I'm British and want to do a bit of driving whilst in America. How difficult is it?
Answers:
lol:)
you drive on the right side of the road here! dont kill me!
It's not so hard. You turn the ignition on, engage gear, release the handbrake, press the accelerator, and away you go. Very similar to English driving, except the cars are crap.
you sit on the left side of the car. enjoy and dont get in a headon
Some people would have you believe that they drive one the other side of the road. This is a myth. they don't. Keep driving the way you always have!
apart from it being on the otherside of the road. not too difficult.
(you can make a left turn when it is save to do so at a red light.)
and don't onto the wrong side of the road! lol!
It's simple. I just got my license a few months ago. There's no difficultly with it.
I'm British and ive done it. Straight roads and rent a car without stick gear change. You will be fine once you get used to driving on the wrong side of the road.
Ya just get in yer bloody great V8, fill it with an oil field o gas, and head west pardner. Dont forget to run over any Koyoto agreements.
whilst driving in the colonies you must remember to think the opposite of everything you have ever learnithed in the UK. or you will kill someone. maybe even you
Good luck..I would suggest trying to drive in New York City traffic first..It is VERY easy to drive there and the people are very courteous to others. Think of New York City traffic as a "prooving grounds".If you can drive there you can drive anywhere.
If you've never driven before its as difficult as it is here.
If you can drive then remember they drive on the wrong side,which means when taking corners keep the drivers side of the car next to the middle of the road!
By the way don't try doing any racing style driving cos american cars handle like crap!
The roads seem to be a bit wider unless you're in the heart of a city or out on the back country roads. You might find that aspect easier. I wouldn't attempt New York City or Washington DC on your first outing. Big cities can be nightmarish with all the one-way streets. Also big city drivers tend to be less tolerant of drivers who are going slower because they don't know where they're going.
I am also British and have driven in the US, it really depends where you are going to be, large cities like Miami have 5 lanes and it can get a bit scary for us 3 lane folks. In the smaller parts of the US its very similar to the UK only the fast lane is on the left and slow right also they have no laws against undertaking so cars pass you from every side. The signs are very good though especially in larger tourist area's. Do not expect anyone to thank you when you let them out either. The nice thing is there is always large gaps between cars so if you do make a mistake theres not someone directly behind or in front of you like in the UK
Be extra careful in roundabouts.
They drive automatics there - if you can drive a real car with actual gears things will be easy for you there!
Your British it's easy!
we drive on the correct side of the road to make it difficult for johnny foriegner!
Most cars in the US are automatic it's just like driving a dodgem!
Its pretty straightforward.take some time to adjust to the differences and you will be ok. Remember, there are also rules concerning things like driving with your lights on..
Keep the steering wheel in the middle of the road if you are driving an American car! And read up on traffic rules! Right on red etc are totally alien to British drivers! Watch out for roundabouts they do exist in some states (New Jersey!) because you give way once ON the roundabout. (called circles in the states) Six lane highways are FUN!
Do NOT drive in Manhattan! I coped! The parking spaces are enormous and most cars are automatic! Just like big go carts! Keep your speed down to 55 mph! Which is hard when you are used to a speed limit of 70mph!
Take an American with you the first time you drive! So they can give you advice! Its also fun! Driving in Paris is FAR scarier! And Americans are far calmer than the French or Spanish BUT they are ARMED so do not flip the bird they may shoot. (I kid you not!) However the v sign is unheard of in the US so you may do this and they think you are saying 'two!' so they ask 'two what?'
Have fun its a great nation! And the GAS is SO cheap compared to the UK.
Get use to driving on the right side of the road and obeying all driving laws because the cops carry guns and are not afraid to use you as target practice. If the cops don't get you, the guy you just cut off will. Also remember that everything is in miles per hour and not kilometers per hour.
There is a reason why many U.S. cars drive slower than European cars. They have speed limiters put on them. It's not like you are going to go fast though (heavy traffic). Driving like a madman would get you killed or at least sent to jail and have your car taken away from you. Also don't drive drunk, anything over an American beer a hour will get you thrown in jail. You will also need an American drivers license to drive. Don't bother running red lights either. You will get a nice photo taken of you that has a hefty charge to it.
It's really easy because the roads are so wide. Just make sure you drive under the speed limit - it's not like the UK where the cops will allow you to go 10 miles over the speed limit or more. If it says 50, it means 50! And there are cops everywhere waiting to stop you if you forget and go just a couple of km's above. Also carry your license and hire car details with you - they will want to see them if you get stopped.
I can recommend a company called 'Rent a Wreck'! Our car wasn't a wreck at all, quite the opposite, and was very reasonably priced. We got it from Connecticut but I think it might be country-wide..
Definitely a good idea as rental cars & petrol are both cheap things to be aware of though..
- Obviously you're on the other side of the road which isn't a problem most of the time because there are plenty of other cars around but be extra alert when roads are empty/late at night/car parks etc
- Roundabouts are totally the opposite ie you have the right of way driving onto one but have to stop for others once on the roundabout
- Speed limits on big roads are normally lower than the standard 70mph we are used to ie 55/60/65 though if you get pulled over be super humble & apologetic & they may well let you off . (think foreign drivers license to hard to process !)
- There is no lane discipline, people will pass you on both sides
- Big cities are a nightmare so expect intolerance, just like London !
- In some States you can turn right if there is nothing coming even if the light is red unless there is a No Turn on Right sign, if in doubt don't do this as it is not allowed in Manhattan, but might explain people blowing their horn
- Check local drivers manual online for the State you are going to
- Some States like NJ, are more agressive drivers, some are much more relaxed ie Florida, Nevada
- Some States have a lot of tolls, usually very cheap ie 25c, 35c - 75c etc make sure you look for the Cash lane when approaching & have some spare change
- Get a good rental car, with a decent sized engine/power ratio to the size of the vehicle, once rented a terribly slow base model Saturn & was scared out of my wits driving this particular vehicle 'cos it was underpowered
Have a great & safe trip
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