What's needed for driving in the USA?

iPaddyM

What type of license is required to drive in the USA? It'll only be for a few days while there we want to hire a few cars for a road trip...

ta

jhegarty

A full Irish license will be fine.

iPaddyM

jhegarty wrote: »

A full Irish license will be fine.

I taught that myself, but was speaking to someone about it earlier and were saying about an international driving licence???

Stinicker

mushroom_mario wrote: »

I taught that myself, but was speaking to someone about it earlier and were saying about an international driving licence???

Generally only needed for non-English speaking countries, there is no such thing as an International Driving Licence, basically all you get from the AA is a document with your driving licence translated into the major languages.

Welease

mushroom_mario wrote: »

I taught that myself, but was speaking to someone about it earlier and were saying about an international driving licence???

Nope.. Full Irish is fine.. Have hired cars lots over there...

Just fyi though..
If you are on a UK licence (as I was originally) you need the paper part also..
and I have a feeling that hire companies in the US have age limits of 21 or so (I think its global with Hertz).. so you might want to check this out if you are young..

-Corkie-

I know beer baron has driven in the US before, there was a thread here last year about it. MLXVVXV was doing a road trip over there this year IIRC.

Alanstrainor

I was driving over there last month. All i needed was my driving license and a credit card.

Absurdum

You might have trouble convincing some cops that your licence is actually a licence and not a joke

Alanstrainor

Absurdum wrote: »

You might have trouble convincing some cops that your licence is actually a licence and not a joke

Don't get caught;)

-Corkie-

Absurdum wrote: »

You might have trouble convincing some cops that your licence is actually a licence and not a joke

I recall beer baron saying that the lady in car rental laughed when he produced his licence..:rolleyes:

iPaddyM

Thanks guys. I've a full Irish licence since I was 20 and I'm 32 now, so I'm all good to go it seems.

Thanks again

280special

You will be fine, was over there in March, hired a car, no problems with the Driv lic....never have had any to be honest, think that was my 4th in the States and my xxxxx th worldwide !! No laughter directed at it either , only my attempts to get used to an automatic !!

Stinicker

Absurdum wrote: »

You might have trouble convincing some cops that your licence is actually a licence and not a joke

Happened to me in Australia at Sydney Airport last year when renting, the lady at the rental desk took our two Irish licences out back to an office for her supervisor to take a look at them, but all was good. They are like something a counterfeiter who was taking the p1ss would produce, we really need credit card style licences.

biko

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I was driving over there last month. All i needed was my driving license and a credit card.

Same here. Also I had booked it on-line using my credit card before so once I showed up it was just a matter of them seeing the licence and handing me the keys.

Absurdum

I was stopped by a cop, "licence and registration please sir", handed it to him, looks at it, puts out his hand again "licence please sir" with his hand now resting on his pistol so I was getting a little nervous but managed to explain the situation, lots of "are you serious?" from him

I was also refused entry to several bars over the years because of our paper licences!

unkel

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I was driving over there last month. All i needed was my driving license and a credit card.

+1

Make sure you get appropriate insurance though. In Europe you are typically covered for 3rd party damage + damage to the rental car, once you pay the excess. In the US you are typically covered for 3rd party damage, but not for damage to the rental car!!! If you crash and write off your car, you will have to pay tens of thousands of dollars :eek:

The cover you need for the rental car is called CDW (collision damage waiver)

Alanstrainor

unkel wrote: »

+1

Make sure you get appropriate insurance though. In Europe you are typically covered for 3rd party damage + damage to the rental car, once you pay the excess. In the US you are typically covered for 3rd party damage, but not for damage to the rental car!!! If you crash and write off your car, you will have to pay tens of thousands of dollars :eek:

The cover you need for the rental car is called CDW (collision damage waiver)

Let's just say i'm glad i didn't crash that Charger!

tuborg_man

I was stopped by a cop in new york state who thought the little tractor on the category page was hilarious and let me away.

unkel

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Let's just say i'm glad i didn't crash that Charger!

:eek:

Couldda cost ya :eek: :pac:

TheUsual

What happened to the old International driving license ?

I had one years ago, bought it from the AA for 10 punts.
Are they gone now ?

sdanseo

I know a lad who was stopped on an Irish licence and the cop asked him "did you print this out yourself?"

Neilw

If you are there for over 3 months you would need to get a local state license.

Big Nasty

-Corkie- wrote: »

I know beer baron has driven in the US before, there was a thread here last year about it. MCMLXXV was doing a road trip over there this year IIRC.

Haven't done it yet!

Flying out tomorrow 4 weeks.;)

corktina

What you NEED is a rental Mustang

Big Nasty

corktina wrote: »

What you NEED is a rental Mustang

Funny - I was just watching this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB4vfZDYyO8

MetzgerMeister

Is it possible to rent all the current muscle cars in the US? i.e. Camaro, charger, mustang, corvette ZR1 etc.?

It's long been a dream of mine to do a road trip over there and I just might in the next few years

Big Nasty

einheisserschre wrote: »

Is it possible to rent all the current muscle cars in the US? i.e. Camaro, charger, mustang, corvette ZR1 etc.?

It's long been a dream of mine to do a road trip over there and I just might in the next few years

Yes, yes it is!

dar83

einheisserschre wrote: »

Is it possible to rent all the current muscle cars in the US? i.e. Camaro, charger, mustang, corvette ZR1 etc.?

It's long been a dream of mine to do a road trip over there and I just might in the next few years

It is indeed. I had a Charger when I was there a couple of years back. The only thing I would say, is that on the upper tier cars (the Corvette being one) you really would want to watch the Mileage limit they give in most places, and then the surcharge per mile for going over it.
I nearly rented the Corvette, just because, but the fact I was driving from Manhattan to Cleveland and back again meant it was going to be absolutely ridiculously expensive. I could have gotten to Cleveland within the 500 mile allowance, but coming back would have cost about $4 a mile or something. And that's not to mention using it day to day around Cleveland...

Jonnykitedude

Rented a Mustang and a Chrysler 300 on my provisional one year!

calvin_zola

Hi there, i was in the states with work for a few months recently and I was advised to get an international drivers licence before going there...

The AA is the issuing body

http://www.aaireland.ie/AA/Motoring-advice/Driving-in-Europe/International-driving-permit.aspx

Saying that I was never stopped over there or anything so I don't know it