The United States traffic rules and self driving car rental tips

The Complete United States Driving and Rental Guide

The United States is usually more suitable for automobile compared to public transportations. Travelling by car is thus a good way to get around to see sights of the country, whether you are planning a complete road trip, or just using a leg of your trip by taking a car to visit the cities. Here is a guide we have prepared to help you familiarized yourself with driving in the USA.

Speed Limit and Traffic Signs

Driving is on the right with the steering wheel on the left-hand side of the car. Since traffic rules differ from state to state, it is better to review the regulations for each individual state in which you are planning to drive. Pedestrians have the legal right of way in all states.

Speed Limit

The speed limit varies from state to state, butis of 65 miles per hour (equals110 km p/h) in the majority of the states. Speed limit is frequently monitored by radar guns.

Traffic Signs

Many US states comply with the same road signs standard, but some of the states and large cities such as New York City have adopted an extent of localization or a supplement.

Although there is a variety of regulatory signs throughout different states, they are usually self-explanatory, with explicit wordings marked on the signs.

Stop

Yield(Give Way)

United_States_of_ America_Traffic_Sign__Yield_to_Pedestrians

Yield to Pedestrians, New York City

Passing Zone Ends

Passing Zone Begins

No Parking

No Parking; Here to corner

No Parking; Except Sundays

Among regulatory signs, there is one category which indicates ‘No Standing’, and may be unfamiliar for foreign visitors or international travellers. ‘No standing’ signs indicate that stopping temporarily to load or unload passengers is allowed, while parking is not allowed. The signs are also usually red on white, but local variations exist.

No Standing Any Time

No Standing Any Time New York State

No Standing Cars Towed Away, Baltimore

Warning signs feature yellow background colour and black pictogram, with a few exceptions.

Road Slippery When Wet

Curve With Speed Advisory

Stop Ahead

Yield Ahead

Railroad Crossing(Crossbuck)

Railroad Crossing Ahead

Information signs provide guidance and feature rectangular shape.

Toll Road Pass Only

Toll Road Pass or HOV 2+

Toll Costs at Intersections or HOV 2+

Hospital Sign

You may refer to this for the unified standard that is used by the states.

Seatbelt and Child Safety

Seatbelt Laws

All drivers and passengers are regulated by law to wear seatbelts. A fine applies if a driver or passenger is caught without a seatbelt on.

Booster Seat Laws

Even though regulations vary by state, almost all states require children to be in a child seat facing backwards in the front of a car, or facing forward in the rear. As a minimum guide, children should use a booster seat until they reach 36kg to 45kg or 145cm high.

For a specific guidance regarding child safety rules, you may click here.

Parking, Fuel and Toll

Parking

You must always park in the direction of the traffic flow on the near side of the road. Often, parking spaces are diagonally aligned and ‘head-in’, which means the front of your car must be facing the pavement (sidewalk).

· Parking Restriction

In some cities, parking restrictions are indicated by the kerb colour; for example, a red kerb indicates no parking at any time, a yellow kerb may signify a limited truck loading zone, a green kerb indicates a limited parking period, a blue kerb for disabled parking only, and a white kerb passenger loading and unloading. No parking areas, for example, at street corners, may be indicated by yellow lines. Therefore, you should always read all pavement markings carefully.

United States Red Kerb No Parking (Image from aarestriping.com)

United States Yellow Lines No Parking (Image from merchantcircle.com)

United States Yellow Kerb Loading Only (Image from timeout.com)

· Paid Parking

Parking in most cities and towns isn’t usually a problem and on-street parking is usually metered, along with permissive parking signs specified with a restricted amount of time. It’s advisable for you to estimate your parking time and reserve a bit more parking fee as a precaution to avoid the fine for overtime parking.

The signs are green and white, and local variations do occur with additional information or slightly different designs.

Parking with Time Restrictions

Parking With Time Restrictions New York City

Fuel Prices

The average price for USA gasoline and diesel during July to October 2017 is US$0.74.

Toll

It has more than 5,000 miles of toll roads in the USA. From bridge and tunnel tolls to express and high occupancy lanes, most states have some sort of toll road system.

Nowadays most tolls are collected electronically via transponders that are typically placed on the windshield of the vehicle. As many toll roads no longer accept cash. It is recommended to check the individual websites of each state's toll system to inform yourself about the payment options along with your route.

If you are hiring a vehicle from Enterprise, National or Alamo in the USA, you can review and pay the tolls online via Highway Toll Administration site; if hiring from Avis or Budget, you can check the e-toll site. For Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty and Advantage, toll charge can be checked on PlatePass.

Traffic Violation

DUI Laws

Depending on states, drivers are charged with a fine or a crime with 0.08% or 0.05% BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) limit by volume.

Traffic Fines

Extra care should be applied to abide speed limit when driving in the United States, as speeding fines can be ranging from $36 to $1000 for first-time breaker states by states. A Nation-wide average speeding ticket is US$150.

Failing to understand and follow the parking signs will potentially result in a hefty fine. This is especially the case for big cities like San Francisco, New York City and Chicago. For example, stopping, standing or parking where signs, road markings or traffic control devices do not permit you to do so will incur a fine of US$115 in New York City. In San Francisco, obstructing traffic without a permit in San Francisco will result in a fine as high as US$1000.

Failure to pay traffic infringement fines will likely result in your car rental company collecting the fee from you, with an additional administration charge. These policies are generally illustrated in the terms of the contract on which you signed at the rental desk. For any further questions concerning these matters, you are welcomed to contact QEEQ’ 24/7 customer service team for assistance.

Driving Licence and Age Requirements

To drive in the United State, the driver must have a valid driving licnece that has been held for at least 1 or 2 years(according to different car hire company). The licence must be valid at the time of rental, and remain valid throughout the rental period.

The minimum age to rent a vehicle in most locations in the U.S is 21 years (age may vary by state and car category), and the driver must have a valid driver's license held for at least one year. For certain specialty and larger-sized vehicles, the minimum age of 25 years of age applies. If you're 21-25, you are likely to have to pay a young driver fee which is about $25-per-day to $50-per-day.

Guest reviews

1 /

N.Mendez Vazquez

September 22, 2021

Destination: Orlando

9.3Todo muy bueno

Todo muy bueno

E.Garcia Chaires

Destination: Chicago

10Simple y Rapido con buenas opciones de precio

El Auto que nos ofrecieron supero las expectativas, muy buen trato y servicio por parte de Alamo

h.berroeta

September 21, 2021

Destination: Miami

8Excelent

It’s was very good

Brad

7QEEQ worked great, Dollar needs to make sure their cars meet the standards of what QEEQ's site sells

The booking was for a Mazda 3 "or similar." The car we got was not in the same class at all as a Mazda 3, though technically, I guess it was.

C.P

Destination: Los Angeles

9.7Excellent

Yes, the car was in very good condition and they give us a upgrade. The attention at the counter was no good but they give us a upgrade free.

K.Alsaif

9.7One of my best car rental experiences

I have to mention Sandra. One of the most professional car rental desk staff I've encountered and I encounter a lot. She was very upbeat and friendly but with great professionalism. I got a car that was better than what I expected and the vehicle handled great. The return experience was less than purfect but that is largely did to the way Orlando airport parking is structured. Receiving staff were prompt and professional. Thank you Sandra and Budget team. 5 stars.

K.Al Ali

Destination: Washington

10Excellent

I want to thanks Mr .Momo

A.KUMARAN

September 20, 2021

Destination: Boston

9Very very good price for long-term Rental!

Fantastic car! However, it took nearly an hour to pick up the car at Boston Logan AIrport.

C.Romo Flamand

9.3Excelente

El espacio excelente. Nos sirvió mucho para movernos de Chicago a los suburbios.

J.Lee

September 19, 2021

Destination: Seattle

10Great service

Staff from Fox rentals in Seattle were very accommodating and had great customer service.

S.Agarwal

10Very Happy with the overall service

Car was in good condition and the experience was very smooth

J.CORDERO

September 15, 2021

9Poco claro la aseguransa que se adquiere

Fue muy largo el tiempo de espera, y el traslado hacia el aeropuerto después de la devolución fue muy malo ya que el autobús estaba con demasiadas personas, y la empleada del mostrador me dijo que el seguro que se había adquirido no cubría los daños de terceros por lo que me vendió otro seguro

August 28, 2021

Destination: New Orleans

3Slow

Only one member of staff. Huge queue took forever despite being checked in. No car at the given bay. No one to help. poor service.

s.Fraga

Destination: Denver

7.3Alquile el auto con un seguro, y cuando lo fui a levantar me dicen que no contraté nada...

Al contratar el auto por medio de qeeq.com, especificaba que tenía incluido el seguro Liability (contra terceros). Cuando llegué a levantar el auto en Budget, me dice el encargado que NO tenia ningun seguro contratado. Tuve que pagar 350 dolares aproximadamente para contratar un seguro que supuestamente ya habia comprado.. Por favor, necesito la devolucion de ese dinero, gracias

H.Rivera

August 27, 2021

Destination: San Antonio

10Excelente

Me brindaron un vehiculo de mejor calidad y mas comodo por el mismo precio, excelente

V.Mathur

August 26, 2021

Destination: Reno

10Unnecessary stress and 45 minutes wasted due to issue of insurance noted above.

Although QEEQ booking included Third Party insurance, this did not appear on Hertz records and I was asked to buy it as it is mandatory in California. There is some disconnect that should be fixed. Had I bought it, it would have cost me almost $200 more!!

R.Dieckman

August 24, 2021

4.7There are better places to rent

The first car they gave me was not cleaned both inside and out and had a loud humming noise in the back rear tire. I went back to Fox the next day to get a different car which was cleaned. I wan not given a credit for the first day. I also returned the car a day earlier and they did not give me a credit for an early return but charged me $20.

Rocio I

Destination: New York

5Dólar lento y mal servicio. Auto muy bien

Solo había una persona atendiendo en el aeropuerto, la fila era enorme. Solo íbamos a usar el coche por 4 horas para ir a Manhattan y perdimos mas de una hora en fila. La señorita de muy mal humor y poco amable. Y al salir la persona de la caseta de salida estaba sentado en otro lado y tardó más de 15 min en llegar a darnos la salida por mas que tocábamos el claxon. Por culpa de dólar usamos menos el coche. Al llegar a devolver el proceso fue igual de lento. La gente de dólar del JFK no tenían ganas de trabajar

R.Yingling

Destination: Minneapolis

10Will use this service again.

Fast service. Very friendly. Vehicle was fantastic.

Destination: Tampa

8great car shame about the staff.

Unfortunately the counter staff lady was a little too chatty and went on to insult my wife who did not take it very well. In addition none of our requirements were actually taken into account so essentially we had to go through the whole process again.

J.Medina

8.3Buena

Estuvo bien

E.Romero soto

Destination: Hawaii - Maui Island

10Excellent service

Excellent service

R.Wehler

Destination: Salt Lake City

10Satisfied

The Thrifty counter was closed from my experience due to lack of employees. The sign sent us to the Dollar counter where there was one woman with 15 people ahead of me and the line grew to 20 behind me. It would have been better for Hertz to help out with my check-in as they had some employees standing around and they own Thrifty and Dollar. This is a fairly common short of help experience for me and just feel bad for the one person working.

Edwar Tapia

August 23, 2021

10Excelente servicio

Buen precio para un coche estándar.

Vegas Visitor

August 19, 2021

Destination: Las Vegas

10Qeeq is good, fox, not so much. You can start dropping your prices already.

I am feeling ripped off because the excuse for the high cost of renting a car was because of a shortage of vehicles compared to the demand. But the car lot was full of cars both at pickup and drop off. So the shortage seems to be no loner the case. So fox and other companies are keeping the high rental charges artificially high now. That is my perception, and why I rated it a 2.

Michael Hodge

August 9, 2021

9.3What a rental care experience should be

Great customer service. Process was fluid and painless. Friendly staff. The lady was polite, interpersonal, courteous, and provide quick service.

henry

10Alquiler perfecto

El auto fue una subaru outback muy economica y de buen espacio, aunque me interesaba una jeep, fue una mejor elección, excelente atención cuando me entregaron el carro.

S.Christian

Destination: Palm Springs

10All Good

Everything was as expected, and better than last time when they were out of cars for a while and we had to wait.

6Not good

Only 1 Thrifty person on counter, Sixth had 4 people on the adjacent counter. Poor signage for car rental at airport. No sat nav on car nor I phone connection

Woraphorn Pituckunnop

August 8, 2021

8disappointed

rent the the car from fox the agent offered the upgrade but didn’t explain the fee clear enough I ended up paid 325$ on top I already paid qeeq app. very disappointed ☹️

J.Hawa

Destination: Dallas

8.7La plataforma de Arequipa.com no la conocía y me pareció excelente.

Señor del mostrador te pretende confundir para que gastes más o cambies de auto por otro más caro. Te sientes incómodo con tanta insistencia.

A.Travez

10Facil

Bue. Coche

John Alonso

Destination: Fort Myers

7.7 Buena experiencia,

El auto era amplio, pero no lo habían lavado por fuera

A.Alrumaih

6.33 hours (!!!) of arguing with budget employees is an experience that I never hope to repeat

They refused to rent me the car, based on the quoted rate, and I spent 3 hours in the process of getting the rental car. After that! They said my car was not available and offered a pickup truck, or van!

C.Repolo

August 7, 2021

10best rent a car experience!

Fist time we came back for a trip we don't complain abut the rent a car proccess. Best experience. Thank you!

J.Spencer

8.7Awful. Will not use again.

Completely double charged by Avis. Can not figure out how to get my money back for being charged twice.

A.Chishti

August 6, 2021

4.3Luke warm

Poor customer service

S.Rudstrom

9.7QEEQ saved me a lot of money

Budget was very easy to use for pick-up and drop-off. Pain free, no hassle, friendly staff.

F.De La Torre

8Excelente QEEQ, Budget tiene una relación muy mala en "Sequoia o similar"

Excelente, pero aparte una Sequoia, pero me entregaron una Tahoe, que según yo no es comparable a la Sequoia. Sería comprable a una Suburban, pero por la Suburban e querían cobrar $50 USD por día adicionales

E.De Forest-Brown

7.3Not sure I’d use hertz again

The car was externally dirty and the pickup wasn’t particularly straightforward.

W.Davis

Destination: Akron

10Satisfactory

Everything went smoothly

E.Ortiz

8.3Buen auto, lenta la entrega, vibración en el frenado, fácil entrega !

El auto estaba bueno por la marca y modelo pero loa frenos no estaban perfectos tenían vibración.

S.Kopp

Destination: Bozeman

Got upgraded

6Average

La espera para recoger el auto fue de 4 horas, totalmente desproporcionado. Solo tenían 3 personas atendiendo para más de 100 esperando, y por lo visto es la práctica habitual de esta compañía.

P. Gutierrez

10Great experience!

Great customer service. The pick-up was fast and easy and the representative was very kind! Thanks, Jean at the MCO counter!

M.Rampton

10Excellent and friendly service and nice clean car in great condition

Excellent service and product. No complaints.

V.Parrish

9.3Pleasant

Stanley, my customer service rep was especial and very informative. Great guy

M.Bruno Morales

July 19, 2021

10Awesome

I have to change the car but they help me fast

Destination: San Francisco

10Reliable and cheap

Very easy and quick

M.Fonseca

July 15, 2021

Destination: Philadelphia

Excelente servicio

United States Car Rentals