Driving in the US (advice please!)
Discussion
autos are easy, just dont use your left foot and break gently at low speed.
the 2 tips i'll offer from my drive across USA...
Stay in lane, my pal kept drifting right
and my own issue was, when at traffic lights waiting to turn left, in the left hand lane of several lines, i kinda forgot where i was, so when the lights went green i turned left immediately as you do in the UK, this puts you face to face with the oncoming traffic from the left, resulting in a quick right then left turn to get you back onto the correct carriageway... embarassing
have a sat nav, have your first drive in daylight, it'll be fine
the 2 tips i'll offer from my drive across USA...
Stay in lane, my pal kept drifting right
and my own issue was, when at traffic lights waiting to turn left, in the left hand lane of several lines, i kinda forgot where i was, so when the lights went green i turned left immediately as you do in the UK, this puts you face to face with the oncoming traffic from the left, resulting in a quick right then left turn to get you back onto the correct carriageway... embarassing
have a sat nav, have your first drive in daylight, it'll be fine
Matt.. said:
How do i drive an auto!?
Auto specific things:You have to put your foot on the brake pedal to move the gear selector out of Park and into Drive. Also you can't remove the ignition key until the selector is back in Park.
If you park on a hill, firmly apply the hand (or foot, if it's foot operated) parking brake before you put the selctor into Park otherwise the weight of the car on the parking pawl can make it hard to get it out of Park again.
You might go for the clutch pedal and hit the (wide) brake pedal and stand the car on its nose. So tuck your left leg out of the way, especially in town driving where a sudden stop could be an issue. In reality, what you'll probably do is keep forgetting to depress the clutch pedal on your own car when you get home.
might be an idea to borrow an automatic in the uk for a few hours so that you dont have to cope with an auto and driving on the "wrong" side of the road in one hit (no pun intended)
do's
have plenty of small change for tolls
stick to the speed limit, unless you fancy a load of agg from men in tight fitting uniforms and mirror sun glasses
watch the neighbourhood you drive around, if it looks like you are out of your comfort zone, you probably are
dont's
drink at all, this is serious sh*t if you get stopped
dont leave suitcases or bags on view
leave any reference to hire company on display
i'm sure others will have loads of other stuff
have great time, the usa is a great place to explore
do's
have plenty of small change for tolls
stick to the speed limit, unless you fancy a load of agg from men in tight fitting uniforms and mirror sun glasses
watch the neighbourhood you drive around, if it looks like you are out of your comfort zone, you probably are
dont's
drink at all, this is serious sh*t if you get stopped
dont leave suitcases or bags on view
leave any reference to hire company on display
i'm sure others will have loads of other stuff
have great time, the usa is a great place to explore
Edited by Simon Brooks on Sunday 7th August 18:21
A couple of unusual specific things that can startle first time:
If you come up to a junction with just constant flashing red lights only then you need to stop and each lane will then go in turn, i.e. in the order in which they came to a stop. Even if you're the only car you must stop - I know a lot of people who have been ticketed for failing to stop at these type of stops.
Another one to watch for is that at normal traffic lights you can usually turn right on red if it's clear for you to go, although not all junctions allow this. If not there will be a big sign up stating 'no right turn on red' or something similar. If no sign then you can turn on red. There will be someone honking the horn behind you if you don't!
Have fun!
If you come up to a junction with just constant flashing red lights only then you need to stop and each lane will then go in turn, i.e. in the order in which they came to a stop. Even if you're the only car you must stop - I know a lot of people who have been ticketed for failing to stop at these type of stops.
Another one to watch for is that at normal traffic lights you can usually turn right on red if it's clear for you to go, although not all junctions allow this. If not there will be a big sign up stating 'no right turn on red' or something similar. If no sign then you can turn on red. There will be someone honking the horn behind you if you don't!
Have fun!
Turning a one-way trip from MT to CA into 2500 miles is going to need a fairly circuitous route, that adds about 1000 miles to the most obvious way - but I'm guessing that is your intention. There are a lot of very open wilderness roads up there and the Highway Patrol often have little to do, so if you're roaring along in your renter, you're likely to appear on their radar, figuratively and literally.
Driving auto is easy and relaxing - whoa and go - but there is going to come a point in your journey (either in Idaho or Wyoming) where you will encounter some mountain driving and very long, steep descents in an auto require some use of D3, or even 2 - the alternative being boiled brake fluid.
For the less confident, driving in cities like SanFran and Los Angeles might be a little intimidating.
As others have already stated, stay out of the ghetto and try not to look like a pasty-faced European tourist.
Have fun. America's west is great.
Driving auto is easy and relaxing - whoa and go - but there is going to come a point in your journey (either in Idaho or Wyoming) where you will encounter some mountain driving and very long, steep descents in an auto require some use of D3, or even 2 - the alternative being boiled brake fluid.
For the less confident, driving in cities like SanFran and Los Angeles might be a little intimidating.
As others have already stated, stay out of the ghetto and try not to look like a pasty-faced European tourist.
Have fun. America's west is great.
Willo GT3 said:
If you come up to a junction with just constant flashing red lights only then you need to stop and each lane will then go in turn, i.e. in the order in which they came to a stop. Even if you're the only car you must stop - I know a lot of people who have been ticketed for failing to stop at these type of stops.
More usually, (though not always) approaching an intersection with a flashing red, means that the cross-street will be on flashing amber. Flashing amber does not require you to stop, only to approach with caution, so it is not safe to assume that if you have flashing red, cross traffic does too.Regarding turning right on red, you must come to a complete stop before proceding into the turn. Most people don't and it's and easy pinch for a bored cop, as a result.
Great tip above: get some auto practice in the UK before you go.
You don't say what airport you're picking the car up from. Assuming that it's more than a regional airfield, when you start off you WILL be confuse by the road width, signage, driving on the left etc. as well as the auto box. So, it's good to have the route from airport to hotel pinned down well in advance. Even though I've driven thousands of miles in the USA and Canada before I head off thgere I always use Google maps to tie down the specific route from airport to the hotel just to avoid worrying about it. Maybe picking up the car away from an airport is a good plan for a first timer.
R.
You don't say what airport you're picking the car up from. Assuming that it's more than a regional airfield, when you start off you WILL be confuse by the road width, signage, driving on the left etc. as well as the auto box. So, it's good to have the route from airport to hotel pinned down well in advance. Even though I've driven thousands of miles in the USA and Canada before I head off thgere I always use Google maps to tie down the specific route from airport to the hotel just to avoid worrying about it. Maybe picking up the car away from an airport is a good plan for a first timer.
R.
Willo GT3 said:
Another one to watch for is that at normal traffic lights you can usually turn right on red if it's clear for you to go, although not all junctions allow this. If not there will be a big sign up stating 'no right turn on red' or something similar. If no sign then you can turn on red. There will be someone honking the horn behind you if you don't!
I got this a bit because I wasn't sure of the law in each state I was going through. But the honking horn soon set me straight Overall I didn't find it that different to driving in Europe. Perhaps easier: the signs are in English!
The Leaper said:
You don't say what airport you're picking the car up from.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=bozeman+airport+to+mammoth+hot+springs&saddr=bozeman+airport&daddr=mammoth+hot+springs&hl=en&ll=45.38109,-110.341187&spn=1.007025,2.293396&sll=45.309666,-110.740814&sspn=0.508973,1.669922&geocode=FVWAugIdmtNf-SHr6rtQ7nMAwA%3BFRhhrgIdUqBm-SmTip7xDdRPUzEivO2MPaFCKg&z=9Bozeman Airport (Montana) to Mammoth Hot Springs (Yellowstone NP) is my first trip, and it's on 5th Sept, so Yellowstone might be somewhat busy. It looks easy enough though as it's Montana, and what's in Montana to hit?! (other than big animals!)
a few things i can think of...
fuel maybe pre pay , go to the kiosk and hand over some cash , say $40 on pump #1 or whatever , if you dont squeeze it all in return for your change . not many of our cards worked in the fuel pumps . some pumps have a handle to lift after picking up the nozzle , and dont take notice of the hose colours as theyre often oposite colours to ours for unleaded/derv
check if your states have turn right on red lights , if so look around after coming to a stop and give way to everything
states ive been to seem much more friendly to pedestrians than here , expect people in car parks to walk infront of the car etc , works out ok in the end as you can do it when walking lol
stop signs mean stop not almost stop...cops like to pull you for almost stopping
have fun , its not too bad at all there
fuel maybe pre pay , go to the kiosk and hand over some cash , say $40 on pump #1 or whatever , if you dont squeeze it all in return for your change . not many of our cards worked in the fuel pumps . some pumps have a handle to lift after picking up the nozzle , and dont take notice of the hose colours as theyre often oposite colours to ours for unleaded/derv
check if your states have turn right on red lights , if so look around after coming to a stop and give way to everything
states ive been to seem much more friendly to pedestrians than here , expect people in car parks to walk infront of the car etc , works out ok in the end as you can do it when walking lol
stop signs mean stop not almost stop...cops like to pull you for almost stopping
have fun , its not too bad at all there
Most tps been given already, but to expand on one and introduce another.
4-way stops - as has been said you go in the order you arrive at the junction. That sounds complex, but in reality what it means is that when you draw up to the line, every car that is sitting at the junction ready to go must have been there before you, so you let them go first. Then you go. With everyone doing the same thing (i.e. letting every car that was waiting to go before they arrived go first) it does actually work quite well. So make a mental note of the cars waiting to go (maximum of 3 - one per road at the 4-way), let them go, then you go.
The otehr thing that I know folks can make mistakes is 'slip roads', or at least the lack on them! If you're in a lane and the sign above it gives a destination and the wor 'exit', it doesn't mean there's a slip road on the right (or left - it can be either side), it means the lane you're in is going to go there! I know lots of folks assume that if they stay on the inside lane of a freeway/interstate they'll get where the road goes, and then find themselves being led in some different direction. So it does mean you can't just sit in the inside (or outside) lane. If it says 'exit' above your lane and that isn't where you want to go, then get out of that lane.
...and US traffic cops can record your speed coming in the opposide direction, and do quite nifty u-turns
4-way stops - as has been said you go in the order you arrive at the junction. That sounds complex, but in reality what it means is that when you draw up to the line, every car that is sitting at the junction ready to go must have been there before you, so you let them go first. Then you go. With everyone doing the same thing (i.e. letting every car that was waiting to go before they arrived go first) it does actually work quite well. So make a mental note of the cars waiting to go (maximum of 3 - one per road at the 4-way), let them go, then you go.
The otehr thing that I know folks can make mistakes is 'slip roads', or at least the lack on them! If you're in a lane and the sign above it gives a destination and the wor 'exit', it doesn't mean there's a slip road on the right (or left - it can be either side), it means the lane you're in is going to go there! I know lots of folks assume that if they stay on the inside lane of a freeway/interstate they'll get where the road goes, and then find themselves being led in some different direction. So it does mean you can't just sit in the inside (or outside) lane. If it says 'exit' above your lane and that isn't where you want to go, then get out of that lane.
...and US traffic cops can record your speed coming in the opposide direction, and do quite nifty u-turns
any merging is done on the each car lets one in basis , its always been done well with no shouty /pushing in /blocking cars off
slip roads onto freeways may have traffic lights , one car per light
car pool lane for 2 or more passnegers , if its heavy traffic leave the car pool lane in advance of your exit as moving over 5-6 busy lanes can be tricky when busy
slip roads onto freeways may have traffic lights , one car per light
car pool lane for 2 or more passnegers , if its heavy traffic leave the car pool lane in advance of your exit as moving over 5-6 busy lanes can be tricky when busy
Conian said:
and my own issue was, when at traffic lights waiting to turn left, in the left hand lane of several lines, i kinda forgot where i was, so when the lights went green i turned left immediately as you do in the UK
THIS, I realised my mistake when I saw 2 tons of Chevy Suburban almost go sideways trying to avoid me :-O.So it turns out that driving in the US was really very easy. Having a GPS massively helped though (i was on my own, so no one to map read). It really helped with lanes with freeway driving, especially in places like SLC which is a small city, but all the roads are at least 4 lanes, and merge into one another!
I did 3,500 miles in a Ford Focus hire car, and 700 miles in a Challenger R/T. The Challenger was such fun! It's huge, has a worse interior than the Focus, but a hemi v8, which makes nice noises It even has remote start, so you can stand next to it and start it to hear it better 
It drove like a big boat, but i'm so glad i hired it! Flooring it after every view point on Highway 1 in California was much fun, as were traffic light starts when it was raining 
The 5 way stop junctions i had in some places were a little confusing, but really not that bad. The worst i had was when a deer ran out in front of me in Utah. I missed it by about 1 ft... Hitting that at night, in the middle of nowhere in Utah, would not have been funny!
I did 3,500 miles in a Ford Focus hire car, and 700 miles in a Challenger R/T. The Challenger was such fun! It's huge, has a worse interior than the Focus, but a hemi v8, which makes nice noises
It even has remote start, so you can stand next to it and start it to hear it better It drove like a big boat, but i'm so glad i hired it! Flooring it after every view point on Highway 1 in California was much fun, as were traffic light starts when it was raining The 5 way stop junctions i had in some places were a little confusing, but really not that bad. The worst i had was when a deer ran out in front of me in Utah. I missed it by about 1 ft... Hitting that at night, in the middle of nowhere in Utah, would not have been funny!
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