Driving in America

It’s the constitutional right of every American to drive in the passing lane at 60 mph, for hours. So you’ll be undertaking left right and centre

It is actually the law in most states to keep right unless passing. But it’s completely ignored. Also be prepared for lorries steaming past you at 80mph, since they have the same speed limit as cars and can apparently flaunt it in the same way. Try and avoid interstates or freeways around cities at rush hour – it really is bedlam.

US drivers generally are much more chilled out than they are here, but they are generally concentrating FAR less and the standard of driving is a lot lower imo. So be careful when it’s busy.

Be amazed that some cars can do 35 mpg.

Yep – a UK gallon is 1.2 US gallons. So you’re looking at low 40s UK mpg from an economy car, which isn’t all that bad. Given that they have old tech auto gearboxes and the petrol is low octane, that’s not bad.

As for petrol being cheap – it’s not as cheap as it used to be, and when you are driving 1,000 miles as a matter of course it soon adds up!

As for petrol being cheap – it’s not as cheap as it used to be, and when you are driving 1,000 miles as a matter of course it soon adds up!

I disagree – we hired a Chrysler Grand Voyager V6 and a full tank was around $45. What’s that? £35 or so? It only did around 19 US MPG though.

Well be prepared for:-

Drivers being 2 inches away from your bumper on the freeway at 75 mpg.

Some cities its illegal to turn left at any junction. you must turn right, do a u turn return to the junction and slowly work your way around anticlockwise until you get the right road of the junction

Always park on a road in the direction of travel

My favourite rule of the road which is different to the UK is the ability to turn right through a red light. Sensible, we should adopt it here (but make it turn left, obviously)

FWIW, a lot of cobblers being spouted above, IMHO. I’ve driven and ridden motorcycles extensively in the states, and whilst cities and rush hour are possibly the exception (although still not as bad as their European equivalents), Stateside drivers are generally slower, calmer and more courteous to both other drivers and pedestrians. I think it’s probably something to do with lots of space and the relaxed driving style that a big lazy auto encourages. And having observed atrocious driving in the UK, I don’t think US drivers have the monopoly on inattention by any means. Getting overtaken by a semi doing (at least) 90mph whilst cruising down a desert highway on a Harley is certainly an eye opener though!

FWIW, a lot of cobblers being spouted above, IMHO. I’ve driven and ridden motorcycles extensively in the states, and whilst cities and rush hour are possibly the exception (although still not as bad as their European equivalents), Stateside drivers are generally slower, calmer and more courteous to both other drivers and pedestrians. I think it’s probably something to do with lots of space and the relaxed driving style that a big lazy auto encourages.

Totally agree with this.

Passat over a mustang

Let me think for a minute

No contest ……

Passat every time 😆

Seriously – Didnt see many mustangs on the road !!

I disagree – we hired a Chrysler Grand Voyager V6 and a full tank was around $45. What’s that? £35 or so? It only did around 19 US MPG though.

My point is that whilst it’s cheap per gallon it adds up very quickly when you do long distances in uneconomical cars, which you are likely to be doing.

Re the driving – I’ve driven many tens of thousands of miles in the US. As I said, they are much more relaxed generally, but seem to be concentrating less and particularly at rush-hour on interstates around cities you see an awful lot of people driving very fast very close to the car in front whilst on the phone or looking out of windows etc.

although still not as bad as their European equivalents

I’d take the M25 over 294 around Chicago EASILY. No contest. 294 is 85mph bedlam.

On quiet country roads (i.e. no traffic in sight for several miles) watch out for approaching highway patrol cars; they will be checking your approach speed by radar. I got stopped in Colorado this way; seeing the blue and red flashing lights in my mirror was one thing but the big surprise was the stunning brunette officer who got out and strolled up to ask for my licence. She told me this was going to cost me all my holiday money then turned and winked, unseen by me, at my climbing buddy. I’ve still got the warning notice she issued to me….

I’d take the M25 over 294 around Chicago EASILY. No contest. 294 is 85mph bedlam.

Yes, well, I think that your personal preference for low speed bedlam vs high is well documented. Lets not go there… Please note, I did say ‘European’ as opposed to ‘UK’ for a reason…

No contest ……
Passat every time
Seriously – Didnt see many mustangs on the road !!

You sir are bonkers or blind; the only reason you’d choose a passat over the mustang is for four doors. And I still wouldn’t. And, they’re everywhere! Don’t see many passats though…

is the ability to turn right through a red light

But not always – you have to watch out for the mandatory wait signs at some junctions.

I liked the ‘two or more’ lanes on the freeways with limited entrances/exits (so no-one suddenly pulling into your gap). Then I could just switch on the cruise control and relax.

So what, you’d rather being doing 85mph with someone on the phone 6ft from your rear bumper than 30mph? Really?

Wind your penis in, seriously.

yeah i must say – i plan to drive down to the alps later this year in the van …. im more worried about that than i am about driving in the states….. ive even survived driving in west african countries ….

france scared the shit out of me in the shuttle from geneva to les arc last time i was there….

Wind your penis in, seriously.

Less of that please. Don’t let’s start.

I wonder what the overtaking etiquette is on single carriageways. Do people wait their turn over there..?

I have just had a week in the US, starting in North Carolina then driving down to South Carolina onto Savannah, Georgia and back up to Charlotte NC.

The only dodgy driving I saw was mine, when I jumped (unintentionally) a left filter light.

Yes there was some lane hogging but that was all and the highway rest areas were so clean they put our services to shame!

I did see the Highway Patrol stopping people near Savannah and also an unmarked car stop someone at the same place.

as you intend driving out of state, make sure your car hire & insurance covers this. not like my numpty mate… fortunately nothing happened in Utah (well nothing to the car, just me… 😳 ).

and don’t forget your concealed weapon permit… 😉

French autoroutes are fine. In my experience, most drivers in France are pretty good, you just have to watch out for young men, cos half of them are absolutely insane behind the wheel it seems.

I wonder what the overtaking etiquette is on single carriageways. Do people wait their turn over there

🙂

Although in fact it never comes up. Most roads with any amount of traffic are DC so SC roads in my experience tend to be so quiet and so open and straight and visibility so good that you often don’t even have to brake before pulling out.

Oh and one more thing – you know how in the UK all our speedos are intended to read 10% under the speed limit, in case of calibration errors and stuff? It’s not like that in the US. 75 means 75.

Which makes the 35mpg aka 42mpg all the more reasonable actually, since you’re also usually cruising at what would be indicated as over 80mph in the UK.

CountZero – Member

…What idiot would spend double, triple that, when they can buy an excellent satnav app, and always have it available anytime they might want to go back to the States?

Ooooh, get her! I guess I’m the idiot then, if that makes you feel all warm and superior and stuff. And FWIW, I did exactly what I recommended and had no problem on the east coast + I had a phone which I could make free calls and texts and got free internet. But anyway, clearly I wasn’t “in the know” and I defer to your superior knowledge/experience/big cock waving, as should everyone else.

It’s the constitutional right of every American to drive in the passing lane at 60 mph, for hours. So you’ll be undertaking left right and centre

Many of the main highways use the right lane predominantly as an entry / exit lane. You kind of have to drive in the middle lane, or you’ll spend all your time swapping lanes to avoid being filtered off.

My favourite rule of the road which is different to the UK is the ability to turn right through a red light.

That’s state-specific though. Can’t remember offhand whether it applies in Vegas or not.

Another a good one to note is that ‘stop’ signs mean stop. You can be ticketed for rolling through them.

Another a good one to note is that ‘stop’ signs mean stop.

Same as here.

Oh yeah, and watch out for 3- and 4-way stops. They use them instead of mini roundabouts. If you see a stop sign supplemented with a number followed by -way stop (it’s quite small and easy to miss) it means that everyone to stop, and if two people arrive almost simultaneously so that they end up both stationary at the same time, you go in the order in which you arrive. If you really do arrive exactly simultaneously then the person on the right gets to go first.

It sounds iffy, and loads of natives mess it up all the time so don’t worry overly if you cock it up. Everyone stops anyway and moves off slowly so you won’t get t-boned. You won’t even get glared at or flashed either – drivers don’t gesticulate, beep or flash each other or otherwise get outwardly angry. Flashing lights is ONLY done when there’s a speed trap. Don’t even flash to let people out – no-one will know what you mean.

Ooooh, get her! I guess I’m the idiot then, if that makes you feel all warm and superior and stuff. And FWIW, I did exactly what I recommended and had no problem on the east coast + I had a phone which I could make free calls and texts and got free internet. But anyway, clearly I wasn’t “in the know” and I defer to your superior knowledge/experience/big cock waving, as should everyone else.

Is that a saucer of milk to go?

Same as here.

Sure, but it’s hardly ever enforced IME. Point is, it’s aggressively enforced in the US.

Is that a saucer of milk to go?

Yeah, keep it civil please people.

I did exactly what I recommended and had no problem on the east coast

Some of us have more experience than that.. ‘out West’ is a different kettle of fish.

I spent a week driving around LA, based in North Hollywood, along Lankershim Drive. Fortunately I had a mate to ride shotgun and navigate with a Rand Macnally, which was fun on arrival, bussing to the car hire place, picking up an automatic column shift Buick, at 8 in the evening as it was getting dark, and trying to find our way to the hotel in the dark. On the, for me, wrong side of the road. The only real issue I had was at a junction under a freeway, which was at a bit of an angle, where I forgot which side of the road I needed to be on on the other side. Cue flashing lights from the oncoming car that suddenly appeared as I crossed the junction! Oops! 😳
I was surprised at the speed of traffic on the freeways, I was expecting everyone to be pootling along, 50 being the maximum, as far as I knew, but I was travelling at 70, being passed by Porsches, ‘Vettes, and god knows what else doing 80-90. This was in ’93, though.

55mph is the limit on single carriageway roads, it’s 65-75 in most places on fast roads. Lots of people doing 85mph. Including huge lorries doing 75-80mph too in all lanes. That’s unnerving.

Cougar – Moderator
Same as here.
Sure, but it’s hardly ever enforced IME. Point is, it’s aggressively enforced in the US.
POSTED 28 MINUTES AGO #

And there a much fewer stop signs in the UK, rather they are usually Give Way where you shouldn’t come to a stop if the way is clear.

Dodge Challenger please

Re the sat nav discusion; On our honeymoon road trip we took a (motorcycle) tomtom with US maps loaded, it was brilliant. We could purposely ge a little lost, get to see backwater ‘merica without having to worry about it. I heartily recommend.

Just checking – you do know their gallon is a different size to our gallon don’t you? You do know it is smaller than ours?

Yes. Its the amazement that gets me.

That’s why I said

Be amazed that some cars can do 35 mpg.

Watch out for exits that are on the left rather than the right. Just when you think you can safely sit in the right hand lane as your exit is coming up soon you find they stick it on the other side of 2 lanes of traffic!

Watch out for pedestrians if turning right on a red light, it’s not unusual for them to have a green man across the road you’re turning into.

In some states you have to pull out if there’s anyone parked on the hard shoulder, you can’t pass in the adjacent lane.

Some states you have to have your lights on if your windscreen wipers are on.

On multi-lane highways people will undertake, double check your blind spots.