Part IV: Driving in the US

Part I: The Visa
Part II: Arriving in the USA
Part III: Tax stuff
Part IV: Driving in the US
Part V: In for the long haul

A word on the most feared and reviled organisation in America
No, I’m not talking about Al Qaeda, or the IRS. I'm talking about the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Imagine all the bureaucracy in all the world from the last 200 yrs distilled into one room, and you get a rough idea of what the DMV is like (If you can't imagine that, then watch Terry Gilliam's Brazil). Unfortunately, if you want an ID or driver’s license, and intend to buy a vehicle, you will have to deal with the appropriate state DMV. The only advice I can give is to go early in the morning (i.e. be there when they first open the doors). And maybe take a few Diazepam first.

Getting a driver's license
For most states, a foreign driver's license is valid for only 30 days. If you want to drive longer than that you should apply for a US state driver's license. You may have been told that an International Driving License is accepted in some states. This is true, but don't bother. Firstly, US insurance companies will grossly overcharge you for car insurance if you offer them a non-US driver's license. Secondly, the police are generally not familiar with these licenses, and so you'll get a lot more questions and a lot more of your time wasted if you get pulled over with one.

Although not a requirement in all states, getting a state driver's license will mean taking a driving test, but don’t panic. Driving tests are not nearly as hard in the US as they can be in England. Mine involved a 10 minute drive through some back streets (basically around the block) with a reverse-parallel park manoeuvre into a space you could adequately park a Boeing 757 in. If you haven't driven a left-hand drive on the right side of the road before, try and beg/borrow/steal a car from a friend and take it for a spin before going to the test. It takes all of ten minutes to readjust, even if the car is manual (and hardly any are). In addition to the driving test, there is a small multiple choice test you take on a computer. So long as you at least read through traffic rules booklet once, you will pass this test easily. Finally, you have a quick vision test (or maybe that was first, I forget).

Personally, I think having a US driver's license is preferable even if you live in a city with good public transport. Renting cars here is uber-cheap (something like $15-20 per day, and a very good resource for traveling around doing the tourist thing. To come to this nation and not indulge in at least one road trip would be a crime.

Buying a car – Emissions tests, titling. sales tax &c...
This is where the DMV is at its worst. One can speculate about a conspiracy among car manufacturers, but it is almost true to say that it's easier to buy a an anti-aircraft missile in the US than it is to buy a used car. However, unless you have been in the country long enough to work up a credit rating good enough for reasonable financing, you will probably have to go through the used car fiasco first. This involves scouring the classifieds of whatever local newspapers are available, and then scouring The Kelly Blue Book to compare prices to market value. When you decide to buy a car, you will write up a Bill of Sale with the owner, and have the title signed over to you. You then have to take the vehicle to be inspected and subjected to an emissions test (the necessity of the latter is dictated by which state you live in). BTW, there are products you can buy to... erm... give your car an advantage in the emissions test, and you should also drive on the highway for at least ten miles or so before going in for the test. You then take all the paperwork to the DMV along with your title, whereupon they give you new plates and send you on your way. The way I write it, it sounds relatively straightforward. I wish it really was. Good luck.

Oh, one last piece of advice: have a listen to $1000 car by The Bottle Rockets. Bear it in mind.

Insurance – Be prepared to hustle. If you simply hand over your spanking-new US driving license number, their computers will assume you are a novice driver, and give you a truly ridiculous quote for your annual premium. Call up and explain that you already hold a European driving license and that you can present them with evidence of its cleanliness (assuming it is clean). If they try to hustle back (and they will) spin the old, ‘but the guy down the road will do it for…’. Ultimately, there is no reason why you should have to pay more than a US citizen with the same driving record. Try Geico and Progressive.

Random advice
Police – If stopped by police stay in the vehicle with your hands in plain view on the steering wheel. If stopped at night, put the interior light on, so the officer can see inside, but otherwise don't fidget around. This should all be in the traffic rules book. In some parts of some cities, getting out of your car is all the reason a cop needs to start shootin’.

Right on red phenomenon - In some states, cars are allowed to turn right at a red light if the way is clear unless a sign across the intersection specifically tells them not to (a right turn arrow with a slash through it). Bear this in mind if you are a pedestrian at a crosswalk, because drivers are generally more interested in whether the way is clear for them to run the light than they are interested in whether you're half way across the road in front of them. Make eye contact with the driver before crossing in front of them.