[Ask] Driving in USA?

[groovinZhou]

Hello,

I would to ask about:
1. any recommendation for car rental in US? Im planning to go Los Angeles and do road trip ard west coast
2. Using singapore driving license. Do I need to register to anywherr/anything before I go?
3, how about insurance? Do i need to purchase any insurance?
4. What happend if I involve in accident in US while driving a rental car?
5. About safety . Is there anything I need to be aware of? Like parking at hotel or robbery on the road oe speed limit is not so struct there?
6. Requirements to rent a car there?

Thanks a lottttt

 

[battledome64]

Hi guys any reply

 

[jes205]

Hello,

I would to ask about:
1. any recommendation for car rental in US? Im planning to go Los Angeles and do road trip ard west coast
2. Using singapore driving license. Do I need to register to anywherr/anything before I go?
3, how about insurance? Do i need to purchase any insurance?
4. What happend if I involve in accident in US while driving a rental car?
5. About safety . Is there anything I need to be aware of? Like parking at hotel or robbery on the road oe speed limit is not so struct there?
6. Requirements to rent a car there?

Thanks a lottttt

can only help with
1. Been using rentalcars.com for overseas car rental. Just booked for usa and their rates are cheaper.
2. Went to Europe last year, just showed them my passport and Singapore driving license. Same with Bangkok. No issues. Although I brought my IDP along jic.
3. If you have travel insurance, check if it covers rental and what is your excess.
5. US is strict on speed limits.

 

[Parmesean]

Hello,

I would to ask about:
1. any recommendation for car rental in US? Im planning to go Los Angeles and do road trip ard west coast
2. Using singapore driving license. Do I need to register to anywherr/anything before I go?
3, how about insurance? Do i need to purchase any insurance?
4. What happend if I involve in accident in US while driving a rental car?
5. About safety . Is there anything I need to be aware of? Like parking at hotel or robbery on the road oe speed limit is not so struct there?
6. Requirements to rent a car there?

Thanks a lottttt

1. I would recommend Hertz, it's a little pricey, but you get what you pay for, if you book the car online before you arrive, you can go up to the counter, and get your car in a few minutes, if there isn't a queue...

2. Your Singapore driver's license should not have any issues getting a car in the US.

3. I believe that Hertz will sell you insurance with the car.

6. Requirements to rent a car...
Minimum age is 25, but Hertz will allow you to rent if you are under, just have to add on a fee.
A valid driver's license.

Those are all the questions I can answer.

P. S, if you are driving up from LA, do not follow Google maps, drive up to Santa Monica, and follow the signs to take the pacific highway, it'll take longer, but you get the scenic view of the west coast...

 

[Shiny Things]

Hello,

I would to ask about:
1. any recommendation for car rental in US? Im planning to go Los Angeles and do road trip ard west coast
2. Using singapore driving license. Do I need to register to anywherr/anything before I go?
3, how about insurance? Do i need to purchase any insurance?
4. What happend if I involve in accident in US while driving a rental car?
5. About safety . Is there anything I need to be aware of? Like parking at hotel or robbery on the road oe speed limit is not so struct there?
6. Requirements to rent a car there?

Thanks a lottttt

1) I’ve used Hertz and Avis; both are fine. Hertz tends to have a better selection of really hot metal, if that’s your thing (Corvettes, AMG Mercs, BMW M). One tip I’d give: sign up for the rental company’s frequent-driver program; it’s usually free, and it’ll save you a long and painful queue when you’re picking up the car.
2) No.
3) Your credit card might give you automatic rental-car insurance if you use that card to rent the car; you’ll need to check your card’s terms. Otherwise, you can buy insurance when you rent.
4) The convention is to pull over and call the rental car company immediately. Let them handle everything, and make sure you give the rental car company’s details to the person you’ve dinged.
5) Depends where you are, really. For example, yeah, I’d usually prefer to park in the hotel’s car park than park on the street. One interesting thing I’ve noticed is that the US is relatively chill about speed limits, but they enforce drink-driving rules VERY strictly, and the fines for drink driving are gargantuan ($10,000, I think, in California). So if you’re driving on a freeway, just keep with the speed of all the other traffic; but make sure you’re stone cold sober.
6) Be over 25, and have a pulse. Even if you’re under 25, you might still be able to rent, you’ll just need to pay more.

What route are you thinking of? Post on here and we’ll give you tips!

 

[Shiny Things]

5. US is strict on speed limits.

The US is relatively chill on speed limits; there’s very few if any fixed speed cameras, and on the interstate highways at least, the cops won’t go after people doing 5-10 over, especially if they’re keeping with the flow of traffic.

Obviously you don’t want to go doing 100mph all the way across the country (though I will say there’s a few lightly-trafficked roads in Nevada where, let’s just say, you can explore the upper reaches of your car’s tacho without too many worries.)

 

[kiatme]

1. any recommendation for car rental in US? Im planning to go Los Angeles and do road trip ard west coast

1. Can just go to the airport and browse their booths for car rental, some are cheaper than the prices listed on the website

2. Using singapore driving license. Do I need to register to anywherr/anything before I go?

2. Singapore license will do

3, how about insurance? Do i need to purchase any insurance?

3. If you rent from the booths, they will sell you insurance along with the rental, some are optional, some are mandatory, some credit cards provide insurance but i prefer getting from the rental companies

4. What happend if I involve in accident in US while driving a rental car?

4. Check with the rental company directly, i been to 3 different states rented from 3 places (hertz, some green company), the airport one is pretty relax, i rented one from a townish area, they pretty much marked all the scratches and stuff on the paper, so some might be particular about the scratches ? overall good experience though

5. About safety . Is there anything I need to be aware of? Like parking at hotel or robbery on the road oe speed limit is not so struct there?

5. Safety : always keep your valuables with you, don't leave anything in the car (like bags, or anything visible, you can leave your water bottle or cheap stuff there), speed limit wise, better to adhere to limits stated, there are black cars on the highway (looks like normal private cars) that will turn on the siren and chase after you if you speed, seen a few times on the highway already, between highways there will be towns, the speed limit is lower in towns so you have to be careful, i got caught by police for speeding past town (but i got let off, luckily hehe, i just told them the GPS in the car said the speed was xxx), just gave me a warning

6. Requirements to rent a car there?

6. its more expensive for younger people to rent, so if your group is young try to get the oldest eligible person to rent the car, otherwise, your passport/driving license will do

Others: better to plan your route beforehand, some places are nice to drive by for the scenery, just google and plan your route accordingly, the highways are tricky with the turns, and remember its left hand drive.

you can rent from location A and return at location B, it would be much more expensive though if you are returning in a different state (some rental companies charge at a different price so you can go check a few of them at the airport), some times its even cheaper to just fly across states then rent a car / returning at a different state, also, it sounds a bit ridiculous but initally i wanted to rent a car for a week at san fran, with drop off at las vegas, it actually costs cheaper to rent the car a week at san fran, then return the car, then re-rent it for a day from san fran to las vegas (if you get what i mean) - like they charge you across state driving for a week when you're actually driving in that for the week but only drive across the state in a day, so to save cost i just return the car and rent another

 

[butterbarter]

I lived in the US for 2 years, so let me add on to the good info already posted:

Speed limits: Usually, you can drive as you please. But sometimes there are police cars parked on the side with their radars on. If you are caught speeding, they will pursue you and give you a ticket. In some states/counties, you may be required to pay the fine on the spot as you are a foreigner. Some people say foreigners may be let off with a warning. Really depends on your luck and location.

Safety: US is generally safe, but there are many dodgy areas that you should avoid, especially when driving a shiny new rental car. The hotel would be able to advise you. I once took a wrong exit and ended up in a poor neighbourhood in south central LA. The place was full of homeless people, graffiti. iron-bar-protected-windows, old rusty cars, and general shabbiness. I drove out as fast as I could. Also be careful of where you stop to rest while driving at night. Gun violence and crime are a real problem in the dodgy areas.

Accidents: I've experienced this twice in the US, once as a driver and once as a passenger. Just call the car rental to inform them. If they are a big company like Hertz or Avis, they will send a replacement car to you and pick up the damaged car. Passers-by will generally already have called the police. You can also ask the locals to help you call for a towtruck. If not, the police will help you with it. If injured, an ambulance will bring you to the hospital where the healthcare costs are astronomical (my experience was that it cost thousands of dollars for a simple X-ray and hand cast). Make sure you have insurance to cover this. If uninjured, hitch a ride with tow-truck (or call Uber) to a nearby hotel or diner and wait for your replacement car to arrive (usually the next day, but could be late same day, depending on where the car is dispatched from).

Car insurance: If you have bought car insurance with the car rental company, all will be taken care for you if you have an accident, so I highly recommend buying insurance from the car rental company instead of 3rd party, despite the higher price. Browse the rental company's website in advance to know what insurance plans are available so that you can make an informed choice.

Licence: They usually don't rent to probationary drivers, so make sure you are not on probation. International Driving Permit is not required, but I was once asked for it in Calgary, Canada. That company(or maybe that branch) required IDP for all foreign drivers. Since an IDP is just $20, it might be worth getting one anyway.

 

[patryn33]

I lived in the US for 2 years, so let me add on to the good info already posted:

Speed limits: Usually, you can drive as you please. But sometimes there are police cars parked on the side with their radars on. If you are caught speeding, they will pursue you and give you a ticket. In some states/counties, you may be required to pay the fine on the spot as you are a foreigner. Some people say foreigners may be let off with a warning. Really depends on your luck and location.
.

Isn’t the same deal any where in the world? Drive crazy disobey law are ok so long don’t get caught.

Caught fees is as such
https://legalbeagle.com/8674588-california-mph-over-speed-limit.html

Drive like as you please and Kenna road rage. Mild rage no issue just don’t get shot

 

[butterbarter]

Depends on the place. In Singapore, speed limit enforcement is definitely more strict and prevalent due to our small size and higher traffic and population density.

The methods used are also different. Sg favors the use of speed cams and mobile speed radars. These are seldom used in the US for legal and other reasons. The US just use marked and unmarked police cars patrolling the roads or parked by the roadside. Some states will send you the ticket, while other states will make you pay on the spot.

Isn’t the same deal any where in the world? Drive crazy disobey law are ok so long don’t get caught.

Caught fees is as such
https://legalbeagle.com/8674588-california-mph-over-speed-limit.html

Drive like as you please and Kenna road rage. Mild rage no issue just don’t get shot

 

[addats]

I would to ask about:
1. any recommendation for car rental in US? Im planning to go Los Angeles and do road trip ard west coast
USCarhire is good. I usually choose Alamo as it comes with CDL (insurance most other rental dont include)

2. Using singapore driving license. Do I need to register to anywherr/anything before I go?
No need, jsut show

3, how about insurance? Do i need to purchase any insurance?
As 1) check that you should cover CDL. Buy travel insurance, most will cover up to 1Million on 3rd party claim

4. What happend if I involve in accident in US while driving a rental car?

5. About safety . Is there anything I need to be aware of? Like parking at hotel or robbery on the road oe speed limit is not so struct there?
This you have to do your own research. I usually go with Best Western or Hampton Inn

6. Requirements to rent a car there?
Please go to trip advisor to read on the article on driving in USA. You will get a better idea. In general follow the speed of other drivers on highway. If you are using garmin, it will show you the speed limit of the road you are on. Remember you are not allow to mount anything on the wind screen. GPS have to be mount on dash board.