Driving in America/Australia?

pudzey101

Sorry if this has been asked before ..... doing abit of travelling in a few months and was wondering what the laws/rules are regarding driving abroad are ?
Have a full Irish car licence with 8 years and learner permit for motorcycles . Will be going to USA , Australia and Spain in the coming months and wondering am i legible to rent/buy a car/motorcycle in these places ?


any help appreciated thanks

Del2005

Driving is fine but you won't be able to get a bike, a learners permit is only valid in the Republic of Ireland.

Noo

Your full irish licence is fine in australia for 3 months.

Andrewf20

Drove in both. Just a few extra notes - Oz very similar to Ireland with less messing on the roads. People stick to the speed limits very tightly due to enforcement.

The USA is easy going but with a few quirky changes like the 4 way stop junctions. There are vids on YouTube that run through this and others traits of USA driving. Check out the rules around school buses. Basically if one comes to a stop, traffic on both sides must also stop if the bus red lights are flashing, unless there is a barrier between both directions.

They have right on red rules, whereby you can drive through a red light if turning right. Beware, you must come to a stop before pulling out. They have in places cameras that can catch you on this and fines can be steep ($380 in Oregon anyway).

pete4130

I wouldn't say Australia has less messing about. I've driven in QLD a lot (approx 150,000km) and NSW. Rural QLD is a different ball game on rural roads. Massive road trains doing 130kmh coming towards you with their 3rd trailer skipping across to your side of the road and pretty much out of control. Not fun. Kangaroos coming out of nowhere, huge wedge tail eagles feeding on the dead kangaroos on the road....

Sydney is just full of the most idiotic drivers ever. People tailgate constantly, literally 2-3 metres behind you. Nobody leaves a 2 second gap, if you do, somebody slots into it for a lane change. The dash cam regularly gets filled up with incidents I see to and from work. Nobody usually lets anybody merge into their lane and has the "you aren't going to overtake/get in front of me" attitude.

There is more of a drink driving culture here too. It's less taboo than back in Ireland.

In my 6 years here, one thing I have noticed is the extraordinary amount of drivers that manage to crash into houses and buildings.

ironclaw

Andrewf20 wrote: »

Drove in both. Just a few extra notes - Oz very similar to Ireland with less messing on the roads. People stick to the speed limits very tightly due to enforcement.

The USA is easy going but with a few quirky changes like the 4 way stop junctions. There are vids on YouTube that run through this and others traits of USA driving. Check out the rules around school buses. Basically if one comes to a stop, traffic on both sides must also stop if the bus red lights are flashing, unless there is a barrier between both directions.

They have right on red rules, whereby you can drive through a red light if turning right. Beware, you must come to a stop before pulling out. They have in places cameras that can catch you on this and fines can be steep ($380 in Oregon anyway).

I'd echo all of this and recommend a quick look online. Two other things:

- Roundabouts are pretty much non-existent (They are called traffic circle) but beware if you do come across one as no one has a breeze how to use them. Just take your time and check your lane.

- Speed is enforced to the MPH, no 10% rules here. If its 65mph, its 65mph. Don't be tempted to push this as in some states, you don't have to be over by very much to actually get arrested (Oregon and Virginia are pretty tight on speed) The fines can also be enormous for even 3 to 5mph over.

Lastly, I'd recommend getting an international license from the AA. Its a little naff and few cops will even know what it is, but is an extra layer of competence and its got me out of a situation or two where the cop wasn't entirely sure my flappy pink Irish license was real.

zilog_jones

ironclaw wrote: »

- Speed is enforced to the MPH, no 10% rules here. If its 65mph, its 65mph. Don't be tempted to push this as in some states, you don't have to be over by very much to actually get arrested (Oregon and Virginia are pretty tight on speed) The fines can also be enormous for even 3 to 5mph over.

Enforcement varies significantly by state, and your speedometer will also overread by up to 10% just like it does here. Speed limits also vary by state, so make sure you know where you are if you're doing long distance driving.

Lastly, I'd recommend getting an international license from the AA. Its a little naff and few cops will even know what it is, but is an extra layer of competence and its got me out of a situation or two where the cop wasn't entirely sure my flappy pink Irish license was real.

Those things are a waste of time and money. Could be useful as a translation tool if you're going somewhere that speaks foreign (assuming they are printed in a language appropriate way) but they're certainly useless for English-speaking countries.

From my experience driving in the US:

• Watch out for toll roads/bridges before you make your journey, so you know how you have to pay for them - some are open road tolls (like the M50), e.g. the Golden Gate Bridge southbound
• Generally you must park on the side of the road you're driving, i.e. you can't cross the road to park
• Watch out for street parking times, e.g. some streets have times when they need to be cleared for cleaning (and they may move your car if you don't)
• Undertaking is rampant
• Turning right on red is usually allowed but some junctions have signs specifically forbidding this
• 4-way stops are fairly common, so make sure you understand how they work
• If you're in a drier/hotter climate, take extra caution if it does rain as aquaplaning is a serious risk
• With highway designations you need to go by the shape of the shield or whatever thing the number is on, e.g. (in order of significance): Interstate (IS) = red/blue shield, US Highway = white shield, then State Routes (SR) and County Routes which vary (sometimes in shape of state/county). It's not as obvious as M/N/R roads in Ireland. More info here

ironclaw

zilog_jones wrote: »

Enforcement varies significantly by state, and your speedometer will also overread by up to 10% just like it does here. Speed limits also vary by state, so make sure you know where you are if you're doing long distance driving.

I ran the Gumball and Bullrun there so we always had an excel sheet of limits and enforcement to refer to before crossing state lines. All US cars are mandated to have a 'spot on' speedo, you don't get the reading error like is allowed in the EU. If the speedo says 60, you're doing 60. This may not be universal but certainly any US registered car I was in this was the case.

Those things are a waste of time and money. Could be useful as a translation tool if you're going somewhere that speaks foreign (assuming they are printed in a language appropriate way) but they're certainly useless for English-speaking countries.

I wouldn't call them a waste of money personally. I think it was €20 when I got mine and it got me out of multiple possible tickets. It gives you a professional edge of being prepared and the less work an officer has to do, the better. Ultimately, you won't have a license from the State so they are going to be wary of you anyway, having any extra documentation to prove yourself is worth having.

In the OPs case, you are seriously unlikely to be stopped but its best to be prepared. If I can give you some additional advice, keep your hands where the officer can see them if stopped. You might have the best intentions of diving into your bag on the back seat to get your license or into the glove box for the rental agreement but don't. Just keep the hands on the dash and wait until they approach the window. It sounds extreme but parts of America can be a hotbed for crime. Again, it also shows that you are concerned for the officers safety and most appreciate it.

zilog_jones

ironclaw wrote: »

All US cars are mandated to have a 'spot on' speedo, you don't get the reading error like is allowed in the EU. If the speedo says 60, you're doing 60. This may not be universal but certainly any US registered car I was in this was the case.

I was wrong earlier about the 110% overreading (that's a UNECE thing, and the US don't comply with that), but cars sold in the US can and often do overread, although to a lesser extent. Some anecdotal evidence suggests GM cars are more accurate than others; Japanese and European cars sold there often more than domestic. Even a difference in tyre tread (between new and near-bald) can affect your speedo by 2%, and there's a strong preference for making them overread rather than under to accommodate such situations.

fullstop

pete4130 wrote: »

Sydney is just full of the most idiotic drivers ever. People tailgate constantly, literally 2-3 metres behind you. Nobody leaves a 2 second gap, if you do, somebody slots into it for a lane change. The dash cam regularly gets filled up with incidents I see to and from work. Nobody usually lets anybody merge into their lane and has the "you aren't going to overtake/get in front of me" attitude.

There is more of a drink driving culture here too. It's less taboo than back in Ireland.

In my 6 years here, one thing I have noticed is the extraordinary amount of drivers that manage to crash into houses and buildings.

The driving standard in Sydney is a disgrace, I thought Ireland was bad before I drove there. Constant tailgating as you say, but then if you leave any gap some asshole just bullies their way into it, lots of people flying up the bus lane weaving in and out of traffic, using right turn lanes for overtaking.
The drink driving is on another level. They all work off the assumption that they can have a drink every hour and drive, and it doesn't seem to matter how strong the drink is or how many hours they have been drinking. I've seen a number of colleagues stumbling around the place and getting into the car to drive home, and they won't hear of getting a cab instead.