Driving in the USA

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You may find the prospect of driving your rental car in the USA a bit nerve racking - particularly if you are picking up your car at the airport after a long and tiring transatlantic flight.

Cutting down on the number of things you have to think about when you land may be one good reason for arranging something called car hire excess insurance before you leave home.

This can free you up to concentrate on making sure that you have all of your luggage (and family) safely in the car before setting off for what could be your first experience of US driving.

Ease your way into the local driving customs.

Some Tips

To help you on your way, here are a few tips for things you may wish to keep in mind:

• drive on the right;
• obey the speed limits as penalties can be steep - usually 65 mph maximum on freeways and outside of urban areas or as specified in towns;
• individual state laws may differ - worth thinking about if you plan to cross a state line;
  
• some rental car insurance may not support crossing state lines - worth checking out this could impact your cover;
• remember that what in the UK we would call 'undertaking' is legal on US freeways;
• don't overtake school buses if the lights are flashing;
• in some states turning right when the traffic light is red is in fact perfectly legal; 
• keep in mind that the USA is not the UK - some parts of the country are desert or mountain wildernesses and can be dangerous if you and your vehicle are not prepared for the prevailing conditions;
• most US hire cars are automatics - brushing up on the technique before you go may be useful.
  

Car Insurance

Unlike the USA and most parts of Europe, in the USA your hired car may come with very little if any insurance included in the basic price. This may be cause for serious concern if left unresolved because the US courts can make staggeringly high awards following accidents. If you're not insured – you will have to find the money from your own financial resources.

Protect your bubble offer car hire excess insurance specifically tailored for the USA so as to supplement the very often limited insurance offered as standard by the car hire companies.

You can cover the risks of needing to pay out additional sums for third party claims by taking out our supplementary liability insurance (SLI) and the sometimes very large excesses on the hire companies' policies through our car hire excess insurance.

Having our SLI and car hire excess insurance in place will help ensure that you're able to concentrate on the scenery rather than the worries of what would happen if you had an accident!