Driving In Florida

Before Setting Off

Before you set off in an unfamiliar rental car, make sure you check all the systems and know where everything is. Power steering is common, even on the smaller cars. Is is near on impossible to get a manual transmission car - they are all automatic.

Fuel / Gas

Fuel is very cheap in the USA. It is sold by the US Gallon which is roughly 3.8 litres. All rental cars run on unleaded gas, unless otherwise stated. At many gas stations you will be required to swipe your credit card in the pump before filling your car up. Also it is quite common to have a lever on the pump which you need to pull up before the gas will flow.

Driving - Some Rules

Driving is on the right hand side of the road in the USA. Be careful at intersections (junctions) as it's easy to find yourself on the wrong side of the road when turning left or right.

You are allowed to turn right on red providing that the car comes to a complete stop before starting to make the turn. Some intersections forbid the right turn on red but this will be clearly signposted. In the absence of a sign you are safe to assume right turn on red is allowed.

If you see a schoolbus (big bright yellow buses) stopped with it's lights flashing you are required to stop immediately and wait for the schoolbus lights to stop flashing. This applies even if you are on the other side of the road.

Drinking and driving is not allowed under any circumstances and the limits for allowable blood alcohol levels are very low. Our best advice is not to have any alcohol if you are planning on driving. It is also against the law to carry any alcohol in a car - put all alcohol in the trunk (boot) so as to avoid any problems.

If you are stopped by the police for any reason, remain in the car and wait for the police officer to come to you. Under no circumstances get out of the car and try and approach the officer.

If you see another driver indicating for help, do not stop. Instead, drive to the next gas station or public area and call 911 and inform the police of the drivers location.

Parking

Before parking your car make sure it is in a designated area as otherwise you may be liable for the car being towed away. Do not park in front of a fire hydrant. You will find most of the cars are a lot larger than at home but to compensate for this the car parks have much bigger parking spaces.