Driving in the US for the first time - tips?
Discussion
Come Friday I'll find myself on US roads for the first time. I know about the right-turn-on-red law, will have both parts of my license and I'm not going to be near any freeways so no worries there, but is there anything else I need to be wary of? Is it true that at Gas Stations it is common practise to pay for a certain amount of fuel first before pumping?
Also, for anyone who has hired a Mustang recently, any idea if they have ipod connectivity as standard? Going to be spending quite a bit of time in the car and would prefer not have to lug CDs over like it's the 90s
Also, for anyone who has hired a Mustang recently, any idea if they have ipod connectivity as standard? Going to be spending quite a bit of time in the car and would prefer not have to lug CDs over like it's the 90s
Watch out for four way stops-first one there gets priority.
Speed limits are slower I think. About 60 on most motorways (sorry if incorrect)
The mustang I drove in canada had an ipod connector, not sure if aftermarket, standard or whatever, the bloke mentioned it but I didn't see it. Wasn't really interested in music when driving that.
Get the v8 mustang.
Again, I've only been to canada but there you have to pay first before pumping, after a kid was kileld at a forecourt trying to stop petrol theives.
I think you can pay with card at most pumps anyway.
Speed limits are slower I think. About 60 on most motorways (sorry if incorrect)
The mustang I drove in canada had an ipod connector, not sure if aftermarket, standard or whatever, the bloke mentioned it but I didn't see it. Wasn't really interested in music when driving that.
Get the v8 mustang.
Again, I've only been to canada but there you have to pay first before pumping, after a kid was kileld at a forecourt trying to stop petrol theives.
I think you can pay with card at most pumps anyway.
Where are you going? Right on red is not legal in New York City.
Gas stations are pay at the pump. Just swipe your credit card before you start filling with gas.
Watch out for people undertaking on the highways - again, dependent on where you are people can drive like absolute nutters on the highway.
Gas stations are pay at the pump. Just swipe your credit card before you start filling with gas.
Watch out for people undertaking on the highways - again, dependent on where you are people can drive like absolute nutters on the highway.
Have always said I would much rather be an English Driver going to the US than the other way round, if you can drive here, know your left from your right then you are sorted. It is a lot more daunting in concept than practice, soon becomes normal.
My process is, arrive, go to Enterprise with good intentions of getting something modest and then am distracted by shiny, thrusty, red cars, Mustang, Camaro, Charger (bit lame), none have been knocked back or remarked on for the expenses, next time a Corvette and I expect a "chat" after the fact, if I have to pay the difference then so be it, when am I otherwise going to get a Vette, a massive empty Mall car park and several free evenings....
My process is, arrive, go to Enterprise with good intentions of getting something modest and then am distracted by shiny, thrusty, red cars, Mustang, Camaro, Charger (bit lame), none have been knocked back or remarked on for the expenses, next time a Corvette and I expect a "chat" after the fact, if I have to pay the difference then so be it, when am I otherwise going to get a Vette, a massive empty Mall car park and several free evenings....
They drive on the wrong side.
Observe stop signs.
If you get pulled, metaphorically lick balls liberally until sir officer officer sir has stopped threatening to shoot you.
Petrol is misleadingly called 'gas' for some reason. As in Europe, it is in fact a liquid.
Try not to educate them on how to speak English. They're pretty convinced they're doing it right.
Observe stop signs.
If you get pulled, metaphorically lick balls liberally until sir officer officer sir has stopped threatening to shoot you.
Petrol is misleadingly called 'gas' for some reason. As in Europe, it is in fact a liquid.
Try not to educate them on how to speak English. They're pretty convinced they're doing it right.
Make sure you have a credit card as they often don't take debit cars over there. Make sure you have Sat Nav incase you get lost. Been driving since 1997 and have been involved in just one accident and it was in the US, where a guy ran straight through a red light into the side of me crushing the side of my car.
Then he drove off.
Ensure you have full insurance when you are there as the driving standard is pretty poor.
Then he drove off.
Ensure you have full insurance when you are there as the driving standard is pretty poor.
Cheers guys, all good stuff 
Cemesis said:
Make sure you have Sat Nav incase you get lost.
It's a Hawaiian island; there is one main road with a handful of offshoots - I better not get lost!! Was planning on limiting use of the credit card and taking cash instead, but might make an exception with refills.A few things have caught me out.
Turning right on red.
Definitely STOP at a STOP sign.
Paying for gas seems different in different areas. More rural you can just fill up and then pay, others seem to be pay in advance.
Don,t rely on amex to pay at gas stations.
Loads of blown tyre debris on the interstates ( in SC at least)
Undertaking is the norm. Just copy as others do.
Dont ask for twenty marlboro. You soon find the cashier running to the back of the shop for 400 marlboro. Then you get asked for id at the age of 33!
If in real doubt , ask. Most people will assist you with your british accent, although will probably accuse you of being australian.
Enjoy it......
Mike
Turning right on red.
Definitely STOP at a STOP sign.
Paying for gas seems different in different areas. More rural you can just fill up and then pay, others seem to be pay in advance.
Don,t rely on amex to pay at gas stations.
Loads of blown tyre debris on the interstates ( in SC at least)
Undertaking is the norm. Just copy as others do.
Dont ask for twenty marlboro. You soon find the cashier running to the back of the shop for 400 marlboro. Then you get asked for id at the age of 33!
If in real doubt , ask. Most people will assist you with your british accent, although will probably accuse you of being australian.
Enjoy it......
Mike
Edited by mike9009 on Tuesday 6th December 22:40
Codswallop said:
As with here, driving standards are variable, though I found that on the whole US drivers were more chilled and driving there was more relaxing than in the UK.
Just be observant and I'm sure you'll have a great time
My experience also.Just be observant and I'm sure you'll have a great time
Wot I've learnt in a couple of two week work trips:
-The turn on red rule doesn't apply in every state, follow the lead of others!
-Hardly anyone risks running red lights or races off the lights
-Don't assume you can pay by card at the pump - they usually ask for a zip code after you've swiped the card, and the machines won't except alphanumeric input so you're screwed with a UK postcode (this is true of BP at least).
-Pumps won't give you "gas" in a lot of cases unless you pull down the big switch selector thing under the dock for the nozzle to select which fuel you are using.
-Some states the interstate speeds are higher than the UK. Just never assume the big rigs will be slow - they are quite capable of out dragging the cars up a hill at 80mph with clouds of smoke from the exhausts (quite a sight!). -As there are no different limits for trucks they run at the same speed as cars on interstates in a lot of places. Crazy.
-It really does seem to be true that the average american can't cope with twisty roads.
-The interstates are roughly set out so east-west roads have even numbers, north-south odd numbers (two digits). The three digits have some other meaning (ring roads?)
-It's quite relaxing driving in the US, little road rage or tailgating. Please be wary of driving jetlagged - especially when you get back to the UK and switch off.
matthias73 said:
Speed limits are slower I think. About 60 on most motorways (sorry if incorrect)
When I was in Houston about 3 years ago they drove like they didn't have limits on highways (25s seem to be well obeyed). Even my 75 year old aunt would gun her Caddy to 90 from intersections with lots of V8 noise. The limits seem to be signed at 85 but everybody ignores them.The big lorries have been clocked at upto 130 (seriously) and if they crash it's a major event.
Canada on the other hand seems to move at a slower pace. Apparently if they'd caught me reading the kph signs as mph I'd have been in real trouble...
Small but important difference: watch out for the position of the traffic light stop lines. In Texas, they often suspend the traffic lights from cables, above the centre of a junction. When I arrived from England, I expected the traffic lights to be on my side of the junction, so I went to stop just before the (red) traffic lights and nearly drove into the centre of the junction! Luckily, it was a quiet road with nobody coming from left or right.
Coming from the densely populated UK, you may find some US roads a bit under-engineered. On a lot of US roads, you need more time to read the road layout and signage than you'll be used to. It can be a bit unnerving at first. But then US speed limits are generally slower, and this gives everyone more time to compensate for the fact that the information isn't being presented to you really clearly, the camber may be adverse, the verge may just trail off into a 2ft drop into someones garden, the street lighting may be a bit primitive, and there may be rather more blind summits than you'd expect. Just give yourself more time than you'd expect to have to do in the UK. One more example ... exits from freeways may have rather short slip roads, not be banked and turn more tightly than you're used to. Basically just brake earlier and slow down more than you're used to until you get a feel for it.
If you're navigating by the road signs, there'e more emphasis on the road names and what direction they head rather than in the UK where we tend to tell you every town for the next 50 miles down the road. So instead of thinking "I want to be heading towards Peoria" (highly unlikely), think "I want to be heading West on I74". Similarly you'll see urban road names signed off the freeways ... e.g. the exit might be marked "Fubar Ave" rather than the name of some neighbourhood. Takes a bit of adjustment at first, but I think it's a better system.
If you're navigating by the road signs, there'e more emphasis on the road names and what direction they head rather than in the UK where we tend to tell you every town for the next 50 miles down the road. So instead of thinking "I want to be heading towards Peoria" (highly unlikely), think "I want to be heading West on I74". Similarly you'll see urban road names signed off the freeways ... e.g. the exit might be marked "Fubar Ave" rather than the name of some neighbourhood. Takes a bit of adjustment at first, but I think it's a better system.
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