winter they get torn apart by snow plows so they just patch them with big metal plates.
Each state's drivers have their own quirks. Massachusetts drivers will change lane for no reason. I think sometimes the lane change starts as they fall asleep and to cover their initial lane drift they then change lanes. New Jersey drivers see indication as weakness. If they see it they will do what they can to stop you. If a cop sees you change lanes without indicating he will ticket you. So, the way around this is commit to the move and then part way through indicate. Connecticut drivers are slow, with good reason. CT cops will fine the crap out of you and for some relatively low speeds will put you in jail until there is a judge available.
It's easy to drive in the US just follow the advise in this thread to avoid some "Faux Pas" and you will enjoy it. My car is in my profile, it is on Jersey plates and a little battle scared from other people hitting me. According to my rules above you should probably avoid it especially in NYC.
Edited by h0b0 on Friday 22 July 18:09
johnvthe2nd said:
above all, remember you are British, and drive on the LEFT hand side of the road.
And contact the local funeral parlour for when you're killed!Wonder how many people will take your advice - I always found driving on the RIGHT helped in the US - seems to be a habit drivers over there have. Strange people!
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