The USA is one of the countries that is best explored by road. From its rural interiors to coastal cities, and from the tropical lowlands to the empty deserts, a road trip in the USA feels like traveling through entirely different nations, each with its own identity.
Whether you are planning to cruise along the famous Californian coast or explore Route 66, your experience of driving in the country will be better when you keep the local driving regulations in mind.
Though the American roads are mostly safe and the trips are generally incident-free, you need to understand the road safety laws to ensure you don’t get in trouble. After all, you don’t want your trip to be cut short because you didn’t know the speed limit, right?
Before you hit the American roads, take a look at these legal tips for driving in the USA.
1. The Legal Speed Limit in the USA
The maximum limit for the rural interstate highways is 70 mph. The highest speed limit is 65 mph on the four-lane highways, and 55 mph on the rest of the highways.
When driving through any designated school zones, make sure to drop your speed limit to 15 mph. These school zones are not always signposted at every area, so you will have to pay attention.
In Texas, the speed limit varies from 15mph to 85mph. The USA has fewer speeding cameras, but the highway traffic police might be hiding to intercept speeding cars. You should keep an eye on the posted speed limits on the roads.
2. The Regulations Regarding the Right of Way
The following rules regarding the right of way might be unfamiliar to non-Americans:
- The car that arrives at the junction first should get to go ahead first.
- You are allowed to turn right on red lights, but you’ll have to stop briefly before taking the turn.
- You are allowed to overtake on both sides on multilane routes.
- The custom dictates that people on slip roads should be allowed to enter.
- Pedestrians only get their right of way at specially allocated pedestrian crossings.
Image Source3. Rules against Driving Under the Influence
The laws regarding drunk driving vary from one state to another in the United States of America. However, in most states, the legal alcohol limit while driving is at 0.08 mg/ 100 ml of blood.
On the other hand, in states like Colorado, the alcohol limit is at 0.05 mg/ 100 ml of blood. Drunk driving can invite costly fines and severe punishments, like immediate threat suspension.
Even though the severity of punishments also differs from one state to another, America, in general, has stringent laws regarding driving under the influence.
4. The Child Safety Regulations While Driving
There are a couple of things you need to keep in mind if you are traveling with a young child or baby. Children under eight years of age have to be seated in appropriate booster seats.
If you are buying a car seat for your child, make sure you get the right size according to their age. Though all the states levy this law, eight years is not the universal age limit for this rule. Using a safety belt for the child is mandatory.
Most states also do not allow children below sixteen years of age to sit in the front seat. Moreover, most of the states in the USA like California, Arkansas, Vermont, Oregon, Virginia etc have banned smoking in cars in the presence of children. Some countries such as New York, New Jersey, Kansas, Hawaii as well as Indiana follow the same rule.
5. Things to Remember When Buying Gas or Petrol
Most cars in the USA, especially the rental cars, run on unleaded petroleum, commonly referred to as the unleaded gas.
Though diesel is available, it’s usually needed by the trucks and larger vehicles. Most fuel pumps don’t even have diesel. Do not forget to ask your rental car agency for clear instructions on the kind of fuel that your car runs on.
Debit card or credit card readers are there on every machine to make it easy to buy fuel.
6. Tips for Car Hiring
In the USA, hiring a car is not a problem, provided your driving license is valid. But, there are a few rules to follow.
- If you are below 25, you have to pay a nominal fee for hiring a car. But, you cannot opt for any luxury cars. Below 21, you can not rent a car.
- The companies do not have upper age restrictions. But if you have crossed 70 years, you need to give proof of your ability.
- To pay the renting fee, you have to use a credit card. It is better if your card has rental car accidental coverage and liability coverage.
- You can opt for third-party insurance too. Having a car rental insurance along with your car insurance is a must.
- If your license is not in English, then opting for an International Driver’s Permit is wise.
7. Other Vital Laws and Regulation to Keep In Mind
Here are the other essential tips that you need to follow in America:
- In the USA, drive on the right side of the road all the time.
- HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes are restricted vehicles having a minimum passenger number. There can be high penalties for using such lanes.
- White lines separate lanes where traffic is going in similar directions.
- The yellow lines separate the lanes for traffic going in opposite directions.
- Do not park in front of yellow or red curbs, on the white line at the bus stops, within ten feet of a fire hydrant, or at disabled spaces.
- It is illegal to overtake any stationary school bus that’s flashing lights.
- Try to slow down at junctions to notice any cars coming in and get noticed by other cars.
- Using horns except emergencies is a complete no.
Summing Up
Besides following the seven tips mentioned above, you have to be 18 to drive in the USA. Young driver surcharge is applicable for the drivers of 20-25 years. Moreover, following the road signs while driving is imperative.
That’s it for today! You now have a basic idea about the driving regulations to get started on the American road trip you have been planning for.
