scrutineer

Please can you elaborate a bit more regarding driving.

Just ask away any questions / concerns you have.

Driver02

thanks driver02

Well i had heard about no overtaking school buses and ok to turn right against a red light and I've driven in Europe loads of times so driving on the other side is no worry .
But parking - are there plenty or car parks , re they free?, well signposted or is it like London with sabretoothed traffic wardens and private clampers?

are there any other things that catch out the Brits

thanks
Marc

Hello Marc

You cannot overtake a school bus, IF THE RED LIGHTS ARE FLASHING ON THE BUS! Otherwise yes you can.

You can turn right at traffic lights when they are on red, BUT NOT ON EVERY OCCASION, there will be a sign at the signal indicating whether you can or not, it will state, NO RIGHT TURN ON RED.

Most states operate on the same basis as the UK, regarding parking on streets, and residential area.

Depending on where you are visiting will depend on the car parks and fees; most malls have free parking, although tourist attractions, and hotels will incur expensive parking rates.

We visit the states several times a year, once we decided where we plan to visit, I contact the tourist board for the area, and obtain the parking facilities for the area, for example, we will be in San Diego later this year, the hotel require $18.00 per day for parking, I contacted the SD tourist board, and they replied that there was a public car park next door to our hotel with a rate of $12.00 per day.

There are a number of places in the states, where it would not be worth hiring a car, other places where one would be highly recommended, for example, you would need a car if you planned on visiting anywhere within California, but would not need a car within New York or Chicago.

Anything else you need to know, just ask.

Driver02

thanks for that - i'm sure i'll think of other things in the 10 days before we go!

marc

You can turn right at traffic lights when they are on red, BUT NOT ON EVERY OCCASION, there will be a sign at the signal indicating whether you can or not, it will state, NO RIGHT TURN ON RED.

This is almost correct. There will be a sign indicating if you cannot turn on red but there will NOT be a sign if you ARE allowed to turn on red. No sign = turn okay (obviously make sure nothing is coming first). The other exception is a red arrow. You can never turn left or right on a red arrow. The rule regarding turning on red is only for an ordinary red light, not an arrow.

I am not sure if it is a legal requirement, but I have been told that in parking lots, public and private, you must park your car front in first. This is because there is not a license plate at the front of the vehicle, and this must be visible.

The four way stop is important. You MUST stop at the line before proceeding across. You will get a ticket if caught.

It is also possible to get a ticket if you park on " the wrong side of the road", that is facing the oncoming traffic. You could be ticketed outside your own villa on what might seem to be a private estate.

There is a misconception that it is legal to pass on either side of traffic in the middle lane on the interstates and highways. Certainly in Florida the rules do not allow it, although it is generally ignored.

It is not a bad idea to put something in your car that makes it stand out from all the other grey japanese hire cars in the parking lot. Something not valuable that can be left in the window such as a football sticker etc.

jr.

I am not sure if it is a legal requirement, but I have been told that in parking lots, public and private, you must park your car front in first. This is because there is not a license plate at the front of the vehicle, and this must be visible.

It depends on the state. In some states, all vehicles will have license plates at the front as well as the back (California is one) so there definitely isn't any law regarding which way you should park in a parking lot. I don't know about other states.

The four way stop is important. You MUST stop at the line before proceeding across. You will get a ticket if caught.

It is also possible to get a ticket if you park on " the wrong side of the road", that is facing the oncoming traffic. You could be ticketed outside your own villa on what might seem to be a private estate.

There is a misconception that it is legal to pass on either side of traffic in the middle lane on the interstates and highways. Certainly in Florida the rules do not allow it, although it is generally ignored.

This depends on the state also. I don't know about Florida as I live in California. Like you say, it is generally ignored anyway. Typically you should give a few seconds for the person in front to move other to the slow(er) lane. If they don't, there is no reason why you cannot then pass them on the right.

It is not a bad idea to put something in your car that makes it stand out from all the other grey japanese hire cars in the parking lot. Something not valuable that can be left in the window such as a football sticker etc.

Not a bad idea! I've never thought of that before, although I guess if you know your license plate it's not such a big deal. But it's a handy tip if you are visiting somewhere and aren't familiar with the car or license plate.

For a bit of light bedtime reading you can wade through the Florida Driver's Handbook at http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us .There are 6 chapters and it is the manual for taking your American Driving Test so everything is there. We have a rather dog eared copy from way back but I can't think the rules and regs have changed. Happy reading!

Another driving rule to be aware of is wearing your seat belt. The US just started a campaign to promote using seat belts so if you are caught not using one it will cost you a LOT of money.

I'm sure this has been covered somewhere, I just can't find it. Sorry.

Am I still ok to drive in USA with the old style paper only licence?

Do I have to carry my passport also for ID with the paper one?

Many thanks.

I would carry your passport as well, yeah. Not having photo ID is rarely a good idea in the US.

Thankyou for the reply.

Partner has the new style with photo, but isn't down as a driver.

Maybe I will get them to drive, if I can change it.

Cheers again for your reply.

Thankyou for moving my question.

The rest of the thread has come in very handy.

Loads of good advice already - I've learned some things.

I might add:

No open alcohol inside the car.
If you need your wipers on, put your dipped headlights on as well.
Right turns on red.....often see a sign stating "No turn on red when pedestrians present".
Always carry your UK driving licence and if it's the old style, additional photo id.
Drink laws are stricter than here - best not to drink at all when driving.
Some roads, like interstates, often have MINIMUM speed limits.
Never, never park at a kerb that is painted yellow - it indicates a fire/emergency services access route.
At a 4-way stop sign it's the first one to arrive who gets to cross the junction first - in other words, take it in turns having first stopped.
Watch for speed restrictions when passing schools.
If a cop indicates you should pull over - do so and stay in your car until he approaches your driver's window. Best keep your hands visible at all times.

When filling-up at a "gas" station, some require you to go inside and pre-pay before pumping. The pump itself often requires you lift a metal flap once you've taken out the nozzle/hose.

Disney/Universal charge 7-8 dollars a day for cars, more for vans/trucks.

Try to park under a tree or some other shade if possible - get a windscreen shade for a few dollars and stick it inside your windscreen to avoid burning hands on steering wheel later.

Check car for dents thoroughly when renting - note any on the sheet and let the company know before you leave.

Be courteous when driving. The South has pleasant drivers - less so in the North. Florida is however full of out-of-towners who often don't know where they are going......like you and me probably . so cut everyone some slack.

Watch for the speed restrictions in road-works. They DO enforce them with cop cars parked in the central reservation area, often 50-100 yds wide and often hidden in bushes. Radar is used - even on long remote stretches they warn of planes and overhead radar checks.

Don't throw litter on the highway. BIG fines.

Have a nice day

Thank you Mike for your most informative info.

It has been duly noted and gratefully received.

Oh my, I am in for a the time of my life,..,completely new to all of this.

Traffic lights!

It takes a while to get used to looking for traffic lights strung out overhead rather than on a post at the side of the road. Beware.

If you get stopped by the police for any reason you DO NOT get out of your car and walk back to the police car as you might in the UK- you stay in the car with hands on the steering wheel.

Your car is going to have a puddle of water underneath after you drive with the air conditioning on- that's normal. Surprised me at first.....

Disney charge 7-8 dollars a day for cars, more for vans/trucks.

10$ a day now I think

Some good tips from Mike. I should add that you should never park on curbs (or kerbs?) painted red either. I'm not sure about yellow.. I can't recall seeing yellow ones here in California so either I've forgotten about them or perhaps it's a state-by-state thing.

Also, regarding four way stop signs (indeed, any stop sign), if two vehicles get there at the same time, the one on the right goes first.

Also, if you are pulled over, a cop may approach the passenger window and not the driver's window. This is most likely if you are pulled over on a freeway since, obviously, in order to approach the driver's window the cop would then be standing precariously close to the slow lane. In most other situations Mike is correct when he says the cop would approach the driver's window. He is also correct to state that you should remain in the vehicle. Only exit the vehicle if instructed to by a peace officer.

Regarding gas stations, the rules tend to vary from state to state. Here in California, I've never been to a gas station where I didn't have to pay before pumping. Some states (I believe New Jersey is one of them) actually require that you have your gas pumped by an attendant. I think in NJ it's actually illegal to pump your own gas, something I've always thought to be most bizarre!

Here's another one I've thought of but I don't know how common they are outside of California: car pool lanes. In CA, car pool lanes are to the left of the fast lane and are usually marked by a diamond. Typically only cars with two or more occupants are permitted to use car pool lanes. This is the case around LA. However, nearer San Jose and San Francisco, the car pool rules are only enforced during certain times of the day (the rush/peak times). The fine for illegally using a car pool lane is, off the top of my head, $371 (or maybe $381, I forget) in So. Cal. It tends to be policed quite vigorously and you frequently see CHP (California Highway Patrol) vehicles checking the car pool lane. In So. Cal. (I don't think this applies to Northern CA but I could be wrong), you should only enter and exit the car pool lane at designated areas (a broken white line indicates this). It is illegal to ever cross a double line in the road, though a lot of people frequently do this when either entering or exiting the car pool lane.

As Mike correctly said, you can turn right on a red light unless there is a sign stating otherwise. I've never seen a sign stating "...when pedestrians present" so that might be a Florida exclusive thing. Usually, the signs just state "No turn on red". Even if there is no sign telling you can't turn, you should NEVER turn on a red arrow even if it's a right turn.

The US is interesting because the driving laws vary from state to state.

Here's another one I thought of: when parking on the street, you must park facing the same direction traffic is going in for that side of the street. This is true in CA, anyway. I don't know about other states.