View Full Version : Driving in the USA
father ted
17-01-2005, 02:57
Hi, I am off to florida for the first time in May with my wife and teenage daughters.I have hired a car for the holiday but I'm a bit apprehensive about driving 'on the wrong side of the road'. I will be picking the car up from Sanford Airport when we land and I have arranged for someone to meet me there so I can follow them to our villa in Clear Creek. I don't have a problem with automatics which is probably a good thing as I think I will need my concentration 100% on the road ahead(probably with white knuckles and sweaty palms). Has anybody got any advise pleeease.
PS I have already got plenty of grey hairs but I think I may return with a few more.
[msnsmile]
Thanks in advance
John
Nostromo
17-01-2005, 03:11
Driving in the USA is very easy, even if you have never driven on the 'wrong side' before. In 1991, we arrived in Orlando for the first time and it was 7pm by the time we started out of MCO with the car. Before then, I had never driven on the right side of the road, and yet eveything went very smoothly. Traffic in the USA is more orderly than in the UK and cars generally keep their distance. Speeds are also slower. You need to learn the regulations and signs a bit beforehand, but there is plenty of time for you to do that before May. There forums will help as you go along.
But I must confess that this idea of following some other car does not appeal to me very much. That is not as easy as one thinks and in unfamiliar surroundings can lead to problems. Moreover, the knowledge that you are going to be 'guided' to your villa can make you complacent about your own driving. If the unexpected happens and you lose sight of the other car, it can send you into a panic. Better to rely on your own resources.
This link is very useful to learn the regs in Florida. Play with the sublinks and see. You can ask more specific questions to the forum members as you go along.
http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/handbooks/English/
Hi John and welcome to the forum!
You'll find lots of help in this section of the forum if you go through the threads.
I've got some advice... relax, it's easy! Keep cool, calm and collected and just remember you're meant to be on the right side of the road at all times!
Driving in Florida is all pretty relaxed compared to the UK but they do have a few 'odd' rules over there but reading through this section of the forum will give you a good grounding or try this Florida Guide http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/driving_tips.aspx
LiesaAnna
17-01-2005, 11:54
my hubby has driven twice in florida now and he loves it he says its so easy he feels very comfortable with it, now hes settled with driving and believe me we clocked up some miles 2000 of them in 2 weeks, i am going to have a go!!!!! all of you beware if your there in the first 2 weeks of Nov!!!!!lol:D
E. Cosgrove
17-01-2005, 13:26
Hi john
I have been visiting the US for many years and this year for the first time I was the main driver ( never having driven over there before) It was great I was kicking myself for missing out all these years.
A tip to keep you on the correct side of the road is to remember as the driver you should always be the one nearest to the central reservation and not nearest to the sidewalk.....sounds strange but in those mad moments when you wonder if you are on the correct side I always check it out.
Also I was worried about turning left at busy junctions but these are almost always traffic light controlled just watch out for the traffic coming towards you just as you would in the UK when turning right.
You say you are used to driving an automatic so that is a great help, I know they are easy to drive and "drive themselves" but it is an additional worry you can do without in a strange car in a strange country.
Take care and have fun, you will love it. :)
Ray&Sarah
17-01-2005, 21:52
Liz, after your experience I am determined to give driving in the US ago the next time we are there. Poor Ray ends up doing all the driving, well I say poor he actually likes to drive rather than be driven. He says that driving in the US is much more realxing and far easier than driving over here in the UK.[msnsmile2]
LiesaAnna
17-01-2005, 22:08
yes funny thats what Steve says! but am looking forward to giving it ago!
I normally know the route I'm taking from the airport so the wife's job for that journey is solely to make sure I am on the right side of the road by reminding me constantly.
Not that I think I'd forget though as it seems to be second nature (or should that be third nature? :)) but it helps to know I have back up...
Weird huh?
Brizzle.
julieanne
18-01-2005, 12:41
I LOVE driving in the States.
The cars are great and generally it is more relaxing than in the UK. The only down side for me is that I miss out on some of the sights and some of the booze :(
As you would anywhere though - STAY ALERT and TAKE CARE!!!
Nostromo
18-01-2005, 13:39
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by julieanne
I LOVE driving in the States.
The cars are great and generally it is more relaxing than in the UK. The only down side for me is that I miss out on some of the sights and some of the booze :(
As you would anywhere though - STAY ALERT and TAKE CARE!!!
[/quote]
This has been a perpetual problem for me on almost every visit to the USA. I am told by everyone that I have a built-in GPS inside my head and so end up doing almost all the driving, thus missing out on a bit of the sightseeing. The wife is hopeless with directions and I don't trust the driving skills of some others in my extended family.
chrizzy100
18-01-2005, 18:14
We don't seem to have any near misses in Orlando......to get from where I live in the USA to my local big town..10 miles I think..you take your life in your hands each time......people drive slower in FL....and are more careful at the lights......which is the one thing I dislike about Orlando.....they take so long to change........
imported_n/a
18-01-2005, 23:39
Dear father
You said you are flying into sanford,buy some hersey bars at the shop eat the bars quick before they melt,but keep the change you will need for the road tolls,usally75c and enjoy florida you"ll be back.
allen c
E. Cosgrove
18-01-2005, 23:56
Oh you MUST Sarah!!! No one could have been more nervous than me. I went with my sister and she flatly refused so I had to drive. When we were over at New Year we were "fighting"[msnwink] over who was going to drive.<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Ray&Sarah
Liz, after your experience I am determined to give driving in the US ago the next time we are there. Poor Ray ends up doing all the driving, well I say poor he actually likes to drive rather than be driven. He says that driving in the US is much more realxing and far easier than driving over here in the UK.[msnsmile2]
[/quote]
orlandobabe
15-02-2005, 22:37
I drove for the first time in October and couldn't want to have a go on my last trip Jan/Feb 2005.
We arrived on the very bust Martin Luthor King weekend but after that things quietened down a good deal-and it was great.
I love it-just wish I had done it on earlier visits.
Ray&Sarah
16-02-2005, 00:34
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by orlandobabe
I drove for the first time in October and couldn't want to have a go on my last trip Jan/Feb 2005.
We arrived on the very bust Martin Luthor King weekend but after that things quietened down a good deal-and it was great.
I love it-just wish I had done it on earlier visits.
[/quote]
I'll let you know if I feel the same OB, after our trip on the 26th, I feel I will either really take to it or hate it (a bit like Marmite!)[msnsmile2]
julieanne
16-02-2005, 00:36
Go for it - you'll love it I'm sure....
dogwalker
19-02-2005, 15:59
Here's another thing to watch for, they don't have any lane discipline as we do on our motorways i.e. fast lane, slow lane etc.
You have to be aware if you are in the middle lane you can be overtaken on either side. Sounds a bit scary but you just have to keep a watch on both mirrors and drive in the one thats going at the speed you want to drive at.
Nostromo
19-02-2005, 17:28
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by dogwalker
Here's another thing to watch for, they don't have any lane discipline as we do on our motorways i.e. fast lane, slow lane etc.
You have to be aware if you are in the middle lane you can be overtaken on either side. Sounds a bit scary but you just have to keep a watch on both mirrors and drive in the one thats going at the speed you want to drive at.
[/quote]
I am sorry that I have to very strongly disagree with you there dogwalker. Lane discipline in the UK is practically non-existant.
In fact, there really is no such thing as 'fast lane or slow lane' on the UK Motorways. As per the Highway Code, the middle lane and right lane are meant for overtaking only. We all know that the worst motorway culprits are the dreaded #%@! 'middle lane hoggers'.[msnmad]
In the USA, it is quite legal to overtake on both sides if it is safe. The cars generally begin to move out with good distance to spare and do not harass the driver in front as they usually do in the UK. Very few US cars have blind spots' and you can clearly see what's coming up behind. The speeds are also slower, giving us more time to do what need to be done.
I'd rather drive 400 miles in the US than drive 75 in the UK.
dogwalker
19-02-2005, 19:31
OK, but isn't that basicly what I said?
Robert5988
19-02-2005, 19:49
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:In the USA, it is quite legal to overtake on both sides if it is safe. The cars generally begin to move out with good distance to spare and do not harass the driver in front as they usually do in the UK. Very few US cars have blind spots' and you can clearly see what's coming up behind. The speeds are also slower, giving us more time to do what need to be done.
[/quote]
I think you will find it is illegal to overtake on the right(undertake) in the USA and certainly in Florida. Although I would concede that it is a law that is hardly ever enforced and is a commonplace practice.
I agree that driving in the USA is far more relaxing than in UK. However it is a inescapable fact the the accident/injury/death rate is considerably higher in the USA than UK. That includes looking at those statistics from any angle - per vehicle, per driver, per car/mile driven.
In Dogwalker's defence I would say that the most annoying feature of driving in the USA is to be 'undertaken' and 'cut up' if you do not travel a few feet from the rear of the car in front. Leave the recommended 2 second gap from the car in front and it is an open invitation for everyone to undertake you and pullout in front of you.
I think that is what leads to the endemic 'tailgating' in the USA. Even though I usually exceed the speed limit on freeways to keep with the flow of traffic, I usually find a huge SUV a couple of feet behind me and often with the driver talking into a mobile.
Ray&Sarah
19-02-2005, 19:53
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nostromo
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by dogwalker
Here's another thing to watch for, they don't have any lane discipline as we do on our motorways i.e. fast lane, slow lane etc.
You have to be aware if you are in the middle lane you can be overtaken on either side. Sounds a bit scary but you just have to keep a watch on both mirrors and drive in the one thats going at the speed you want to drive at.
[/quote]
I am sorry that I have to very strongly disagree with you there dogwalker. Lane discipline in the UK is practically non-existant.
In fact, there really is no such thing as 'fast lane or slow lane' on the UK Motorways. As per the Highway Code, the middle lane and right lane are meant for overtaking only. We all know that the worst motorway culprits are the dreaded #%@! 'middle lane hoggers'.[msnmad]
In the USA, it is quite legal to overtake on both sides if it is safe. The cars generally begin to move out with good distance to spare and do not harass the driver in front as they usually do in the UK. Very few US cars have blind spots' and you can clearly see what's coming up behind. The speeds are also slower, giving us more time to do what need to be done.
I'd rather drive 400 miles in the US than drive 75 in the UK.
[/quote]
Now that is one practice that really annoys me, happened to us three times last night on the M5 between Gloucester & Bristol![msnmad]
Nostromo
19-02-2005, 20:18
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
In Dogwalker's defence I would say that the most annoying feature of driving in the USA is to be 'undertaken' and 'cut up' if you do not travel a few feet from the rear of the car in front. Leave the recommended 2 second gap from the car in front and it is an open invitation for everyone to undertake you and pullout in front of you.
I think that is what leads to the endemic 'tailgating' in the USA. Even though I usually exceed the speed limit on freeways to keep with the flow of traffic, I usually find a huge SUV a couple of feet behind me and often with the driver talking into a mobile.
I am not disputing your statistics Robert - I am sure that they are accurate. But speaking only from personal experience for driving in both countries (I have driven in the USA practically every year from 1991 in such diverse places like New York City, San Francisco, LA, Rocky Mountains, Florida etc etc,) I confess that the only place that I found serious 'undertaking' was in LA - but that city belongs in another planet and so does not count ;). As a simple comparison, I have driven in NYC and London and find the latter far worse and stressful. I have never even come close to having an accident in the USA in what must be over 50,000 miles thus far, but have had plenty of hair-rising experiences over here. I know that I am not being complacent while driving in the UK cos I'm on 'home turf'.
Robert5988
19-02-2005, 21:03
I did state in my post that I agreed driving in the USA was more relaxing than UK.
Whilst I have also driven all over America for many years I have personally found Miami to be the worst for lane swapping etc and I have driven there many times. that said, when I was in LA the traffic was virtually gridlocked.
Re undertaking there was an article on the local Florida TV station about the dangers of this practice.
Nostromo
19-02-2005, 23:23
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
I did state in my post that I agreed driving in the USA was more relaxing than UK.
Whilst I have also driven all over America for many years I have personally found Miami to be the worst for lane swapping etc and I have driven there many times. that said, when I was in LA the traffic was virtually gridlocked.
Re undertaking there was an article on the local Florida TV station about the dangers of this practice.
[/quote]
I admit that I have done very little driving within downtown Miami. After all the adverse publicity a few years ago, I did not fancy getting lost there.
As for LA, I wouldn't go there again - let alone drive - unless I absolutely have to. In my book, 'LA' stands for Lucifer's Abode.
John let me drive him about this time, drove to Auborndale and to West Oaks Mall and a few other places.
Thought I would be scared, but the kids said I was better than their dad. I love it now! It's much easier being a driver than a passenger.
Kaz
Cruella DeVilla
21-02-2005, 15:54
I understand you being apprehensive! I drive on the "wrong side" of the road everyday living in Europe but I got jittery in the States inititally! Just need to get used to the "gears" being on the steering wheel!
LiesaAnna
21-02-2005, 18:05
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by KJH
John let me drive him about this time, drove to Auborndale and to West Oaks Mall and a few other places.
Thought I would be scared, but the kids said I was better than their dad. I love it now! It's much easier being a driver than a passenger.
Kaz
[/quote]
lets hope kaz thats what my lot say in November as i think i drive better then Steve anyday!!!
If you need to know which side of the road you should be on. There is always a yellow line down the centre of the road even if there is a central reservation or median, so the yellow line should always be on your left. We have visited the states yearly since 1993, and always thought that undertaking was legal. I am sure that in the early days when we used to go to Welcome Meetings[msnsad] we were at least led to believe that it was legal. Bill does all the driving I have never driven even though I am always down as a driver, perhaps I should give it a try.[msnscared]
Passing on the right is only legal when there are two or more lanes of traffic moving in the same direction or the vehicle you are passing is making a left turn. Pulling off the pavement to pass on the right is against the law.
Just copied this from the link in Nostromo's post.
Nostromo
23-02-2005, 13:47
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Lyn
Passing on the right is only legal when there are two or more lanes of traffic moving in the same direction or the vehicle you are passing is making a left turn. Pulling off the pavement to pass on the right is against the law.
Just copied this from the link in Nostromo's post.
[/quote]
I thought that there were variations for this 'passing on the right' from one state to another. For example, it is apparently not allowed in Nebraska.
In California, we encountered drivers who repeatedly pulled out (giving good distance) from behind to overtake on both sides. I don't feel safe doing this myself unless I am already in the right lane and the other traffic is moving more slowly.
Think this is a much better idea, if everyone expects to be passed on both sides saves all the hastle of someone hogging the middle lane.