Driving in California

GreenHell

Hi guys,
Movin to san jose on a work visa for the summer, wondering what the story is with driving? Any other words to the wise about california also welcome.

jhegarty

GreenHell wrote:

Hi guys,
Movin to san jose on a work visa for the summer, wondering what the story is with driving? Any other words to the wise about california also welcome.

there was a thread about driving in states about two weeks ago... try doing a search....

I think it's unhelpfull to be telling a mod who is aware of the search facility and just wants some new advice to go and do a search.

Driving in California is grand,if you dont mind being on the other side of the road.

Definitely get a GPS system that talks to you, they are very good.Last time we were there it was if we knew the place.For a few hundred bucks, it would be invaluable to you I think.

Traffic isnt as bad as people let on either as theres a left lane on all highways strictly restricted to cars with 2 or more people, so you can go fast on those and avoid the gridlock untill you get into town.

As for southern California-brilliant place, wall to wall sunshine a lot of the time, fine beaches and friendly people in my experience.

Novo

Are you going to be driving for the whole summer(for work) or just renting a car at the end. If you are driving for the whole summer you might have to sit the driving test over there. Apply at the local DMV. If renting you just need your full licence.

Watch out when renting as well, you might think you are geting a good deal and then when you turn up they will tell you that actually the price they gave you does not include insurance and you have to pay the same amount again for insurance.

Also the nice thing about having a foreign licence over there is you dont have to pay any tickets you get!

Novo

Novo wrote:

Also the nice thing about having a foreign licence over there is you dont have to pay any tickets you get!

Well actually you do because, if you dont pay them, they will go to court and a summons will be issued for the unpaid fine and this will cause problems the next time you want to enter the states due to that all knowing computer the INS guy will have at the airport.

Tom Dunne

I think you will find drivers are generally courteous. Don't be intimidated by the six lane highways, look for the overhead signs that tell you exactly what lane you should be in and you will be fine.

If you haven't driven on the wrong side of the road before, America is the best place to learn due to a combination of the automatic gears and the great road system.

Stop signs mean stop, no excuses - you will find they have this crazy notion of actually enforcing the law and cops are plentiful.

San Jose is nice and not too far from San Francisco. If you have time, do a drive down the coast to LA and on to San Diego.

mad m

Just a thing also I noticed while being in California,its when you come to a Red light and if you are turning right at the red light you can actually turn to the right if its safe to do so.I thought at first when I seen this that people were breaking a red light, but its the norm over there.

Our man in Havana

Earthman wrote:

Well actually you do because, if you dont pay them, they will go to court and a summons will be issued for the unpaid fine and this will cause problems the next time you want to enter the states due to that all knowing computer the INS guy will have at the airport.

I can confirm that you will be denied entry in the future if you do not pay your tickets. I know of one smartass that fell foul of this. Most rental places take your passport and I94 details as well as your driving licence details when renting. For parking tickets the rental place will simply charge your credit card but for moving violations you better pay up before you leave.

mad m wrote:

Just a thing also I noticed while being in California,its when you come to a Red light and if you are turning right at the red light you can actually turn to the right if its safe to do so.I thought at first when I seen this that people were breaking a red light, but its the norm over there.

There are loads of places where this is illegal, mostly in San Francisco. There will be a sign saying "NO TURN ON RED" in these places. Beware.

GreenHell

Thanks guys, we're planning on getting a cheap car for a few months so we can go day tripping whenever. Have full license just wondering about insurance and license stuff.

Our man in Havana

You will find it very difficult to get insurance or a driving licence due to your visa status, we have the patriot act to thank for that.

Hire cars as you need them, that way you can use your Irish DL.

Ruu_Old

Unfortunately petrol prices will probably be at an all time high by the time you are around in the summer Best of luck and have fun though.

GreenHell

Ah well, rent as we need so. Thanks.

Novo

I can confirm that you will be denied entry in the future if you do not pay your tickets. I know of one smartass that fell foul of this. Most rental places take your passport and I94 details as well as your driving licence details when renting. For parking tickets the rental place will simply charge your credit card but for moving violations you better pay up before you leave.

Are you sure? Where did you get this information? I got a ticket while over there (breaking a red light) and have been back since. It was about 7 months after I got the ticket that I was allowed back in. Surely that is enough time for it to flag up if they actually do anything about it. The highway patrol guy said that if I dont get the ticket in the post that I shouldnt worry about it. He took my Irish address and all. Still waiting for that ticket 9 months later after it happened....

Absolut

Bond-007 wrote:

You will find it very difficult to get insurance or a driving licence due to your visa status, we have the patriot act to thank for that.

The patriot act does make things a little more compliated when it comes to opening bank accounts, getting drivers licences, etc, but it doesn't make it impossible.

In most states, to get a drivers licence while on a J1, you just need two forms of proof of address (Usually bank statements and utility bills, pay cheques, addressed to your US address), your passport, I-94, DS2019 and as much other ID/proof of address as you can supply. Any licence that's issued will only be valid for the duration of your DS2019 - so it'll expire sometime in September. It's handy to have though, especially if you're over 21, since you won't have to use your passport as ID.

The car rental thing is a bigger problem - most states (bar New York, possibly California and one or two others) legally require you to be over 25 to rent a car - so you'll find it pretty hard to rent unless you're over 25. California is (I think) over 21, but there's a pretty hefty surcharge if you're under 25. New York is 18, but again, there's a pretty big surcharge. If you're going over with a few others, one of the easiest options would be to buy a cheap used car, get your licences and some decent insurance. It's the better option, but still not very cheap. Especially considering gas prices, as Ruu mentioned.