Driving Tips — A British Guide to American Roads

When You're Most Likely to Go Wrong

• Turning onto an empty road — your instinct is to pull into the left lane. Actively think: "stay right"
• Roundabouts (rare in the US, but they exist) — traffic flows anticlockwise
• Car parks — leaving a car park after being stationary often triggers a revert to left-hand instinct
• First thing in the morning — your muscle memory resets overnight. Be extra alert on your first drive each day

Tips

• Follow the car in front. In traffic, it's natural
• Put a small note on the dashboard: "KEEP RIGHT"
• Have your passenger call out "right!" when you turn onto quiet roads
• The indicator stalk is on the left (not the right). You will accidentally turn on the wipers for the first day. Everyone does

Right Turn on Red

• At a red traffic light, you may turn right after coming to a complete stop — unless a sign says "No Turn on Red"
• Yield to pedestrians and traffic coming from the left
• It saves a lot of waiting, but it's optional: if you're unsure the way is clear, wait for green. New York City bans right on red unless a sign allows it

Four-Way Stops

• At intersections with stop signs on all four corners, the first car to arrive goes first
• If two arrive simultaneously, the car on the right goes first
• If facing each other, left-turning traffic yields to straight-through traffic
• These are extremely common in residential areas. Come to a complete stop (rolling stops get tickets)

School Buses

• When a school bus stops and extends its red stop sign, you MUST stop. This applies in both directions on undivided roads
• Do not pass a stopped school bus. Fines are severe ($200–1,000) and cameras are increasingly common

Pedestrian Right of Way

• Pedestrians in crosswalks always have right of way
• In many states, you must stop for pedestrians waiting at an uncontrolled crosswalk (no traffic light)

Mobile Phones

• Handheld phone use while driving is illegal in most states, and texting at the wheel is banned in almost all of them
• Put the phone in a mount before you set off. Hire companies charge a daily fee for a sat nav, so most people use their own phone. A vent or dashboard mount that grips the phone firmly is enough; you can compare them in this search for car phone mounts on Amazon UK. Check that it fits your phone with its case on. If your hire car has Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, you may not need a mount at all

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

How to Fill Up

1. Pull up to a pump. Note the pump number
2. Pay at the pump with a card — most pumps accept cards directly. Some require a US ZIP code for card payments; if your UK card is rejected, go inside and tell the cashier the pump number and a dollar amount (e.g., "pump 4, $60 please")
3. Select "Regular"
4. Insert nozzle, squeeze handle. The pump stops automatically when full
5. The price displayed is per US gallon (3.785 litres)

Costs

• US petrol usually costs around half the UK price per litre, though it varies a lot by state
• Average: $3.00–4.00/gallon (varies by state). California is most expensive (~$5.00+)
• In remote areas (Big Bend, Navajo Nation, Big Sur), prices can be 30–50% higher

Fuel-Up Rule

In rural and western states: never let the tank drop below half. The next station might be 100+ miles away.