The United States of America (USA) Car Hire Destination Guide

Car hire is widely available throughout the United States of America (USA) from all the major car rental companies. The USA is enormous in comparison to other countries, so much so that the car rental business of the state of California is worth more to the industry in revenue that the whole of the UK market!

With a land of such size and scope it’s hard to sum up what the United States has in a few short paragraphs. From the cosmopolitan chic of New York, the wild western states, the swamps of the Deep South, the glamour of the sunshine state of California through to the tropical paradise of Hawaii, the states surely has a claim more than that of any other country of having “something for everyone”.

Driving in the USA
If you’re planning to rent a car while in the USA there’s some basic information you’re going to need to get you on your way. Firstly, and quite importantly if you’re British, get ready to drive on the right hand side of the road. That’s the wrong side if you’re British! This means you should always overtake on the left.

Local Laws
Forty-nine states (all except New Hampshire) and the District of Columbia have mandatory safety belt laws. In most states, these laws cover front-seat occupants only, although belt laws in 12 states (Alaska, California, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington) cover all rear seat occupants, too.

Beware of the strange custom in Georgia where if you 'carve up' a driver, you should raise two fingers (v sign) to them to indicate your regret.

There are no roundabouts in the USA but lots of crossroads. Therefore, everyone sits and waits - there seems to be an unwritten courtesy about who goes first.

When leaving an interstate, slow down only when you are totally in the deceleration lane.

While a school bus is loading or unloading, traffic in both directions must stop.

Speed Limits
There are 50 states in the USA, each with their own laws and varying speed limits. Interstate speed limits range between 55 and 75 mph and in Montana there are none.

Drink Driving
All states except Massachusetts, South Carolina and the District of Columbia prohibit drinking and driving. In some states, blood alcohol concentration can be as low as 0.08% for conviction, so don’t do it.

Related Links
• Rental Locations : A guide to destinations throughout the world
• USA Tourist : Official tourism web site for The USA