Driving

[norhel]

Howdy all!

Me and my family are renting a car a couple days when we are at Disney World, and I was hoping you could answer me on a question.
We are all Norwegians, and we haven't been in the States before (and of course not driving) and I was therefore wondering if someone could give us some info about the main traffic roles the we have to know. I'm guessing that most of the roles will be the same, you know stopping at red light, follow the speed limit, but as said I'm guessing that the is some difference, so I'm glad for all help.

Thanx for the replies! :-D

 

[stlbobby]

Check this out. It is a good place to start:

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Foreign_Visitors_Driving.shtml

If you are staying at a WDW resort you do not need a rental car to experience WDW. There are multiple forms of complimentary transportation between the resorts and all the parks and entertainment areas. Disney also provides free transport to and from the Orlando Airport.

I never use my car in the world now that I live close enough to drive and never rented one when I flew.

 

[Rob562]

From what I've heard from people who've driven in Europe and in the U.S., traffic laws are generally the same between the two.

On a multi-lane highway, the left-most lane is the "fast lane". The middle lane is the "travel lane" and the right lane is the "slow lane".

Expect the flow of traffic on a highway to be at or slightly above the posted speed limit. While it's by no means the law, in many places the "5 MPH over the limit" rule of thumb tends to apply.

On thing that we have in the U.S. that apparently doesn't exist in many other countries is the practice of making a turn on a red light. When you're stopped at a red light, you can make a right-hand turn as long as it's safe to do so *and* there isn't a posted "No Turn on Red" sign.
(And be careful when driving around Downtown Disney, they actually have a few No Turn On Red signs that turn on and off depending on what the pedestrian signals are doing in that intersection)

Be wary of left-turn lanes that have posted "No U-Turn" signs. In some cases it might be better to turn right into a side street and then turn around and come back out to make a left turn.

One of the most-common (and exasperating) things you see in Florida are tourists who don't know where they're going, and crawl along in the high-speed lanes, or who suddenly jam on their brakes and swerve over 3 lanes of traffic because they're going to miss their turn. Just drive calmly, and if you should happen to miss your turn or exit, just keep driving. There will be plenty of chances to get turned around to head back in the proper direction.

If it'll help, here's the Massachusetts Drivers Manual. (laws are virtually the same between U.S. states)
http://www.mass.gov/rmv/dmanual/driversmanual.pdf
The sections you'll be looking for are Section 4 (Rules of the Road) and Section 5 (Special Driving Situations)

-Rob

 

[norhel]

If you are staying at a WDW resort you do not need a rental car to experience WDW. There are multiple forms of complimentary transportation between the resorts and all the parks and entertainment areas. Disney also provides free transport to and from the Orlando Airport.

We are staying at All Star Sport, but are planning to drive around to other places a couple of the days.

Thanx for the link by the way!
I'll have a look at it

 

[norhel]

One of the most-common (and exasperating) things you see in Florida are tourists who don't know where they're going, and crawl along in the high-speed lanes, or who suddenly jam on their brakes and swerve over 3 lanes of traffic because they're going to miss their turn. Just drive calmly, and if you should happen to miss your turn or exit, just keep driving. There will be plenty of chances to get turned around to head back in the proper direction.

If it'll help, here's the Massachusetts Drivers Manual. (laws are virtually the same between U.S. states)
http://www.mass.gov/rmv/dmanual/driversmanual.pdf
The sections you'll be looking for are Section 4 (Rules of the Road) and Section 5 (Special Driving Situations)

-Rob

We are also renting an GPS, witch we are going to use
Thanx for the link. I'll have a look at it later.

 

[tigsmom]

We are also renting an GPS, witch we are going to use
Thanx for the link. I'll have a look at it later.

Just remember to use the GPS as a guideline and not the final say. People have been known to drive into empty fields because the GPS told them too or to get lost because an empty lot became a mini mall; make sure the map is as up to date as possible.

And please do not stop on the highway (even people who live here forget and do that when travelling) as you will set yourself up for an accident, pull over onto the shoulder. Do not talk or text on your cell (if you get one here) while driving as it's against the law in many states and quite dangerous; of course having a passenger do so is fine.

 

[palmage]

Keep up with the flow of traffic, so you don't get dirty looks.

 

[GenerationX]

All distances are measured in feet, yards, and miles. All signs and the GPS will use those units of measure. The metric system has yet to (and may never) catch on here.

 

[norhel]

Howdy all!

Had a look at the links I've got, and it seems that the rules is very muck alike what we have in Norway. The only difference I can tell immediately is the turn in red light thing.

So thanx for the links and the other info! :-D

 

[tigsmom]

Howdy all!

Had a look at the links I've got, and it seems that the rules is very muck alike what we have in Norway. The only difference I can tell immediately is the turn in red light thing.

So thanx for the links and the other info! :-D

Just remember...it's a RIGHT turn on red unless otherwise marked (the sign will be next to the light or right at the corner) and you MUST stop first, make sure it's clear and then you can turn (basically like a STOP sign). Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[bladerunner]

I lived in Sweden and have driven in Norway. For the most part everything is the same.

There are a few things that are a bit culturally different and may not be part of the rule books: The left lane here is used like all the others - don't expect it to be empty and used just for passing. Also, you are supposed to pull over as much as you can when you hear an ambulance or police siren coming from behind so that they can pass. Daylight running lights are not mandatory in Florida. Also you can let your car idle for as long as you like. Don't expect that everyone on the road has learned to drive well. OK that is all I can think of at the moment. Enjoy your trip.