Driving In Florida

Home: Articles

While you are taking your vacation in one of the many Disney villas, Florida villas, Orlando villas, Florida vacation rentals and villas near Disney that are available to rent, we hope the following driving tips may be helpful to you.

As you probably know, cars in the USA are different from those in the UK mainly because they have the steering wheel on the right.  Therefore, everyone in America drives on the right. So when you land in Florida and collect your car for your Orlando Disney villa vacation, it is very important to keep alert and make sure you keep to the correct side of the road.  Do not drift off and go into auto pilot and start driving on the left.  This can be extremely dangerous !!!

In Florida, your car will have an automatic transmission and so you will not have to worry about changing gears.  The handbrake (or parking brake) is often a foot pedal which can be found under the dashboard.  You have to push this down hard to release it and push it down hard again to put the brake on.  In order to put the keys into the ignition, the gear lever has to be in the "P" position.  Also, you cannot start the car unless the gear lever is in the "P" position.  Most drivers seats are electrically adjustable as are the wing mirrors.  Make sure you get comfortable before you start your journey.  You do not want to be fiddling around trying to get into a more comfortable position once you have started driving.  Many American cars automatically lock themselves shortly after you have started off.  You can unlock the doors if you with by using the toggle switch usually located on the drivers door.  I always do this just in case you have an accident.  This enables someone to get into the car to help you and your family.  The most important thing is to ensure you are happy with the vehicle before you start off.  If you have any questions at all, go back and ask the nice people at the car hire desk.  They are only too willing to help.

I find that driving in Florida is so much easier than in the UK, but there are some very important differences which you need to be aware of. Firstly, they do not generally have roundabouts.  If you are driving on one of the local roads (such as Orange Blossom Trail), and you need to turn left into say a store, then you move over to the middle lane, where there are arrows pointing left.  Wait opposite your entry point until the traffic coming towards you has cleared.  When all is clear, make your turn.   It may seem a bit strange at first seeing all the traffic coming toward you but once you get used to it, it is really easy.  Do not worry, just keep calm and everything will be ok.

Another important difference is that you can go through a red light if you are turning right and the road is clear.  Make sure there are no traffic signs to the contrary first and also ensure no members of the public are crossing the road.  If you are stopped at a red light and you are indicating to turn right, and you hear people blowing their horns behind you, you will know why, you are meant to go if all is clear !!!

The traffic in Florida also moves quite a lot slower than in the UK.  Many major two or three lane roads have 40 mph speed limits.  These speeds are rigorously enforced.  So keep to the speed limit and avoid a ticket.  Also, once again unlike the UK, some highways have a minimum speed limit of (say) 40 mph. So watch out for these signs.

Watch out for the bright yellow school buses during the school opening and closing times (early morning and early afternoon).  If one of these buses stops in front of you with its lights flashing, the all traffic must stop in both directions until the bus sets off again.  This is obviously for the safety of children and is a great idea.  Also watch out for schools, when there is generally a 20 mph speed limit during school opening and closing times.  Signs will tell you when the speed limit is in force.

If it does rain, then you must put on both your headlights and windscreen wipers.  Sometimes the rain can be so torrential that you can hardly see where you are going.  If this happens, just pull over safely and wait for the rain to stop.  It usually does not take that long, and then the sun comes out again.

Parking is not usually a problem as the USA is very car orientated and so you will find plenty of parking everywhere. At night try and park in a well lit area.  If you park in a very large car park like the Florida Mall, always make a note of where you have parked, look for a store nearby.  If not you can be walking around for a very long time trying to find your car.

If you park in a road, always park with the flow of traffic.  If you park against the flow of traffic then you will get a ticket (as I found out many years ago in Naples !!).

Never leave any valuables visible in the car as this is a temptation to thieves, just like in the UK.  Also remember that the temperatures get very hot and so things like food or drink left in a car may well go off.

If you are pulled over by a police officer for any reason, stay in your car and let the officer approach you. Keep your hands visible on the steering wheel and do not make any sudden movements. If you do get out of you car, he may well pull a gun on you as he may feel threatened.  Remember, in the USA, many people carry guns and the police officer does not know if you have one or not.  He does not know you are a UK citizen on holiday.  He is just protecting himself.

If you are unfortunate enough to have an accident, or are bumped from behind, particularly if you are in a deserted area, always drive to a well lit, public area (a gas station or shop car park) before you get out of the car. You will need to exchange details with the other driver, and note his registration number. It is imperative that you notify the rental company and also the police as soon as possible. If you do not report a vehicle accident to the police, you can be prosecuted. All drivers must carry their driving license and car rental documents at all times and produce them if requested by a police officer.

At a "Stop" sign, this does mean stop.  It does not mean crawl forward slowly and if nothing is coming, then go.  If you do this and are seen by a police officer, then you will receive a ticket.  So please STOP.

At a "4 way Stop" sign, all drivers must come to a stop.  You then task it in turn to move on, with the first driver to reach the sign going first, then the second etc.  Americans are very good at this and I have always found them polite and will wait their turn.

Drinking and driving in the USA is illegal.  Please do not do it.  It is even illegal to have drink in the car with you unless it is in the boot (trunk).  If you do need a drink, let someone else drive.  Do not take a chance.

We hope this article helps you to drive more safely while you are taking you vacation in an Orlando Disney villa.