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Coping with America

Or: The trivial things you should know about America.

Hiring and Driving a Car

One of the best ways to get around the USA is by car. You can borrow, hire, lease or buy a car (remember that cars and petrol are much cheaper than in Austria).

Hiring a car

If you want to rent a car, it should be no problem to find a car rental desk, but maybe it's a good idea to reserve a car to get the type of car you want. Note that some car rental companies will not accept cash, so you need a credit card.

Very often you can get a "one way rental", this means you hire the car in one place and leave it in another. On the one hand this is very convenient, on the other hand it's much more expensive.

However, there's one possibility to get a car free of charge, but you must leave and arrive at specified days. Normally companies use this method to transfer cars between two locations.

American roads and driving rules

American roads are much wider and straighter than most European roads, but especially in the north you can find amazing pot-holes.

Like in Austria in America you drive on the right side. But in comparison to Europe there are some differences concerning the driving rules:

In some states there's a general top speed limit of 55 mph (= 88.5km/h).
The traffic lights go green – amber – red – green. In other words: There is no red-amber phase before green.
In general it's also possible to turn right at a red light if you stop first and give way. But sometimes there is a sign which indicates that it is forbidden to turn right at red (e.g. at busy intersections).
On motorways and streets with more than one lane in each direction it is allowed to overtake on the right side.
Although slower traffic is supposed to stay on the right, many drivers get into one lane and stay there for a long time.
If a police car wants to stop you, it will not overtake you; instead it will drive behind you flashing his overhead lights.
There are more parking restrictions in the USA, e.g. you often have to pay, it is not allowed to park in front of a fire hydrant, you must park in direction of traffic flow etc.

On American roads there are fewer road markings than in Europe and on motorways you will not find emergency telephones.

TV and Radio

The American TV system

American TV is quite terrible. From time to time you will find good programs but the main function is to make money.

There's no national TV, but there are three main networks: ABC, CBS and NBC with hundreds of affiliated stations. Each of these local stations sends a mix between a local and the national program.

In addition to the networks there is the Public Broadcasting System PBS, which isn't commercially based and receives money from government, the public, foundations and business.

Nearly the whole program is based on 30-minute units. This simplifies the co-ordination between the different stations.

The TV-Programme is often interrupted by advertisement, up to four or five times during a ½ hour-program. Politicians don't get free advertisement-time, but they can buy as much time as they can pay.