First timer driving in the states - anything to worry about?
Discussion
HOGEPH said:
Slight thread drift, but we could do with some of the US driving rules incorporated over here, e.g:
Turn left on a red light if road is clear,
Pass on either side on a motorway, (not sure if that's actually allowed in the US, or just common practice...)
Stop completely when school bus is unloading.
Leave lane 1 clear if emergency vehicle is on hard shoulder, (is this a Florida thing Matt?).
Any others?
The move over law came into effect a few years ago, as my wife can tell you...$$$$. If an emergency vehicle is flashing its lights you either move into the 2nd lane, (dual), or slow down to a crawl.Turn left on a red light if road is clear,
Pass on either side on a motorway, (not sure if that's actually allowed in the US, or just common practice...)
Stop completely when school bus is unloading.
Leave lane 1 clear if emergency vehicle is on hard shoulder, (is this a Florida thing Matt?).
Any others?
Stopping for a school bus, depends where it is in relation to you, lane wise.
Over taking. Any lane will do and I loved it.
mikal83 said:
HOGEPH said:
Slight thread drift, but we could do with some of the US driving rules incorporated over here, e.g:
Turn left on a red light if road is clear,
Pass on either side on a motorway, (not sure if that's actually allowed in the US, or just common practice...)
Stop completely when school bus is unloading.
Leave lane 1 clear if emergency vehicle is on hard shoulder, (is this a Florida thing Matt?).
Any others?
The move over law came into effect a few years ago, as my wife can tell you...$$$$. If an emergency vehicle is flashing its lights you either move into the 2nd lane, (dual), or slow down to a crawl.Turn left on a red light if road is clear,
Pass on either side on a motorway, (not sure if that's actually allowed in the US, or just common practice...)
Stop completely when school bus is unloading.
Leave lane 1 clear if emergency vehicle is on hard shoulder, (is this a Florida thing Matt?).
Any others?
Stopping for a school bus, depends where it is in relation to you, lane wise.
Over taking. Any lane will do and I loved it.
School buses are stop irrespective of lane unless its a divided highway, and not sure its really necessary, its not like we have 100's of kids being squished getting off our school buses and i think its better they are more street wise than put in cotton wool.
Overtake in any lane can have its advantages, but it doesn't stop rolling road blocks all going at the same speed in all lanes or discourage the swerving all over the place lunatics who cut across back and forth with barely the space for a cigarette paper, Our system of cautious passing with only slight chance of being prosecuted is better.
ViperDave said:
Stop at the line on the road not the traffic light, If you do the latter you will be in the middle of the intersection as unlike here they often don't have a light at the stop line (usually overhead in the middle or far side), its not helped by the size of the roads so the stop light may be some way off into the distance too.
Likewise make sure when turning your turning onto the right side of the road and not the oncoming turn lanes or something. Often there will be concrete dividing the directions so make sure you go to the right of it, but as i said the size of some roads can make it seem like you need to turn sooner.
Move over for stopped police and highway maintenance workers on the freeway/interstate, either leave a spare lane between or slow to 20mph below posted limit. its the law in many states.
Pretty much reiterating this.Likewise make sure when turning your turning onto the right side of the road and not the oncoming turn lanes or something. Often there will be concrete dividing the directions so make sure you go to the right of it, but as i said the size of some roads can make it seem like you need to turn sooner.
Move over for stopped police and highway maintenance workers on the freeway/interstate, either leave a spare lane between or slow to 20mph below posted limit. its the law in many states.
Edited by ViperDave on Monday 17th August 22:31
Be careful when turning - both so you don't turn early into oncoming lanes, and also so you don't space out and end up on the wrong side of the road, thinking you're back home.
I've done both, when there hasn't been any other traffic around to guide me.
Got away with it both times though on the second, I managed to do about 20 miles wondering why it felt wrong, before seeing oncoming traffic.
Arse end of nowhere, fortunately.
Speed limits are something of a minefield, as the default limits vary from state to state. Limits are often posted infrequently & it's not uncommon when joining a Freeway, etc., from a minor road to travel several miles without seeing a speed limit sign; if in doubt, 55 on an undivided road, 65 divided is fairly widespread. In California, particularly on the Freeways around LA, actual speed is dependent on traffic density - the denser the traffic, the higher the speed! Actual limits vary from stupidly low (e.g. Maryland, Delaware) to acceptably high (e.g. Arizona, Texas). When crossing a state line pay attention to speed limit signs!
Paying for fuel can be problematic, as they often require a US ZIP code for credit card authorisation; the cashier will find a way round that. Be aware that in remote rural areas filling stations may be unmanned - I got petrol in Fort Davis, TX, using the ZIP code 12345!
Many of the big cities have HOV (carpool) lanes. Normally they only require two occupants (HOV2) but around Washington DC there are several three-occupant (HOV3) lanes.
US maps are not good, so a satnav is useful. Car rental companies will have them available to rent, but if you're going for more than a few days it will most likely be cheaper to buy one in the UK with the US maps installed (or buy US maps for your existing satnav) - you can then use it for route planning before you go.
It's a great country for long-distance travel, but long freeway trips can be boring! In the less densely-populated parts of the country rest areas are few & far between - if you see one, use it, as it may well be an hour's driving to the next one! Roads are generally in good condition, but some of the stretches which carry a lot of truck traffic can be pretty poor - stretches of I-40 in Arizona are very rough.
Contrary to popular opinion the US does have some great driving roads. Probably the pick of the bunch is Deal's Gap, TN - 11 miles, 318 bends! To see the real America, get off the freeways onto the byways; this is a useful website: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/
Paying for fuel can be problematic, as they often require a US ZIP code for credit card authorisation; the cashier will find a way round that. Be aware that in remote rural areas filling stations may be unmanned - I got petrol in Fort Davis, TX, using the ZIP code 12345!
Many of the big cities have HOV (carpool) lanes. Normally they only require two occupants (HOV2) but around Washington DC there are several three-occupant (HOV3) lanes.
US maps are not good, so a satnav is useful. Car rental companies will have them available to rent, but if you're going for more than a few days it will most likely be cheaper to buy one in the UK with the US maps installed (or buy US maps for your existing satnav) - you can then use it for route planning before you go.
It's a great country for long-distance travel, but long freeway trips can be boring! In the less densely-populated parts of the country rest areas are few & far between - if you see one, use it, as it may well be an hour's driving to the next one! Roads are generally in good condition, but some of the stretches which carry a lot of truck traffic can be pretty poor - stretches of I-40 in Arizona are very rough.
Contrary to popular opinion the US does have some great driving roads. Probably the pick of the bunch is Deal's Gap, TN - 11 miles, 318 bends! To see the real America, get off the freeways onto the byways; this is a useful website: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/
Craikeybaby said:
I'm planning on using my iPhone for navigation, but usually combine that with a road atlas. Can anyone recommend a road atlas/map for California (including Las Vegas if possible).
check your data plan if your using your UK mobile in the states, someone at work did the same and got a very expensive bill, just for google maps.familyguy1 said:
Craikeybaby said:
I'm planning on using my iPhone for navigation, but usually combine that with a road atlas. Can anyone recommend a road atlas/map for California (including Las Vegas if possible).
check your data plan if your using your UK mobile in the states, someone at work did the same and got a very expensive bill, just for google maps.People still replying to this thread even thought he OP has been already 
Richyboy said:
I was worried for nothing, got used to it after an hour. Fueling is strange, black unleaded green diesel and you have to pay in advance. Drivers aren't as courteous as UK, you just have to barge in everywhere.
Although a thanks would have helped to identify his post Nick Grant said:
People still replying to this thread even thought he OP has been already
Well there are other people asking new but related questions.Richyboy said:
I was worried for nothing, got used to it after an hour. Fueling is strange, black unleaded green diesel and you have to pay in advance. Drivers aren't as courteous as UK, you just have to barge in everywhere.
Although a thanks would have helped to identify his post I've just passed 4,5000 miles on my current trip. That makes over 15,000 miles of US driving in the last 5yrs!
It's very easy. Auto + cruise control makes it simple to go very long distances. I've done several 700+ mile days this trip (with only a fuel break).
The parts of Canada I travelled through (Alberta and BC) had really low speed limits. Montana was fairly good though. The standard limit on a lot of normal roads there is 70.
It's very easy. Auto + cruise control makes it simple to go very long distances. I've done several 700+ mile days this trip (with only a fuel break).
The parts of Canada I travelled through (Alberta and BC) had really low speed limits. Montana was fairly good though. The standard limit on a lot of normal roads there is 70.
Bluebarge said:
familyguy1 said:
Craikeybaby said:
I'm planning on using my iPhone for navigation, but usually combine that with a road atlas. Can anyone recommend a road atlas/map for California (including Las Vegas if possible).
check your data plan if your using your UK mobile in the states, someone at work did the same and got a very expensive bill, just for google maps.ViperDave said:
RandMcNally $4 of so in wallyworld, pretty good book of all state maps and larger cities, couple with satnav and Google maps should see you fine. Also get maps from your car rental firm for local area and ask in hotels and travel centres for tourist maps.
Thanks! I've seen that one on Amazon, was planning on getting one before I go.Craikeybaby said:
Bluebarge said:
familyguy1 said:
Craikeybaby said:
I'm planning on using my iPhone for navigation, but usually combine that with a road atlas. Can anyone recommend a road atlas/map for California (including Las Vegas if possible).
check your data plan if your using your UK mobile in the states, someone at work did the same and got a very expensive bill, just for google maps.ViperDave said:
RandMcNally $4 of so in wallyworld, pretty good book of all state maps and larger cities, couple with satnav and Google maps should see you fine. Also get maps from your car rental firm for local area and ask in hotels and travel centres for tourist maps.
Thanks! I've seen that one on Amazon, was planning on getting one before I go.Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff