Always be careful to never miss your exit. If you miss your exit, do not stop and never back up2 on the highway. Get off the highway at the next exit and look for signs showing you how to rejoin3 the road in the other direction.

  Freeways4 have emergency5 call boxes at regular distances from where you can report an emergency or a breakdown6. All freeways have right-most lane7 demarcated8 as the break-down lane. Stop your car in that lane. Never drive in that lane.

  In case your car breaks down on a freeway, if you have a mobile phone call 911. You can also open the bonnet9 of the car and wait for someone with cell phone to report your emergency. This is common and if you have a cell phone and see such a site, you too should call 911 and report it. You can also carry a large sign that says, “Call Police—Send help” in case of a breakdown.

  Alcohol can only be transported in the boot10 of the car, because it is illegal11 to carry it in the car cabin12. It goes without saying that you can not drink alcohol while driving. Traffic laws are set by states and regions, but in general the interstate13 speed limit around the country ranges from 55 to 65 miles per hour. The speed limit in cities is usually set between 25 and 30 miles per hour. Speeding is a serious offence resulting in14 high fines.

High-occupancy45 lanes

  A white diamond alerts46 you to a special lane restriction, like “high-occupancy vehicle” (HOV) only. These lanes are only for vehicles having more than one occupant47. Since, more than one occupant in a car is very rare in America, especially in peak hours, this lane has very less traffic. This is to encourage car pooling48.

Traffic Policing49

If stopped by a police officer for a traffic violation50, do not argue. Apologize for doing anything wrong. Mistakes happen. He may let you off for a genuine mistake, but not for a serious violation. You might still receive a traffic ticket if you're nice. To antagonize51 the officer is not a best thing to face. Do not attempt to bribe52 an officer, or you could be arrested53 for a crime.

 

綜合提示

  時(shí)刻注意不要在高速公路上錯(cuò)過了出口！但是如果你錯(cuò)過了，也不要停下來，更不要倒回去，只需在下個(gè)出口處離開，并尋找那些能告訴你如何從另一個(gè)方向再上高速公路的指示牌。

  在高速公路上，每隔一段距離都會(huì)有應(yīng)急電話，當(dāng)出現(xiàn)緊急情況或機(jī)械故障時(shí)，可及時(shí)報(bào)告。所有的高速公路都將最靠右的車道劃為停車道。車可停在那里，但不要在那條道上行駛。

  車拋錨了，如果有移動(dòng)電話，你可撥打911；你也可以打開車蓋，等有手機(jī)的人來打電話報(bào)告事故。這很常見，而且如果你有手機(jī)，看到這種情況時(shí)也應(yīng)打911報(bào)告。你也可以隨車攜帶寫有"打電話叫警察來幫忙"的大牌子，以防車子出問題。

  酒精類飲料只能裝在行李廂里，因?yàn)榉旁隈{駛室內(nèi)是違法的。毫無疑問，你不能一邊開車一邊喝酒。交通法規(guī)是由各個(gè)州和各個(gè)地區(qū)制定的，一般整個(gè)美國的州際高速公路上車速限制為每小時(shí)55-65英里，城市里的車速限制是每小時(shí)25-30英里。超速行駛是嚴(yán)重的違規(guī)行為，會(huì)被嚴(yán)重罰款。

  在國外開車時(shí)，你應(yīng)該隨身攜帶你的國內(nèi)駕駛執(zhí)照和國際駕駛許可證。

  如果你住的地方經(jīng)常下雪，務(wù)必在行駛時(shí)帶上雪鏟、手電（最好裝有警戒燈）、毛毯、備用手套等東西以應(yīng)急。寒冷的夜里，當(dāng)車在公路上拋錨或需要換車胎時(shí)，這些東西用得著。

  白天的時(shí)候，你至少得練習(xí)換胎一次，這樣，遇到此種情況時(shí)才會(huì)自信，從而輕而易舉地解決問題。

  如果你遇到車禍，不要驚慌，保持鎮(zhèn)定，最糟的時(shí)刻已經(jīng)過去了。準(zhǔn)備好你的駕照、個(gè)人保險(xiǎn)材料，并找到目擊者，然后打電話報(bào)警。在警察到來以前，不要離開現(xiàn)場。在車?yán)镫S時(shí)帶著你的保險(xiǎn)材料，包括投保號(hào)、投保公司的電話號(hào)碼等等。

  美國有一個(gè)非常管用的組織——三A公司，專門從事公路安全和旅程安排事宜，他們也提供很多其他服務(wù)。成為三A公司的會(huì)員是一個(gè)很好的選擇，尤其對那些喜歡外出的初來乍到者來說更是如此。

 

獨(dú)有交通規(guī)則

 

靠右

  美國交通遵循"靠右"原則，也就是說，應(yīng)在馬路右邊行駛。在單向行駛的多車道公路上，最右邊的車道往往是最慢的，而最左邊的車道通常是最快的。

手勢語

  雖然指示燈可用來顯示汽車行駛的方向，但了解一些常用的手勢語也很重要，而且在駕駛考試中經(jīng)常被問到。當(dāng)你想向右轉(zhuǎn)彎時(shí)，將左手伸出窗外并指向上方；向左轉(zhuǎn)時(shí)，伸出左臂指向左邊；如果想減速或停車，只需向下指就行了。

轉(zhuǎn)彎車道

  在一些雙向公路上，有一個(gè)中心區(qū)域被劃為左轉(zhuǎn)車道，以供來往車輛使用。但這條道只能用于左轉(zhuǎn)，不能在上面行駛。

校園巴士

  黃色校巴可從駕駛座一側(cè)伸出閃爍的紅燈和“停止”標(biāo)志牌。學(xué)校接送學(xué)生的車輛，如大篷車、面包車、家用轎車車頂都有可以閃爍的紅燈和“校巴”的牌子。這些校巴的司機(jī)在學(xué)生上下車的時(shí)候，都使用這些警告牌。無論你在路的哪邊，如果遇見那些閃爍著紅燈或伸出“停止”字樣的校巴，你都得停下。這是法律。你必須等燈熄了或標(biāo)志牌收回后，才能開車。

鳴喇叭

  鳴喇叭在美國沒有那么普遍。事實(shí)上，在美國，喇叭很少用；它一般用來警告行人或其他可能有麻煩的司機(jī)，或者為了避免車禍。千萬不要用它來發(fā)泄怒氣或你對其他司機(jī)的不滿或催促你前邊的司機(jī)加速。

讓車

  看到“讓車”標(biāo)志后，務(wù)必減慢車速并準(zhǔn)備停車，讓別的車輛、行人或自行車通過，然后再穿過十字路口或駛?cè)肓硪粭l馬路。如果交通情況需要，你必須完全停下來。在十字路口顯示綠燈左拐的時(shí)候，你必須給迎面駛來的有優(yōu)先行駛權(quán)的車輛讓路。你可以將車開到十字路口中央，等沒有迎面駛來的車輛時(shí)再左拐。如果對面有不停駛來的車流，那就等到紅燈再左拐，對面的車輛在綠燈再次亮起來之前有一段延緩的時(shí)間，你可以趁機(jī)左拐過去。

停車

  八邊形標(biāo)志意味著你必須在停車線處完全停止；如果沒有停車線，就在你駛?cè)肴诵械乐�前停車；如果沒有人行道，就在駛?cè)胧�字路口前停車，把道路右邊讓給行人和迎面駛來的車輛。如果是一個(gè)四向停車標(biāo)志，你就得停下來。四向停車標(biāo)志表示在十字路口上有四個(gè)停車標(biāo)志。各個(gè)方位的車都必須停止，先停的車輛先走。

供載客多的車輛行駛的車道

    車道上的白色菱形標(biāo)志表示這是供載客多的車輛行駛的車道，專供有一個(gè)以上乘客的車輛行駛的車道，因?yàn)樵诿绹�這種情況很少。特別是在交通高峰時(shí)刻，這條車道的車非常少。這也是鼓勵(lì)合伙乘車的一種方法。

交警執(zhí)法

  如果你因違章而被交警攔住，此刻你要做的應(yīng)該是道歉而不是爭辯。錯(cuò)已釀成，如果是輕微違章，他可能會(huì)放你一馬；但如果是嚴(yán)重違章，那就另當(dāng)別論了。就算你的認(rèn)錯(cuò)態(tài)度好，也還會(huì)收到一張罰款通知單。同警察對抗可不是一件好事；千萬不要賄賂警察，這是犯罪，你可能會(huì)被捕。

  You should always carry with you your local license along with IDP15 when driving in a foreign country.

  If you live in region where it snows, do keep the snow shovels16 to be kept in cars, along with a torch17 (preferably18 with a blinker19 built in), a blanket, spare20 gloves, etc. These come handy if the car breaks down during cold nights on highways or if one needs to change the flat tire21.

  You should, at least once, change the tire of your car during day time as a practice drill. This will help you in gaining some confidence and you don't find it difficult when you actually are stuck in such a situation.

  If you have met with an accident, don't panic. Relax. The worst is over. Take the license, insurance22 details of persons involved, and witnesses23. Call the police and don't leave that spot till a cop24 arrives. Keep your insurance details (your insurance number and phone of the company you are insured25 with) in the car.

  AAA (called triple26-A) is a very active organization for the road safety and trip planning. They provide lots of other facilities27 too. Being a member of AAA is a good option especially for new comers who are very comfortable getting around28.

 

Typical Traffic Rules

Keep Right

  The traffic follows the “keep right rule”. While driving, drive on the right side of the road. On one way, multiple29 lanes road, the right-most lane would be slowest and left-most lane is fastest.

Hand Signals30

  Though indicators31 are used for the purpose of showing which direction we are going, knowing the relevant32 hand signals is very important and are usually always asked in a driving test. When we want to turn right, we can put our left hand out of the window and point upward. When we want to make a left turn, we can stick our left arm out of the window and point to the left. If we want to slow down or stop, we can just point downward.

The Turning Lanes

  On some two-way roads, a center lane may be marked as a common left-turn lane to be used by vehicles33 in both directions. You may only use this type of lane for turning left. You may not travel in a center turning lane.

School Buses

  Yellow school buses have flashing red lights and stop signs that fold out from the driver's side. School pupil transport vehicles, like vans34, station wagons35, or family sedans36, have flashing red lights and SCHOOL BUS signs on top. Drivers of either kind of school vehicle use these warning signals when letting pupils on and off. No matter which side of the road you are traveling on, if you come upon37 a school bus or a school pupil transport vehicle with its lights flashing and a stop sign extended38, you must stop. It's the law. Remain stopped until the lights stop flashing or the stop sign folds back.

Using the Horn39

  Using horns is not common in America. Actually they are very rarely used. You may use your horn to warn pedestrians40 or other drivers of possible trouble or to avoid accidents. Do not use your horn to express anger or complain about other drivers' mistakes or to try to get a slow driver to move faster.

Yielding41

  When you see a YIELD sign, slow down and be prepared to stop. Let traffic, pedestrians, or bicycles pass before you enter the intersection42 or join another roadway. You must come to a complete stop if traffic conditions require it. When taking left turn on a green light in a four way intersection, you must first yield the right-of-way to any oncoming vehicle. You can roll ahead to the middle of the intersection, wait till there is no oncoming traffic and turn left. If there is a continuous stream of oncoming traffic, wait till it is a red light for the oncoming traffic. There is a delay till the green goes up for the other side and you can make your left in the mean time.

Stop

  An eight-sided (octagon43) sign tells you to always make a full stop. You must make a complete stop at the stop line44. If there is no stop line, stop before entering the crosswalk. If there is no crosswalk, stop before entering the intersection. Yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and closely approaching traffic. If it is a 4-way STOP sign, wait your turn. 4-WAY STOP sign means there are four STOP signs at the intersection. Traffic from all directions must stop. The first driver to stop is the first driver to go.