Driving in Florida for Brits

This Article Was Contributed by Keith Forrest

Here's a bit more detail on driving US rental cars for us Brits.

There are several things that are going to jump up and surprise those of us who haven't traveled to, or rented a car in, the United States. A little attention to these "cherries" and you're less likely to have what our American cousins call a "fender bender".

The first thing you'll notice is that things in general are a little larger here. What we regard as a small, economy car in Europe simply does not exist here. Most Americans would regard that as an underpowered roller skate. Some of the vehicles being rented to you are positively huge, especially the SUVs. The roads are also consequently larger. So, a little judicious "getting used to the rental car's width and handling" is well worth the time.

The next thing you'll need to focus on is the fact that all US rental cars are automatics. As we all know, the bulk of cars in the UK are manual-shift transmissions. When you are coming to a halt, remember not to drop the clutch (because there isn't one) and "her indoors" is not going to appreciate you testing the stopping ability of the car by flooring the brake with your left foot as she's trying to read the map. 'Nuff said?

Familiarize your self with the controls before you leave the rental lot. Make sure you know where the light switch and the wiper controls are. If it rains in Florida, it's the law to have both switched on. It's also a darned-sight easier to figure it out there rather than wait until it is 11:00 p.m. in the Magic Kingdom parking lot. If it's summer time, make sure you also learn how to operate the A/C (air conditioning unit). Please ask the rental car company representative if you're unsure; you cannot drive a car when it's 90 degrees F outside and 120 degrees F inside without the A/C operating. HINT: If you can't get the lights and/or wipers switched on in a downpour or the rain is simply coming down too heavily for you to see, pull over to the hard shoulder and activate your hazard lights. Do NOT drive along in the slow lanes with your hazards on, you will get run over by some lunatic doing 70 mph and that will be tears. If you come to a freeway overpass, just pull over underneath and let the storm pass.

Junctions are always a fun area to explore here in the US. Whatever you learned from the Highway Code goes out the window. Here are some golden rules that will either (a) prevent you becoming the recipient of a souvenir from the Florida Highway Patrol or (b) save you from having an accident.

1. At traffic lights, if you are turning right and the light is red, provided there is not a sign saying "No turn on red", you may make a right turn with caution as if you were negotiating a stop sign junction in the UK.
   
2. Left turns quite often have a left-arrow light (known to us as a filter light). If it's red, you do not cross it. You must wait for it to change to green. If there is no "filter light", you can cross oncoming traffic as long as you yield as you would normally at home.
   
3. This one is a little tenuous and I am loath to mention it (but it might save you getting rear-ended). In the UK, when you see an orange or yellow light, you tend to slow down and stop. Here in the US it tends to be interpreted that you should floor the accelerator and the heck with the consequences. I'm not saying you should blow every yellow you see, just be aware of the traffic around you. If the traffic alongside you is going through, it might be more advisable to keep pace with them. The only exception is when there is a police car sitting in the junction. Everyone suddenly is a model-citizen driver and will make every effort to stop if it means grinding their front bumper along the road to stop.
   
4. Roundabouts (traffic circles) are a very rare but always confusing beast to drivers here in the US. They simply don't exist and are not taught in "Driver's Ed" at their driving schools. Most Americans regard a roundabout as a fascinating architectural anomaly which some creative soul placed there, as a cross between a landscaping opportunity and a high-speed chicane for would be Michael Schumacher impersonators. We all know that, if you are already on the roundabout, you have right of way. Americans know of no-such rule. The fact that roadway engineers place no road markings around roundabouts here in the US should indicate to you that not even they have any clue how to negotiate them. So be aware that the driver barreling in to the roundabout has probably no intention of giving way to you unless you are a fire truck heading to an emergency.
   
5. Stop signs. Just like the UK, a stop sign (red octagon with white STOP letters) means that - a full and complete stop.

One final word on what to expect, expect the unexpected. That driver opposite you at the four-way stop sign may not be a fellow Brit; he may not even be an American. He could be a Japanese tourist for example who does not, as a rule, drive cars on a day-to-day basis. So, while you are sitting there, flashing your lights to encourage him to go in front of you, he is sitting there wondering why you don't go and why you keep up with the annoying habit of flashing your lights. He can see you just fine!