Driving in the USA
Discussion
More specifically, how likely is there to be cops waiting to catch you speeding?
Route is LA -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Death Valley -> Yosemite -> San Francisco -> LA
There seem to be some nice twisty bits around Death Valley and Yosemite as well as lots of straights tovmax make good progress. We've hired a Camaro SS so hoping to put it to some good use 
Route is LA -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Death Valley -> Yosemite -> San Francisco -> LA
There seem to be some nice twisty bits around Death Valley and Yosemite as well as lots of straights to
Shaoxter said:
More specifically, how likely is there to be cops waiting to catch you speeding?
Route is LA -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Death Valley -> Yosemite -> San Francisco -> LA
There seem to be some nice twisty bits around Death Valley and Yosemite as well as lots of straights tovmax make good progress. We've hired a Camaro SS so hoping to put it to some good use
There will be cops. Don't go "anti-socially" fast on the freeway, but if you get onto the back road you'll probably be a bit safer. Route is LA -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Death Valley -> Yosemite -> San Francisco -> LA
There seem to be some nice twisty bits around Death Valley and Yosemite as well as lots of straights to
Going really fast is actually a bit boring when there aren't any corners.
The problem with speeding in America is that each local/county police force has different views on it....I would say I see more speed traps/cops than in any other country I drive in. Just got back from a road trip in Nortern Michigan...in 600 miles I saw 4 people having been stopped for speeding
DWI is alive and well in rural America though....in the town I was visiting for a wedding it seemed like everyone did it. Not a cop in sight!
DWI is alive and well in rural America though....in the town I was visiting for a wedding it seemed like everyone did it. Not a cop in sight!
Shaoxter said:
More specifically, how likely is there to be cops waiting to catch you speeding?
Route is LA -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Death Valley -> Yosemite -> San Francisco -> LA
There seem to be some nice twisty bits around Death Valley and Yosemite as well as lots of straights tovmax make good progress. We've hired a Camaro SS so hoping to put it to some good use
Having done this route a few times admittedly in an SUV (limited to 100 as we found out on Bonneville salt flats) and a Dodge Charger rental special I'd say the following. Route is LA -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Death Valley -> Yosemite -> San Francisco -> LA
There seem to be some nice twisty bits around Death Valley and Yosemite as well as lots of straights to
They have more police in the US than the UK and more of the police spend their time sat on the road lasering cars. However they will spend most of their time on the dual carriageways and they are marked cars so you can usually spot them or other drivers reacting to them. The speed limit can also be surprisingly high on the twisty roads in some of the states around that area.
California traffic is like the UK so I'd avoid speeding there but some of the desert areas are pretty deserted and you can go as fast as you like . However if you go the most direct route you are planning those roads will be quite heavily trafficked, not that you can't make progress as the US roads are so ridiculously wide you just shouldn't max it.
The police laser guns are also visual devices so if you want to max it just do it at a time when they are unlikely to be out on the roads like sunrise/sunset.
You're planning on seeing some very popular attractions - with this in mind, you are likely to encounter a fair bit of traffic, it won't necessarily affect your arrival time, but I doubt the roads will be deserted.
Secondly, the police will likely be on these routes, not necessarily to catch you out, but to ensure that no one is stranded in the desert / in trouble as lots of tourists (both domestic and foreign) will be driving around these roads and the sheriffs office will likely be out to make sure all is smooth sailing.
Be very careful about drinking and driving - it is easy to do in the states as everything is long way away and you are in holiday mode. However, the US in general takes a (understandably) very dim view for something that is easily avoided.
The roads you will be driving are stunning, you will be taking a lot in as you drive around and if it is busy (it depends on the time of year you go) you'll spend most of your time trying to pick out over taking points to pass the RV's trundling along.
Secondly, the police will likely be on these routes, not necessarily to catch you out, but to ensure that no one is stranded in the desert / in trouble as lots of tourists (both domestic and foreign) will be driving around these roads and the sheriffs office will likely be out to make sure all is smooth sailing.
Be very careful about drinking and driving - it is easy to do in the states as everything is long way away and you are in holiday mode. However, the US in general takes a (understandably) very dim view for something that is easily avoided.
The roads you will be driving are stunning, you will be taking a lot in as you drive around and if it is busy (it depends on the time of year you go) you'll spend most of your time trying to pick out over taking points to pass the RV's trundling along.
Stu R said:
Get a data plan on your phone and use waze.
Don't go mental, you'll get reamed.
Or for £10.50 get the excellent Copilot USA and have the maps on your phone this not relying on data connection which driving where you're going you won't always get connectedDon't go mental, you'll get reamed.
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/copilot-premium-hd...
Good points about the traffic and RVs, but we're not going in peak season so hopefully will be a bit better. Are there really cops who hang out in the middle of the desert? Must be a pretty s
tty job...
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/copilot-premium-hd...I'm gonna buy Copilot USA (the UK version is very good) and I've also got a 3 payg sim because they have that roaming abroad thing which charges you the same as home.
tty job...Badvok said:
Stu R said:
Get a data plan on your phone and use waze.
Don't go mental, you'll get reamed.
Or for £10.50 get the excellent Copilot USA and have the maps on your phone this not relying on data connection which driving where you're going you won't always get connectedDon't go mental, you'll get reamed.
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/copilot-premium-hd...
Shaoxter said:
More specifically, how likely is there to be cops waiting to catch you speeding?
Route is LA -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Death Valley -> Yosemite -> San Francisco -> LA
There seem to be some nice twisty bits around Death Valley and Yosemite as well as lots of straights tovmax make good progress. We've hired a Camaro SS so hoping to put it to some good use
Did this very route in July on a Harley (but started in Vegas). Regardless of plod, it's a fantastic route. If you can squeeze it in head slightly further East from Grand Canyon and take in Monument Valley too.Route is LA -> Vegas -> Grand Canyon -> Death Valley -> Yosemite -> San Francisco -> LA
There seem to be some nice twisty bits around Death Valley and Yosemite as well as lots of straights to
We had no issues with the cops. In fact, we hardly saw any apart from in the larger towns and in general the traffic hovered around 5mph over the posted limit on the freeways and open road, or bang on the limit in towns. That said, some of the really open stretches were so desolate that a speeding vehicle would stand out like the dog's danglies to anyone who might be watching, and chances are they'd see you long before you spot them.
Yosemite is a great drive but has some very restrictive limits (down to 20 in places) but it is quite busy compared to other parts of your route so chances are you'll get held by traffic anyway.
San Francisco traffic is shocking, and the freeways leading in to the city are like British motorways before they get their final top layer of Tarmac. Absolutely rubbish.
LA traffic is worse.
To avoid any chats with plod, just set the cruise control.
Zion National Park is also worth a drive.
I've driven around that area (excluding the LA section) quite a few times now in a variety of interesting and not so interesting cars and SUVs. Cops can be very few and far between, but I've certainly seen a few speed traps. The only one That I can recall at the moment is on a fantastic straight heading towards Death Valley from Las Vegas. It's the on a section of the 190 caled State Line Road and the spot is a mile or two from Amargosa. It's staffed by CHP I think.
I've found that Interstate speeds can be quite good, with a lot of progress to be made. Patrols often sit in the wide central reservations so if you're observant they can be quite obvious.
That said, I'd advise caution, I get the impression they don't mess about out there.
I've found that Interstate speeds can be quite good, with a lot of progress to be made. Patrols often sit in the wide central reservations so if you're observant they can be quite obvious.
That said, I'd advise caution, I get the impression they don't mess about out there.
Stu R said:
Get a data plan on your phone and use waze.
That what I use (work supplies me with an US phone, so don't care about data cost). The only place it wasn't used much was Kentucky as not many people used it, but I didn't see a single State Trooper in 1k miles of driving, unlike NJ (they were everywhere), WA (Always on the interstates, unless it is raining then they are never to be seen) to name a few of the bad states...benny 61 said:
What's the fines like if you do get caught?
Mate of mine ended up with two night's free accommodation in clink whilst awaiting a telling off from the local judge. Said it was like a cross between The Shawshank Redemption and the jail scenes from Something About Mary.
That was for 90 in a 55 btw.
Crossflow Kid said:
benny 61 said:
What's the fines like if you do get caught?
Mate of mine ended up with two night's free accommodation in clink whilst awaiting a telling off from the local judge. Said it was like a cross between The Shawshank Redemption and the jail scenes from Something About Mary.
That was for 90 in a 55 btw.
Shaoxter said:
Good points about the traffic and RVs, but we're not going in peak season so hopefully will be a bit better. Are there really cops who hang out in the middle of the desert? Must be a pretty stty job...
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/copilot-premium-hd...I'm gonna buy Copilot USA (the UK version is very good) and I've also got a 3 payg sim because they have that roaming abroad thing which charges you the same as home.
Copilot is great as a mapping tool. For real-time updates, particularly plod, waze seems much better supported over here (largely thanks to college kids and truckers, it seems) and widely used. I don't use it to navigate or anything else, just hazards / speed traps etc. you'll be unlucky if you can't get data of some descript for most of your travels, it's incredibly rare to be totally out of the zone and usually brief. Unless you're planning on getting really rural, which you don't appear to be - I've done all the places you mention several times, for what it's worth. tty job...Badvok said:
Stu R said:
Get a data plan on your phone and use waze.
Don't go mental, you'll get reamed.
Or for £10.50 get the excellent Copilot USA and have the maps on your phone this not relying on data connection which driving where you're going you won't always get connectedDon't go mental, you'll get reamed.
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/copilot-premium-hd...
As for speeding tickets, usually somewhere between $150 and $300 plus whatever fees they choose to tack on. Take the piss too much and you'll be in the cells. They take speeding very seriously over here, almost as a personal insult.
By all means have fun, I do.
Have been pulled a couple of times driving into vegas. Its ok. Keep your hands on the wheel and don't get out, last thing you want is to be tasered or shot in the leg...
Fortunately both times they wrote a ticket we were in Nevada already and I just used one of those services where you pay them and the ticket gets amended to a parking ticket. Its all very strange and seems a little corrupt. Overall in terms of cost I think it works out as about the same, but if you get done for speeding there are all sorts of requirements for traffic school which obviously I wouldn't be attending, so didn't want anything popping up next time I flew into the states. On top of that it was pretty cheap too, like $50 or something.
Another thing to remember is that they can be driving the opposite direction and get you speeding, not just stationary. Gets the arse winking a little when you fly past a highway patrol coming the other direction and you see his brake lights blinking on, him bouncing across the center ditch and chasing you down. Those crown vics with the interceptor package FLY!
I think California also lets you 'buy out' of speeding tickets. Obviously if you're going crazy speeds they'll chuck you in for the night (don't get caught on fridays, you'll be there until monday!).
The other thing is on the tickets, they have Posted Speed, Recorded Speed, and also Cited speed, which is a bit odd, so you could plead them down a little.
Mine looks like:
Posted speed: 70
Actual speed: 82
Cited speed: 75
Fortunately both times they wrote a ticket we were in Nevada already and I just used one of those services where you pay them and the ticket gets amended to a parking ticket. Its all very strange and seems a little corrupt. Overall in terms of cost I think it works out as about the same, but if you get done for speeding there are all sorts of requirements for traffic school which obviously I wouldn't be attending, so didn't want anything popping up next time I flew into the states. On top of that it was pretty cheap too, like $50 or something.
Another thing to remember is that they can be driving the opposite direction and get you speeding, not just stationary. Gets the arse winking a little when you fly past a highway patrol coming the other direction and you see his brake lights blinking on, him bouncing across the center ditch and chasing you down. Those crown vics with the interceptor package FLY!
I think California also lets you 'buy out' of speeding tickets. Obviously if you're going crazy speeds they'll chuck you in for the night (don't get caught on fridays, you'll be there until monday!).
The other thing is on the tickets, they have Posted Speed, Recorded Speed, and also Cited speed, which is a bit odd, so you could plead them down a little.
Mine looks like:
Posted speed: 70
Actual speed: 82
Cited speed: 75
benny 61 said:
Crossflow Kid said:
benny 61 said:
What's the fines like if you do get caught?
Mate of mine ended up with two night's free accommodation in clink whilst awaiting a telling off from the local judge. Said it was like a cross between The Shawshank Redemption and the jail scenes from Something About Mary.
That was for 90 in a 55 btw.
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 16th September 16:28
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 16th September 16:28
I would say US cops are a little more human than their UK counterparts.
However, they do have to do some revenue collection
38 in a 25, don't do it again, drive safely.
33 in a 25, he gave me a no seat belt instead of a speeding. $45 no points. To which I replied "thank you" (Points affect insurance)
The 38 in 25 was at 1.30am. During the day 40 - 45 is the norm along that stretch of road which really doesn't need to have a 25 limit.
Basically stay with the flow, don't drive aggressively. Aggressive driving will get you pulled in a heartbeat.
If you get stopped at night turn on your interior lights so that when the cop approaches your car he can see you. He will appreciate that. Could be the difference between a ticket and a warning.
However, they do have to do some revenue collection
38 in a 25, don't do it again, drive safely.
33 in a 25, he gave me a no seat belt instead of a speeding. $45 no points. To which I replied "thank you" (Points affect insurance)
The 38 in 25 was at 1.30am. During the day 40 - 45 is the norm along that stretch of road which really doesn't need to have a 25 limit.
Basically stay with the flow, don't drive aggressively. Aggressive driving will get you pulled in a heartbeat.
If you get stopped at night turn on your interior lights so that when the cop approaches your car he can see you. He will appreciate that. Could be the difference between a ticket and a warning.
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