Driving in the US for the first time - tips?
Discussion
CurvaParabolica said:
will have both parts of my license
Not necessary - just take the photo card bit.Yes you pay for fuel first.
There is no lane discipline and you will be overtaken on both sides. But, there is not much lane changing.
Have some small change for tolls.
The KEY ADVICE - when you are pulling onto a road say from a parking lot make sure you are driving on the right. Easy to go into autopilot-mode and forget for a split second.
SECOND KEY ADVICE - do not stop on an amber light - I did once and got slammed up the rear (ooh big boy) by a mystified yank. Only stop if the light is red.
Be very careful when driving in the wet - most Americans seem to drive knackered old sheds that leak oil everywhere, which makes it like driving on ice (particularly in hotter states where they seem to use very hard tyre compounds) - can be extremely interesting if your hire car is RWD!
Jimmy No Hands said:
We're going to Florida next Christmas for three weeks. I'm really fancying a Mustang for a week or so. What's the best route to do this? Prebook on the net or wait till I arrive? Also I'm 23 will that be a problem? Can't wait!
I used the Skyscanner app to find the best price for my 8 day rental - $350 with Budget and that includes Loss Damage Waiver, unlimited mileage etc etc - nothing to pay at the desk. My confirmation mentions that there are surcharges for young drivers (18-24) of around $25 per day. But that is for the "basic" mustang only; if you were looking to upgrade to a Shelby or similar, I'm guessing only a few outfits offer such a service and I would imagine the age limit might be 30, like it is here for renting most high performance stuff.My first (and only) experience of driving in the states started when picking up the rental car from LAX after my mate lost his bottle, despite him having driven there a few times previously.
This was also my first time driving an auto so it was a little daunting at first (learnt to rest my left foot completly after nearly going through the windscreen the first time I braked!).
Got to grips with it pretty quickly.
Got my mates to repeat the mantra 'Rights alright, left is dead' each time I approached any kind of junction. Sounds silly but it really worked as initially I would drop the ball and find myself on the left after negotiating a crossroads a few times.
After a few days I found myself enjoying it, despite the car being a Chrysler Sebring and having no redeeming features other than powerful aircon and a big boot. The 'turn right on red if clear' is a masterstroke of common sense.
Just remember 'Rights alright, left is dead' and the rest will slot into place pretty quickly.
Have fun - we did the 'Big Sur' highway up the Californian coast and would have been amazing if I had a proper car :-)
This was also my first time driving an auto so it was a little daunting at first (learnt to rest my left foot completly after nearly going through the windscreen the first time I braked!).
Got to grips with it pretty quickly.
Got my mates to repeat the mantra 'Rights alright, left is dead' each time I approached any kind of junction. Sounds silly but it really worked as initially I would drop the ball and find myself on the left after negotiating a crossroads a few times.
After a few days I found myself enjoying it, despite the car being a Chrysler Sebring and having no redeeming features other than powerful aircon and a big boot. The 'turn right on red if clear' is a masterstroke of common sense.
Just remember 'Rights alright, left is dead' and the rest will slot into place pretty quickly.
Have fun - we did the 'Big Sur' highway up the Californian coast and would have been amazing if I had a proper car :-)
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