First time Driving in US - Advice?

oB1

Hey

Long time traveller to the US, first time hiring a car and driving it over there. Any particular advice, apart from the obvious! - (like I know it's left-hand drive, and the right-hand side of the road rather than the left etc.) - I drive an automatic here so I know what they are like to drive. I have a full unrestricted drivers licence and all that.

Any particular things to watch out for / be careful of? - I will be driving in the state of New York, and potentially a road trip down the east coast (depending how I feel about driving)

Thanks!

Enigma IE

oB1 wrote: »

Hey

Long time traveller to the US, first time hiring a car and driving it over there. Any particular advice, apart from the obvious! - (like I know it's left-hand drive, and the right-hand side of the road rather than the left etc.) - I drive an automatic here so I know what they are like to drive. I have a full unrestricted drivers licence and all that.

Any particular things to watch out for / be careful of? - I will be driving in the state of New York, and potentially a road trip down the east coast (depending how I feel about driving)

Thanks!

The driving part is easy. They have very few roundabouts in the US, which in Europe can be tricky. Just make sure you have a sat-nav, so you can focus on driving and don't need to worry about trying to navigate also.

Heebie

Remember that the centre line of the road should be at your shoulder.
It's easier than concentrating on left vs. right.
--someone who's driven 12 years here, and 22 years there before that.

Rmgblue

Whoever gets to a crossroads with no traffic lights first moves first.

You can turn right on a red light

Skedaddle

Learn the rules of 4-way stop junctions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-way_stop

Generally have a good look through the US rules of the road. There are a few substantial differences.

NEVER pass a school bus that's letting children out and has flashing stop signs. They take this extremely seriously and you can have the book thrown at you over it and observe the speed limits, especially around school zones or anywhere like that. They're pretty aggressively enforced in some areas.

Also and this is unique to the USA and I would suggest you follow the advice. If you are stopped by police keep your hands on the wheel and all passengers need to keep their hands visible and EXACTLY follow their instructions. Do not reach for anything in your pocket, in the glove compartment or under the seat under any circumstances as they will quite possibly shoot you. So, don't get your licence for example until you are asked for it or start rooting around for stuff.
I am not joking or being over the top. That is fact. It's probably a bigger concern to be aware of than most of the driving issues.

You should know where your licence and your insurance / registration documentation from the hire care company is and have it ready to present in the relatively unlikely event that you ever are pulled over.

Generally though the US is very car-friendly and driving friendly.

I would also take extra precautions about parking in certain urban areas. Just use common sense. There are higher crime issues in some places than you might be used to.

AlanG

Driving is generally easy as there are so many dual carriageways, most likely place to go wrong is pulling out of a petrol station or restaurant if there is no traffic so you end up on the wrong side.
be aware of local laws - when I was there you could not turn right on a red light in New York city but you could in most states (ie. treat it like a stop sign).
Many car rentals don't let you go to death valley or Manhattan.
They are really strict about school zone speed limits - usually 15 or 20 mph - stick to them.
If there is snow do not park on the road or you will get a ticket as they need to be kept clear for ploughs.
If there is a lot of snow make sure you have a blanket, candle and tape in your car to mark it if you abandon it.
If you go into the Appalachian Mountains or some of the state forests be aware of where gas stations are as you could easily forget the distances are huge even on the east coast.

Gravelly

I find driving in the states a pleasure compared to most European countries - lots of nearly empty highways, city traffic usually moves reasonably well, and they seem to have a higher proportion of drivers who actually know what they are doing than Europe has. One thing to watch out for if you are in the south or the west coast is rain - in a lot of states, especially California, the roads are like ice rinks when it rains, and Americans handle driving in the rain spectacularly badly.

AlanG

Rmgblue wrote: »

You can turn right on a red light

Only in some states and cities.

naughtysmurf

If you are anyway competent here, you will be absolutely fine over there, no experience of New York but plenty in Florida
Everything should be very well signposted, they do undertake on the interstates so keep your wits about you.

The other side of the road thing isn't much of an issue as the left hand drive kind of sorts that, becareful turning left as you have to go right across the street, the opposite to here

When collecting the car, take 10/15 minutes to get familiar with the controls & sort your mirrors, sometimes the handbrake is a foot pedal

Find out where the fuel cap release is, had a bit of fun with that one in a Dodge charger

I'd say it much easier for us going there than them coming here, after 30 minutes, you'll be fine

Sleeper12

You can turn right on a red light in some states but not all

If parking on the street, park in the direction of the traffic. In other words don't cross & Park on the opposite side of the road.

Charles Babbage

Gravelly wrote: »

I find driving in the states a pleasure compared to most European countries - lots of nearly empty highways, city traffic usually moves reasonably well, and they seem to have a higher proportion of drivers who actually know what they are doing than Europe has. One thing to watch out for if you are in the south or the west coast is rain - in a lot of states, especially California, the roads are like ice rinks when it rains, and Americans handle driving in the rain spectacularly badly.

I wouldn't agree about the drivers. They have a much higher rate of accidents and fatalities in the US than here.

The point about the rain is well made. If it hasn't rained for long while, which rarely happens here, there is a lot of crud on the road and it becomes very slippery and locals don't deal well with this.

4 way stops are one thing to tune in to.

Jimbob1977

Police enforce the speed limits with great rigidity. If you are in a school zone or residential area, obey the limits. They are waiting to hand out tickets. If stopped by the police, stay civil. Any backchat and you will feel their wrath.

In most areas, it is legal to turn right from the right lane when the traffic light is red (naturally when it's safe and there is nobody coming across you at the intersection and they have right if way). Might seem strange to break a red light, but it's kinda like our flashing amber arrow in Ireland.

Check the level of insurance on your rental car. Maybe investigate if you can purchase it cheaper from Ireland. They will try sell the gold package at the desk. Ask the rental company if there is unlimited mileage and what's the story with tolls.

Many interstate toll roads are unmanned at entry. You take your automated ticket and drive. When you exit, you can pay the cashier. It's computed on distance travelled. Although numerous city toll roads are fixed price like the M50. Easy to have a few coins like quarters with you.

City car parking can be unbelievably expensive. If it's possible, leave the car on the fringes.

Speed limits tend to be lower than Ireland in chunks of the country. Hence it's easy to get too comfortable and accrue speeding tickets.

Petrol is cheaper.

Follow the basic rule - drive right, look left. Especially after exiting a petrol station or retail park. You won't find many rotary circles (roundabouts).

filbert the fox

BTW DRIVE ON THE RIGHT

Jimbob1977

Heebie wrote: »

Remember that the centre line of the road should be at your shoulder.
It's easier than concentrating on left vs. right.
--someone who's driven 12 years here, and 22 years there before that.

Left shoulder I have two shoulders

Skedaddle

In my experience as the US was always very car-friendly, things tend to be designed for driving, so for the most part it's very straight forward and the diving is usually pretty easy-going and relaxed, other than around certain congested big cities where you will have to deal with normal amounts of undertaking and pushy driving as people try to get home for dinner.

The only BIG BIG difference is interaction with any kind of law enforcement. It's an unfortunate point to have to really stress, but it's very much a different planet when it comes to this. The police can and do shoot people for failing to comply with what often seem like utterly unreasonable instructions and they can be very aggressive and they are also pretty full-on with cuffing and generally humiliating people. So, just don't take any chances and assume you're in a police state.

You need to assume that the police assume that you might shoot them. So, make absolutely no sudden moves and just be extremely polite and cooperative. They're usually perfectly reasonable and friendly but you just have to realise that a hell of a lot of people are armed and they do get shot at and take absolutely no chances whatsoever. So, really do keep your hands on the wheel and ensure that your passengers don't start rooting in glove compartments, handbags, making calls, or anything basically - just sit there and don't panic or interact unnecessarily. Once they've established you're not some kind of threat, they're usually utterly charming, but until then they'll assume you're going to shoot them.

And in some areas they're incentivised with quotas and all sorts of things, so they'll be looking for any excuse to ticket anyone for minor infractions. So don't speed, don't tailgate and USE YOUR INDICATORS.

I really can't hammer home the school bus rule enough. Any school bus, and this often includes minivans and stuff that are signed as 'school bus' cannot be passed when stopped and passengers are getting out. If you do pass it, it's a pretty serious offence and you can end up in court or worse. The logic is that a child might run across the road at any moment so, they just don't allow traffic to pass at all. They usually are very clearly marked school bus and will have flashing red lights when stopped.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbp04AftXVw

This is what you'll find is very different. The school bus stops ALL lanes on BOTH SIDES of the road. So if you are driving towards a school bus and it stops, with the stop signs out and lights flashing, you have to stop, even if you're on the opposite side of the road (unless there's a central divider barrier in the road).

Driving past this is equivalent to driving through a LollyPop man/lady crossing in Ireland. They'll take a VERY dim view of it.

It's meant to allow children to safely cross the street and access the bus from either side of the street.

oB1

SOLID Advice from everyone, thank you very much!!

I am familiar with the culture generally, especially with Law Enforcement (Lived in Central Florida in 2013) - Just have not ever driven over there.

Remember that the centre line of the road should be at your shoulder.
It's easier than concentrating on left vs. right.
--someone who's driven 12 years here, and 22 years there before that.

Good tip!

Thanks to all!

mattser

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

Left shoulder I have two shoulders

:D Brilliant

tricky D

Watch for others doing sudden lane changes.

When filling up, your card might not work at self-service gas pumps as they can require a ZIP code not a PIN. First, you go into the station and give them an rounded up estimate of what you will fill, they hold that money, then you fill and go back in and sort out the difference. I'm a bit rusty on that so hopefully some one can fill in anything I've missed or got wrong.

mrs.doubt.fire

Rmgblue wrote: »

Whoever gets to a crossroads with no traffic lights first moves first.

Same thing if you come to a cross roads and all 4 roads have stop signs (no traffic lights), who ever get's there first goes first.

mrs.doubt.fire

tricky D wrote: »

Watch for others doing sudden lane changes.

When filling up, your card might not work at self-service gas stations as they can require a ZIP code not a PIN. First, you go into the station and give them an rounded up estimate of what you will fill, they hold that money, then you fill and go back in and sort out the difference. I'm a bit rusty on that so hopefully some one can fill in anything I've missed or got wrong.

Most if not all American credit cards are chip and pin now, for the past about year and a half.

mrs.doubt.fire

Dont forget to tell your credit card company here in Ireland that your going to USA so they wont think someone nicked your card or card details while your in USA.

Skedaddle

The cards are issued but the terminals are taking a long time to fully update. Still quite a few years behind EU countries on this considering France has been fully chip and pin for nearly 30 years now! Their initial rollout started in the early 1990s with an older version of the technology we are using now.

One tip : install Apple Pay / Android Pay if you're with one of the Irish banks that supports it. It has very wide full acceptance in the US and will never leave you open to card skimming as it never leaves the retailer with your actual card number.

A much broader number of US retailers are accepting Apple/Android pay for any amount. In Ireland and the UK there are still a lot of terminals around that aren't programmed to distinguish it from normal "tap" contactless that's not secured. When they're setup fully, you can pay any amount (Aldi for example works no problem). The transaction is secured with a pin, lock pattern or fully biometrically and a virtual card number is used, so your physical card is much safer.

naughtysmurf

tricky D wrote: »

Watch for others doing sudden lane changes.

When filling up, your card might not work at self-service gas pumps as they can require a ZIP code not a PIN. First, you go into the station and give them an rounded up estimate of what you will fill, they hold that money, then you fill and go back in and sort out the difference. I'm a bit rusty on that so hopefully some one can fill in anything I've missed or got wrong.

Yeah, go inside & ask for say $40 worth on pump 9, hand over the $40, the pump is set & will only dispense $40 worth, if the car only takes $30 to fill, you go back inside & get your $10 back, bit of a rigmarole for tourists, think it's to stop drive aways

Skedaddle

naughtysmurf wrote: »

Yeah, go inside & ask for say $40 worth on pump 9, hand over the $40, the pump is set & will only dispense $40 worth, if the car only takes $30 to fill, you go back inside & get your $10 back, bit of a rigmarole for tourists, think it's to stop drive aways

Some Irish garages do that too. It's not totally unfamiliar.

oB1

Heebie wrote: »

Remember that the centre line of the road should be at your shoulder.
It's easier than concentrating on left vs. right.
--someone who's driven 12 years here, and 22 years there before that.

Skedaddle wrote: »

Some Irish garages do that too. It's not totally unfamiliar.

Yeah, the new Maxol in Blanchardstown / Mulhuddart does that. It's convenient. Also the odd one or two automatic pumps I have seen in small towns, with no garage, just an unmanned pump.

tedpan

You can also text and drive in most States. Doesn't really help though, apart from watching out from people veering on motorways.

tac foley

If you are over in Oregon, please be aware that Oregon has legal 'jay-walking'. A driver is obliged by law to stop and let a pedestrian continue to cross the road if they arrive after the pedestrian has begun to cross.

Also that not EVERY state allows you to pump your own gasoline - Oregon is one that does not. All gas-stations are full-serve.

tac

naughtysmurf

Skedaddle wrote: »

Some Irish garages do that too. It's not totally unfamiliar.

Fair enough, haven't come across it myself here as yet

él statutorio

mrs.doubt.fire wrote: »

Most if not all American credit cards are chip and pin now, for the past about year and a half.

Nope.

Some chip & PIN readers are there but it's all still swipe and sign or chip and sign.

They don't do the PIN bit.

Gas stations are almost all swipe and Zip code. (I've never seen a Chip and PIN gas station)

coylemj

tac foley wrote: »

Also that not EVERY state allows you to pump your own gasoline - Oregon is one that does not. All gas-stations are full-serve.

I believe New Jersey is the same - self-service is illegal.

In some states the format is (used to be?) mixed whereby the line of pumps closest to the sidewalk were self-service while the pumps closer to the store were full service and the service lads in the overalls did not appreciate it if you swung in to one of 'their' pumps and started doing the business yourself.

Sorry to bang the same drum but you absolutely need to remember that if a police car flashes you, the protocol is to pull over, stay in the car, driver keeps both hands visible by holding the higher half of the steering wheel, passengers keep their hands visible and their mouths shut. As soon as you stop, the observer will probably be busy checking your registration number for outstanding arrest warrants and the like so don't expect them to leap out to talk to you straight away, you could be waiting a few minutes for anything to happen.

Roscoe P Coltrane

A few tips on renting a car- use a broker website to find the best deal, it can save you a fortune. Try to get a special on full tank & return empty- it saves money & hassle when returning car not looking for a gas station near an airport (you normally get up to 5 additional drivers on this deal also). Get car hire excess insurance before you go- its only about €50, you can add drivers for free and with the hire laws in most states, your insurance is covered with rental. If anything happens, you just pay the excess and get a refund on your insurance.
Check all lights, indicators etc before driving out- I refused to take 2 vehicles on last trip due to indicators.
Allow plenty of time for returning vehicle at airport, rental is often off site.
Check your phone provider for daily cost in us, most big companies do a roaming deal for about €3 per day giving you access to your own satnav, rentals are $12-$15 per day (stick your phone cradle in carry on bag to aid quicker drive off.
Lastly, dont drink on the plane- its easy to forget you have to drive in 5 hours!