Driving in the USA: Road Trip Tips and Traffic Rules You NEED TO KNOW!!

Heading to the USA for a Road Trip? Nervous about driving in America? Did you know you can go on a red light? Here are the driving tips you need to know before your Road Trip.

There's nothing like driving along palm tree lined roads with the ocean next to you. Road Trips in America are truly memorable but how confident are you about driving in America? We've been going to the States for years and have produced the ultimate video to help those of you going on a road trip. Here are our USA Driving Tips which include how you can GO on a RED LIGHT in America!!

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[joec]

I would also remind people from outside the US that on multi-lane highways, vehicles will overtake and pass you on the right as well as the left. It's legal on most highways. So be aware when changing lanes to the right.
Second if you get stopped by police, do NOT get out of your car, and don't get argumentative with the cops. They have guns.

[jonno]

Just spent 2 weeks driving abroad for the first time in Florida, your video really helped. By the end of the trip I actually found it easier than driving in the UK! The hardest part was getting used to the lane positioning when seated on the right

[jaxxon]

I believe you have to come to a complete stop before turning right on red. No rolling stops.

[steventagawa]

2:10 This is especially important because in the US pedestrian crosswalks are almost always at the immediate corners of the intersection. This is unlike the UK, where at larger intersections the crosswalks are commonly set back several meters, are staggered when crossing divided streets (dual carriageways) and sometimes have their own set of signal lights. In addition, pedestrians ALWAYS get the green light/walk sign at the same point in the traffic light cycle as cars proceeding in the same direction. At many newer signal lights, pedestrians will get the green/walk signal a second or so before the cars do, but the go signal for cars and pedestrians going the same way will still overlap for a great deal of the time (though pedestrian signals are timed, so the signal for cars may remain green for some time after the pedestrian signal has turned red/don't walk).

[numberninestudiosUK]

Great video thank you. I pick up our hire car tomorrow in LA to drive north, your video really helped.

[oneandonlygazza]

Thanks for this. Never driven in the States or europe before. I am a little nervous about it, especillay as my wife is super anxious about it! We're travelling from Nashville to Memphis, then to Clarkdale, Natchez and finally to New Orleans. Wish me luck!

[jasonplatt]

As a southern California native, now living in the Las Vegas, NV area, I really thought your tips were spot on. I would add that I think you could still have a satisfying and enjoyable trip to Los Angeles or neighboring Orange County, CA without your own car. You just wouldn't have time to see as much but most attractions such as Disneyland, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, both Getty Museums, Farmers' Market, Downtown L.A., Queen Mary and the Aquarium in Long Beach, CA are well served by public transit. The Orange County coastline also has a public bus serving it but it doesn't run often enough (about once an hour).

[Roque-Cachamuiña-gswd]

I have an anecdote that I never thought could happen to me in a developed country. While driving from Austin to Dallas, my tire blew out in an area that was full of pieces of tires. Later, they told me that it was because of the heat of the asphalt. When I was changing the tire, a police car approached and, seeing that we were tourists, he kindly offered to help us and told us that if we wanted to, we could give him a tip when we finished, but it was not obligatory. When we finished, we gave him 20 dollars and he took it and thanked us. He also told us that if we wanted, he would accompany us to a garage where if he accompanied us, they would give us a special price!

[jamesreilly]

In some states if two one-way streets intersect you can turn left on a red light. 😀

[simonjones]

We nearly got caught near Big Sur with a VERY low fuel tank. Stopped at the first place we could and filled up at huge expense. But it was still cheaper than anywhere in the UK. Great video btw :)

[Garybaldbee]

Thank you. That's an incredibly useful video. I'm renting a car in Atlanta tomorrow for a fortnight driving round the Carolinas and Georgia and although I've driven on the 'wrong' side of the road many times in Europe the US seems much more challenging. At least on the continent the rules of the road and signage are familiar to British drivers. The US seems like a different world. Americans compain about roundabouts but those 4 way junctions sound like a nightmare!

[rongoesCDN]

I think that a brief explanation of road signs are in order here. They are governed by the inter-governmental conference on road standards and published in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). There are four basic types of signs denoted by colour and shape. White for Regulatory, Amber for Caution, Green for directionals and Orange for construction. Blue and Brown are for road services, attractions and Parks. Regulatory signs are usually rectangular. Caution signs are diamond shaped and construction signs can be both. Direction signs can be rectangular and all states and provinces have a quadrilateral signs denoting exit numbers except Quebec which use amber. Some states like NY place the orange square construction zone rules sign inside a white sign. The exit speed limits are always placed inside an amber, rectangular speed limit signs and are regulatory. The little square amber sign with a speed posted underneath the curve caution sign is NOT a suggestion but the law; just like our exit limit signs. The Amber lower border on an overhead green directional sign denotes a compulsory lane exit. Ontario and some states simply have an amber exit only square superimposed on an direction arrow. I have my feelings how Toronto overdoes this but we'll have to see if the MTO takeover of the two freeways will apply the corrections. The european Green and Red circles either permitting or prohibiting something (Normally turns) exists but are enclosed in a regulatory white sign. White or green shields denote numbered highways like the US Federal Highway system. While some states use different colours for county roads. Of, course the Interstate shied is blue and red.

A word on right turns on red. You still need to come to a stop before you make the turn. At least in Quebec and Ontario.

[RetroAdz]

Definitely the best video I've seen on driving in the USA, thanks! We're doing Route 66 in summer so will be driving a LOT, so this is really useful. Hoping paying for fuel isn't too much of an issue for me.

In terms of tolls do you know if they're cash only or do they take card / contactless nowadays?

[johnwmurphy]

Excellent video myself and my wife are going to California in July and driving the Pacific coast from San Francisco to San Diego and from LA to Vegas and from there to Yosemite and then to Lake Tahoe and back to San Francisco and then back home to Ireland 🇮🇪, for our honeymoon we have watched all your videos hope to see more tips before July keep up the good work 👍

[GoofysHatBand]

I love all the glamor shots of San Diego.

[hebneh]

Where I live, you MUST hold the gas pump handle constantly to make the gasoline flow; there's no way to make it continue automatically without holding it.

[johnmyer]

How come you have to pay before you pump? How would you know how much fuel you need?

[dennisalexanderreilly]

Nicely done! Maybe for your next vid, how about "learning a second language whilst stuck in endless LA traffic"

[sebastianpomales]

Usually pay at pump doesnt work well with international credit cards since it will ask for a zip code instead of a pin. In the states credit cards do not use pin, you can just tap or insert and you do not need verification. Since gas stations are a very easy place to commit fraud credit card companies circumvent the lack of pin by using the card member's zip as verification. Our debit cards do have pins and work the same as international ones. If using credit you could attempt to put in as a zip, many machines will understand that but then your bank may decline the transaction since there was no pin involved. Using a debit card usually resolves the issue since the pump will know to ask for a pin but using debit cards internationally isn't always a safe option. I recommend going inside as stated in the video, but if you're going through the trouble, Use cash! Gas is a cheaper when you pay with cash at most gas stations.

[slw]

Gotta admit im a little worried. We're driving from san Francisco airport...to the start of pch all the way down to san Diego....the coast I'll should be ok, but the freeway from san Francisco, I'll be a little anxious.... driving opposite side of the car & road will be alien to the UK help watching this video though.