American traffic rules are quite unusual. Firstly, they prioritize safety and all that. But on the other hand… For example, it is not forbidden to cross a double solid line and turn into a driveway, even if it involves crossing three lanes. Also, you can exit a driveway by turning left across a double solid line.
You can turn right on red unless otherwise stated, there is no designated right turn arrow, and you are not in a state with contradictory rules.
At ungoverned intersections with STOP signs, drivers yield to each other in turn. The right-hand rule does not apply.
Most signs are in words, which requires some knowledge of English. This might not seem like an issue, but sometimes there are whole sentences spread across multiple lines that you need to grasp in a fraction of a second.
Yesterday in Washington, it took me five attempts to get onto the right road. You need to change lanes well in advance on large interchanges.
Here, no one, not even the police, signals their turns; but you still should.
The general speed of traffic is higher than in Russia, and interchanges are often denser, so timely lane changes are crucial. If you miss your turn – oops, keep going. After Moscow, where proper interchanges are only really on the third ring road and the beltway, a GPS is initially needed here just for that. You can drive without one, but you’ll likely miss your exits often.
There are HOV lanes – high-occupied vehicle lanes, used when there is more than one person in the car (HOV-2, HOV-3 – meaning at least two, three people). In California, this is called the CARPOOL LANE.
If you violate traffic laws with a local license, the court sends this to the local DMV where they’ll attach it to your record, accrue points, possibly decide to suspend your license (if serious), or send you to a driver improvement clinic, where offenders attend lectures. They accrue 3, 4, or 6 points per infraction. Accumulate 8 points in a year – you get a letter at your home address about how you’ve been bad and the consequences that await. 12 points in a year, or 18 in two – and you’re sent to driver improvement clinic, with a course you need to complete in three months. If 18 points in a year or 24 in two – then you lose your license for three months.
The number of points affects the cost of insurance. http://www.myimprov.com/how-much-is-a-speeding-ticket-in-california-speeding-ticket-cost/
Besides, you need to pay the fine itself. It varies by state, but for California see the link above, and for Virginia it’s $6-7 per mile over the speed limit, plus $62 for “court services” (subsequent ones are $11 each). The maximum fine is $250 plus $62 for the court, making $312, and if you also violate in the so-called Highway Safety Corridor, where fines are doubled, it totals $562. Beyond that, you can only lose your license, and even then, not for long 🙂 But the real downside, of course, is the insurance. It skyrockets.
With Russian licenses, I can drive for another three months. Then, it’s required to get local ones.
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 