Driving in Florida is very easy, below is some basic information with tips and tricks and an idea of what to expect when you pick your car up.
In America they drive on the right.
Cars tend to be much bigger then European cars, in terms of physical size and engine capacity. Its quite normal to be given a family car with a 4 litre engine.
Cost of Petrol / Gas
Petrol or GAS as the Americans call it is much cheaper then in Europe, and is measured and priced in Gallons.
Jan 08 the approx price of a Gallon of GAS in Florida is around $2.90, to the locals this is historically very expensive. To Europeans this is very cheap.
Approx 4 Ltrs in a US Gallon, we pay £1 per litre. So we pay approx £4 per gallon, compared to £1.50 in Florida. (based on exchange rate of 1.95)
Will my Tom Tom (GPS) work in Florida?
GPS is a Global system developed by the Americans, so yes it will work OK in the US and Florida, of course you will need to buy the correct North America Map, in the UK these are around £30. This is really a good idea, if its your 1st time to Florida it may be quite hard to navigate on unfamiliar roads to your Villa or Hotel, especially if you arrive in the dark. If you don’t have a GPS device or don’t want the hassle of buying a new map or taking it away with you, then most car hire companies can rent you a GPS device at a daily rate. Check with your hire company on what they charge.
Top Tip – At the Gas Station
There a couple of difference on how you fill up and pay in Florida compared to many European countries especially if you are travelling from the UK.
Most Gas stations are on a pre pay basis either in the shop, or via card at the pump, so you need to decide how much gas you want to pay for before the pump starts dispensing. So if you pay for $20 you get exactly $20 in your tank.
The other difference which catches many out is the way the pumps work, once you have prepaid, insert the nozzle into the tank, and it still wont give any gas, until you lift the metal plate up from where you removed the hose.
Freeway = Motorway
Freeways are free normally local and interstate roads i.e. I4 or toll roads, i.e. BeeLine Express Way.
Your map or GPS will tell you which roads are Toll roads. The main road out of Orlando airport is a toll road, so make sure you have some cash, preferably coins or small notes before setting off.
Florida Junctions – Top Tip
There is one main difference when turning off at junctions in Florida, they appear on both sides of the road, so don’t always expect the junction you need to be on the right hand side.
Overtaking / Undertaking
This is also very different to Europe, as cars can over or under take, which means if you are a middle lane driver (bad person!) expect to be over taken on both sides, quite often at the same time!
Speeding !
OK so you come from the UK where the limit is 70 MPH and you normally drive on UK motorways at 80-85? If the police are in a bad mood and you get pulled, you get a fine and some points. It operated slightly different in the USA and Florida so beware!
Limits are in MPH, take notice of them and stick to them!
Even freeways quite often have a limit of 55 MPH, you get a small amount of tolerance with the speed but not very much. If you get caught over 60 MHP you will get a heavy find $200-$400 on the spot, if you were caught excessively speeding say 80MPH + you would be thrown in Jail, no questions no arguments, simple as that. If you get caught speeding excessively be prepared to have a police gun pointed at you and treated like a criminal, they take the view that if you are going that fast there must be a reason, they will assume the worst and take every precaution to protect themselves from a potentially armed and dangerous criminal on the run.
Remember the car you will be driving is much more powerful then you are probably used to driving at home, so its very easy for the speed to drift up without realising. Most rental cars have a cruise control use it! It could save you a heavy fine, or even a night in jail.
Some toll roads have higher limits, I have seen as high as 75 MPH on some toll roads, police patrol these so don’t push it much above the limit.
Roads are generally quieter than the UK so if you have 55 miles to travel on a freeway and the limit is 55 you will more or less do it in an hour, why rush you are on holiday.
I was once given the advice, don’t be a typical tourist, just drive at the same speed as the locals you ill be OK. Well that’s up to you to decide, I have seen many locals quite often many at once be pulled over by a speed traps.
Ripped off at the rental desk
This is one of my pet hates about the rental car companies in Florida, even the biggest companies still try and rip you off and milk you for as much extra money as they can when you turn up to collect your so “all inclusive” car hire.
Upgrades
They always try and get you to upgrade to the next size up, so they can charge you “Only an extra $12” which of course is per day so a 14 day car hire costs an extra $168 plus tax. They will often use the trick of saying it wont take al your cases, in our experience this is just another ploy. Lets face it you will only have all those cases in your car two times all trip, from the airport and to the airport, if you can only get 3 in the boot (trunk) then put the other on somebody’s lap for 20 minute drive? We have never had a problem getting cases in our car, remember there cars are bigger then ours. Possibly the only exception is a convertible as some of the boot space is taken up by the roof when folded down.
Insurance
This is a nightmare they quite often still catch me out with this one. I always buy an all inclusive hire now which specifically states it covers all insurances, extra drivers, full tank of gas, these vouchers are the best they cover everything.
Most cover you get from travel agents, does not cover extra insurance that the hire company recommends. Check with you agent before flying, exactly what your car hire covers, even get it in writing from them, the companies at the airport try every trick in the book to get extra money out of you.
Example
On a trip in 2006 we bought what we though was an all inclusive car hire voucher, but it actually only covered the car, one driver and the most basic car insurance. There was 4 people in our group so we ordered a compact car (Ford Focus or equivalent).
When I went to desk, they said that the car equates to a small compact which only has 2 doors and space for only 3 cases, and pushed me hard to upgrade to full size compact car. I stood my ground and said no to this upgrade, a very disgruntled sales desk assistant then carried on to tell me that my insurance was not sufficient and I had to buy more, they would not let me rent until I took out extra cover. So they got me for an extra $200 but not for the upgrade.
When I went to collect the car, I was told any cars from 3 rows to pick from, there were probably 60 cars to pick from, all of which were large 4 doors cars. I asked where the row for compact cars were to which I was told it’s the same rows!
So the best advice here is to get all this sorted before you leave the UK, make 100% sure everything is covered, we don’t like surprises when you arrive after a 9 hour flight, especially when that surprise is hundreds of dollars.