The attitude of the Americans towards the car is unlike that of any other country in the world. Life is driving! Driving is life! Distances are so vast that to be able to get anywhere you need a car. Of course, there is public transport, but Americans, as has been said many times before, have a love affair with the car.
There was a time when it was fashionable to change your car every year, and still, there are people and companies who would rather lease than buy outright just so they can change the car after a year.
Being a relatively young country, America was able to shape the country to suit modern times. There, the car is king. Cities are built with the car in mind. Here in Europe, the car is an after thought. Here we have to thread our way through narrow lanes that were not designed for motorised traffic, and certainly not of the volume and size required by modern day usage.
Being a relatively young country, America was able to shape the country to suit modern times. There, the car is king. Cities are built with the car in mind. Here in Europe, the car is an after thought. Here we have to thread our way through narrow lanes that were not designed for motorised traffic, and certainly not of the volume and size required by modern day usage.
There, streets are wide, with flyovers and freeways and spaghetti junctions. For the average European going to the USA for the first time, it really is good common sense to gather as much information beforehand about driving in that country. That rule is good for any country, but particularly so for the United States.
The first thing to know is that American society is the most litigious in the world. There you get sued for just about anything and everything, and this is particularly so in the world of motoring. Anything that goes wrong is not without blame. There are no genuine accidents, someone is at fault and can be sued. There are such things as nuisance suits, where someone will bring a frivolous action that will probably cost at least $5,000 to make it go away. For many people and their lawyers, this is an art form.
Suggestion number One!
You are driving your rental car when you come to a place, such as a sports arena,
where an event has just ended and the street is crowded with people. Do you continue driving at a snail’s pace, or do you stop the car and get out. A cautious American would stop the car, get out from behind the wheel, and if alone he would lock the doors. That way no one can bring a suit alleging that they had been hit by the moving car. There are people who would hold out their arm, or to really push up the price of the settlement they would even let you drive over their foot so that your moving car touches them or leaves evidence on their shoe. (That’s a major settlement, or as some people put it, “it’s payday!”) Otherwise, in “he said-he said” cases it will cost money to simply make the nuisance go away.
Caution number Two:
America is one of the most insular countries in the world. Countless Americans are born and die there without ever stepping foot outside its borders, or even without considering the news from other countries. There are people who think that the Far East is New York. If you fly to a destination that is not one of the main gateways beware when renting a car. I had the experience of flying to a small airport in Virginia that doesn’t see a lot of foreign tourists, so when renting me a car they assumed that I would have my own car insurance in America that covered the car hire. Off I went driving around in a car for which I was completely uninsured. Fortunately the next day, before setting out I reviewed the paperwork and that’s when I realised the mistake. It was twenty-four hours later, more than enough time for me to have become bankrupt.
So, it’s best to hire from companies that regularly serve foreign visitors, and check and double – check the paperwork before leaving the hire company. Ask questions. Lots and lots of questions.
Caution Number Three:
This is appropriate for any country, especially here in Spain, but car theft must always be uppermost in our minds. When you leave your car parked, it would be a good thing to have a reasonable chance of finding it where you left it when you return. To increase the odds of that happening a good steering wheel lock could make all the difference. Car theft is an activity that ideally, from the viewpoint of the thief, should take less than sixty seconds. A car with a good additional lock on the steering wheel that’s hard to defeat will usually be left alone. The driver is not cooperating so the thief picks a car and a more cooperative owner.
Suggestion: Have your own lock to use to safeguard the hire car. Losing your car from outside your own home is inconvenient enough. If you’re thousands of kilometres away the problem is that much worse.
There are useful books on the subject of Driving in America, or Driving in the USA that presumably can be purchased on-line. The chances that your motoring holiday in America will be successful are greatly enhanced by the more knowledge you have. For instance, America is made up of separate States that almost function as Europe does with its separate countries. Not everything is uniform throughout, so if you are going to hire your car in New York and drive to California and leave it there, you need to have a pretty good idea of what you are likely going to encounter over the ten States involved. This includes not only the geography but also the different laws and customs.
Finally, it almost goes without saying that you need a good and reliable partner to help you out of those tough jams that seems to be waiting around every corner. The partner I have in mind is the AAA (Automoblie Association of America).
We will return to this subject at some time in the future, but for now, Good Luck!
Motorcyclist!
The first thing to know is that American society is the most litigious in the world. There you get sued for just about anything and everything, and this is particularly so in the world of motoring. Anything that goes wrong is not without blame. There are no genuine accidents, someone is at fault and can be sued. There are such things as nuisance suits, where someone will bring a frivolous action that will probably cost at least $5,000 to make it go away. For many people and their lawyers, this is an art form.
Suggestion number One!
You are driving your rental car when you come to a place, such as a sports arena,
where an event has just ended and the street is crowded with people. Do you continue driving at a snail’s pace, or do you stop the car and get out. A cautious American would stop the car, get out from behind the wheel, and if alone he would lock the doors. That way no one can bring a suit alleging that they had been hit by the moving car. There are people who would hold out their arm, or to really push up the price of the settlement they would even let you drive over their foot so that your moving car touches them or leaves evidence on their shoe. (That’s a major settlement, or as some people put it, “it’s payday!”) Otherwise, in “he said-he said” cases it will cost money to simply make the nuisance go away.
Caution number Two:
America is one of the most insular countries in the world. Countless Americans are born and die there without ever stepping foot outside its borders, or even without considering the news from other countries. There are people who think that the Far East is New York. If you fly to a destination that is not one of the main gateways beware when renting a car. I had the experience of flying to a small airport in Virginia that doesn’t see a lot of foreign tourists, so when renting me a car they assumed that I would have my own car insurance in America that covered the car hire. Off I went driving around in a car for which I was completely uninsured. Fortunately the next day, before setting out I reviewed the paperwork and that’s when I realised the mistake. It was twenty-four hours later, more than enough time for me to have become bankrupt.
So, it’s best to hire from companies that regularly serve foreign visitors, and check and double – check the paperwork before leaving the hire company. Ask questions. Lots and lots of questions.
Caution Number Three:
This is appropriate for any country, especially here in Spain, but car theft must always be uppermost in our minds. When you leave your car parked, it would be a good thing to have a reasonable chance of finding it where you left it when you return. To increase the odds of that happening a good steering wheel lock could make all the difference. Car theft is an activity that ideally, from the viewpoint of the thief, should take less than sixty seconds. A car with a good additional lock on the steering wheel that’s hard to defeat will usually be left alone. The driver is not cooperating so the thief picks a car and a more cooperative owner.
Suggestion: Have your own lock to use to safeguard the hire car. Losing your car from outside your own home is inconvenient enough. If you’re thousands of kilometres away the problem is that much worse.
There are useful books on the subject of Driving in America, or Driving in the USA that presumably can be purchased on-line. The chances that your motoring holiday in America will be successful are greatly enhanced by the more knowledge you have. For instance, America is made up of separate States that almost function as Europe does with its separate countries. Not everything is uniform throughout, so if you are going to hire your car in New York and drive to California and leave it there, you need to have a pretty good idea of what you are likely going to encounter over the ten States involved. This includes not only the geography but also the different laws and customs.
Finally, it almost goes without saying that you need a good and reliable partner to help you out of those tough jams that seems to be waiting around every corner. The partner I have in mind is the AAA (Automoblie Association of America).
We will return to this subject at some time in the future, but for now, Good Luck!
Motorcyclist!
Wear a lime-green reflective jacket, both day and night. “Be seen to be Safe!”
Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael
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