Driving an automatic

Marcusm

RoverJames wrote: »

I'd be surprised if there was any auto out there that wouldn't let you turn it off in D, N or R tbh.

The key may not release unless it's in park, though.

r3nu4l

There may be no harm in getting a few auto lessons but I think it is overkill. I had my full licence only one week when I went to Florida and hired a car. I had one years driving experience in a 1L manual and got a 2L auto Chevy to drive

I had no problems whatsoever with the car, or driving on the other side of the road. The fact it was an auto helped in that regard as I didn't have to change gears with my right hand.

The biggest problem I had was poor signage in one part of Orlando. I had driven there from Clearwater beach, in the days before sat nav was standard

As has been said, check the rules of the road. Ask if it is legal to turn right on red lights. When I was there it was but there was debate on making it illegal at the time.

Also, some of the speed signs are misleading if you don't read them carefully. I was driving on the freeway, saw the limit was 'Maximum 70' so sped up to 70. A few hundred metres I saw a sign for 40, so slowed down, then a few hundred metres later 70, then 40, then 70...
I was up and down the speed all over the place, then I. Noticed that no one else was slowing to 40. Turns out the 40 signs say 'Minimum 40' but are identical format, size and colour to the 'Maximum 70' signs. I must have been a joy to drive behind for those 2 kilometres. :pac:

So uses a sat nav, pay attention to road signs and you will be grand IMO.

Marcusm

Marcusm wrote: »

The key may not release unless it's in park, though.

No doubt, and in some cars where you can remove the key with the car not in park it won't start again unless it's in N with foot on the brake or in P. Every relative recent yoke will have some safety feature to ensure you can't start and go in D inadvertently.

The comment made was about turning off the engine though.

blingrhino

how much will you want for your manual car when u come back?

gurramok

Yes there were Minimum 40, Maximum 70 signs. Also they do say slower traffic keep to the left. We could do with those signs here!

Regarding driving on the right hand side, it comes to you naturally to adjust. I did find that I didn't adjust properly in car parks for example, I had a tendency to forget I am not on the LHS of the road

number66

It's not driving the car that will be a problem, I'd recommend you read the driving guide for the state you visiting to get an idea what you might be facing. manuals . Driving is easy, but you will likely encounter some surprises. Like a 4 way stop sign(always stop if you see a stop sign). Really depends what state are going to be driving. and make sure you get proper insurance that cover all states you might drive in.