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 /

G.Sledge

April 13, 2021

Destination: Atlanta

6.8slow transport process

No Bathroom site things under construction

A.Leon Arenal

Destination: Dallas

9MALÍSIMA

Rentamos la Mazda y nos dieron una camioneta Jeep pickup, INCOMODISIMA, no es para 5 personas, es altísima y en la parte de atrás NO CABEN 3 personas, definitivamente no vuelvo a rentar con ustedes ni con AVIS ya que no respetaron mi solicitud. Lo del seguro no está claro en la página, pagamos uno q no era necesario y en el mostrador ya te explican que necesitas otro.

P.SANTANA ORTEGA

Destination: Sarasota

10It Was so fast

Everything Was excellent

Jorge Caballero

April 12, 2021

6.7Could improve

Hate to pay for additional, should be a way to include in the reservation payment, nevertheless I had to pay for extra insurance and toll radio tag

Destination: New York

9.7Excellent

Very nice and helpful lady at the desk.

C.Martin

Destination: New Orleans

7.7Ok but could have been better.

Pick up process was misleading. I had an allergy attack due to the dog hair under the seat..could hardly breathe. I would of returned and exchanged the car, but the dog hair was not openly present.

井手口和義

April 11, 2021

Destination: Las Vegas

8.3Very Good

思っていたより、車が小さかった。

Hide

Destination: San Diego

9.7便利

料金も安く使い勝手が良いです。

M.Coutino

Destination: Orlando

6.7Average

Me hicieron pagar cuotas extra siendo q ya las había pagado en mi reserva en línea

J.Ottosen

Destination: Miami

8Good apart from the fuel hoax.

I was charged for fuel even though I returned it with a full tank.

April 10, 2021

7.7Unacceptable - Will never rent from NU again

Waited over 30 minutes to be waited on at counter UNACCEPTABLE!. It takes at least 10 minutes to drive to the offsite car rental pickup, so the 1.5 miles from airport in the description is deceptive.I have never rented a car before where they expected me to wash and vacuum the car prior to returning it before - that can be difficult when the car is full of luggage and people, and I don't know the area so finding a carwash is an added hassle. I won't be renting from this company again. The wait for a shuttle to the airport was ridiculous - We had to wait more than 20 minutes, and people behind us in line were not able to even get on the shuttle bus. They should have had 2 busses running. One other customer called Uber because he was afraid of missing his flight.

W.Smith

April 2, 2021

9.3Awesome!

Counter staff was helpful especially after my flight was delayed. The prices were a little steep but I guess that’s due to the demand in Orlando right now.

E.Leon vazquez

10Good price very Bad App

The App dosent work

O.Merced

April 1, 2021

10Excellent

Tremendo servicio!!!

P.Kempler

Destination: Fort Lauderdale

9i saved some money so i was happy

the car was good, it needed a good wash though.. there were only 2 people working during registration and i had to wait awhile.

S.Skaria

March 20, 2021

8.7Worst rental experience ever

We waited little over 3 hrs to get the vehicle. Worst experience ever. Please do not take over bookings if you do not have enough staff and vehicles. It was our spring break and kids got really tired waiting to get car. Several customers were waiting and staff at the counter was rude to customers saying they have ling wait and we can get refund and go to another provider if we want. Never ever will use Dollar rentals

Destination: Los Angeles

10Good job

Yes

E.Ortiz

March 19, 2021

9.3Excellent

I was not aware that the rental location was away from the airport. We had to catch two shuttles

Devine Hanna

10Great Experience

Great customer Service

R.ARROYO TINOCO

March 18, 2021

Destination: Houston

10Es la mejor

Si el auto muy limpio y excelente ?

P.Henry

9.3I would use this service again

The staff was very helpful at the counter, even though longer-term rentals are not normal affairs.

Heidi Guerra

March 17, 2021

7Good

The drop off location had an interior sign that couldn't be visible from the street I was lost for half hour and finally had to drop off the car in the other location.

F.Sepulveda

9Mas caro de lo esperado

Al llegar me intentaron cobrar seguros innecesarios pero que los muestran como parte del valor normal del arriendo

B.Echarri Martinez

10Excelente

Excelente organización para devolver. Frictionless.

c.Angell

Destination: Denver

7.7Good

The airport pick up took much longer than expected, the van was alright- exactly what we needed in terms of space. The return process was hindered by the massive blizzard, but the customer service offered by AVR when trying to coordinate our drop off was great. Andrew (from AVR) really worked with us to help us return the car and allowed us to park it at the airport since AVR was inaccessible by road due to snow.

A.Ramirez Ojeda

10Súper

Excellent

M.Miller

March 16, 2021

Destination: Midland

I actually got the size of vehicle needed. Usually got some run around about class of vehicle requested is not available and I need to upgrade at additional cost.

Y.Looks

March 12, 2021

9A bumpy start with a smooth ending.

The process started with the Budget counter closed and needing to negotiate our luggage a floor down to Avis. Then we waited about 40 minutes because there was just one representative on duty. From there everything picked up. The vehicle was excellent and drop off was very smooth.

Jaimie

March 11, 2021

Destination: Cleveland

10Amazing. This was my first experience. Will use again

The car was absolutely flawless

March 9, 2021

Great service

Yehoshua Looks

March 7, 2021

Destination: San Francisco

9.3A slow start with a happy ending.

The person handling our check in was fairly slow and made an inappropriate comment. However, the vehicle we received was a Kia Soul, a nice upgrade from what we booked and a fantastic driving experience.

T.Gray

9.3Short and sweet

The staff was courteous and the car was nicely cleaned. Just a heads up Ace will make you purchase their liability insurance. Although that was the case, the rental was well worth the money spent.

R.Poissant

10Smooth & simple experience!

Good car selection

B.Merino

March 6, 2021

8.3Muy ágil y conveniente

El auto supero mis expectativas pero lo mano es yo pongo mi tarjeta para pagar la tarifa en dólares como corresponde pero me cargan a la tarjeta en soles que la moneda nacional pero a un cambio muy desbentajodo Quisiera pagar en dólares como lo hago con otros servicios

S.Mudryk

Good company

March 5, 2021

9.3It was great!

They were great!

R.Tabbara

March 1, 2021

8Pleasant and seamless.

The amount due at the counter did not match what was listed in the receipt. I was asked to pay additional taxes and fees on top of what I was quoted at the time of booking which came to an additional $30

8.7Very Good

The counter staff was insistent on me getting the unlimited tolls plan even though I made it clear that I was going to use the car within a city only. It was a little annoying after a while. Besides the plan costs $125 which is abusively too much for almost any trip.

S.Torres

February 27, 2021

Destination: Mount Vernon

10easy and went super well

Super helpful and made the process easy and quick.

A.Flores

February 20, 2021

Destination: Albuquerque

7The car was good

No one received me on the drop off site and i left the car 5 days ago and still didn’t receive my bill. They left open my contract and I have been charged for a 2,000 dlls bill!! And I only used the car for a day.

k.brown

Destination: Phoenix

8.7No amount of savings is worth two hours of indoor late night waiting.

2 hour line to check in. Could have gone and rented another car for close to the amount. Your customer service offered nothing but excuses and "whatever".

D.Rodriguez

6Average

La espera fue de dos horas y media en la estación , rente una mini vans Nissan Quest de 7 pasajeros y me entregaron después de dos horas y media un Nizzan Roque , yo pague por un carro más grande y me dieron ese , si no uviese cogido ese me uviese pasado mucho más tiempo en espera , y el servicio al cliente súper malo , mal trato al q no habla english

Matthew Fish

January 23, 2021

10Great car, great staff, long wait.

The staff at the pickup facility were great. The only problem was a 2.5-hour wait due to high-volume of people on vacation for a holiday weekend. The management could have done a better job anticipating demand.

F.MARTINEZ

January 22, 2021

10Muy Excelente !

Alamo es muy bueno y llevo utilizándolos hace mucho

Chad

January 21, 2021

Destination: Salt Lake City

10One of the if not the best!

Best Rates!

G.SON

Destination: Huntington Beach

10Excellent.

AVIS, that is the company I always trust!

B.Jensen

December 24, 2020

Destination: Palm Springs

8Great rental person but trouble with cars

Better quality of car

E.Ortega

December 17, 2020

Todo excelente

December 15, 2020

Destination: Hawaii - Hawaii Island

9.7Very Good

We had a flat tire and tried to reach roadside assistance via Dollar Rent a Car. we were on hold for an hour and decided to drive to the nearest Dollar. Once we arrived they immediately gave us a new vehicle. Although they were very responsive with the new vehicle being on hold for and hour and calling several times to reach someone was not good customer service.

United States Car Rentals