Travel Stack Exchange
Travel Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [driving]

Transportation of travellers by private or privately-hired road vehicle. Where the driver is not travelling (but rather working, eg not ‘self-drive’) consider the [taxis] tag instead. Is not applicable to questions about routine commuting or other journeys of a regular nature nor questions better suited to a general motoring site. Also, if you have a question about traffic laws, please consider posting it on Law Stack Exchange.

Operating a road vehicle, such as a car, camper van, mobile home or recreational vehicle (RV), yourself as a mode of transport on your trip.

See also:

If you have a question about traffic laws, please consider posting it on our sister site Law Stack Exchange.

781 questions
204
votes
8 answers

Why prohibit engine braking?

When I learned driving in The Netherlands (in a car with a manual gearbox), I learned that on a down slope¹, I should switch to low gear and use the engine to brake, thus reducing the wear on the brakes. In Dutch, this is called op de motor remmen,…
gerrit
  • 60,843
  • 21
  • 181
  • 360
78
votes
8 answers

Which safety features of the German Autobahn make it possible to have no speed limits as opposed to every other country?

Each time I cross the border from Czech Republic into Germany I note how the two highways are extremely similar - the asphalt looks the same, roadside barriers are present on both sides, the road width is matching, etc. However in Czech Republic…
JonathanReez
  • 82,178
  • 90
  • 394
  • 764
67
votes
7 answers

Caught speeding 111 Mph (179 km/h) in California. How can I settle the case with the court?

I was driving to Los Angeles from the Bay area, and was on a wonderful, straight road with no cars in sight. For whatever reason (doesn't matter) I was briefly speeding around 111mph (179 km/h), and was pulled over by an officer. This isn't on an…
code ninja
  • 765
  • 1
  • 5
  • 10
67
votes
11 answers

Texas, USA speed ticket as a European citizen, already left the country

I had an interesting experience in the US while speeding. I'll put the full scenario in quotes, as I'm not sure if the whole story really adds to the question. We are unsure of what to do with the ticket. The officer didn't explain anything (he was…
Summer
  • 3,597
  • 4
  • 23
  • 39
62
votes
11 answers

Are international driving licences really necessary for any country?

When I first started travelling internationally about 20 years ago I was young and naive and bought an international driver's license for my trip to the United States. Then I discovered that it was not at all needed. All that was needed was a…
hippietrail
  • 80,147
  • 56
  • 281
  • 643
57
votes
7 answers

What are the legal consequences for a tourist who runs out of gas on the Autobahn?

There are many international travelers and tourists that enjoy driving cars on Germany's Autobahn every day, some of them would be unaware that running out of gas on the autobahn is illegal. Although I have visited Germany twice and always traveled…
Ali Awan
  • 11,856
  • 16
  • 62
  • 104
57
votes
8 answers

Traffic light fails to give a green to one's movement even after several cycles -- what can a driver do?

In some cases, when a traffic light has an inductive loop sensor, it is possible to approach a traffic light prepared to make a movement (through or turning), only to find yourself sitting at a red signal for your movement for several traffic light…
UnrecognizedFallingObject
  • 2,914
  • 2
  • 20
  • 33
54
votes
10 answers

When the road is blocked by animals, what's the proper way to proceed?

When the road is blocked by animals, what's the proper way to proceed? Should I wait, honk, drive/walk near the animals to try to convince them to move away from the road, or is there some more efficient/safe way to do so? I am in Chile and in this…
Franck Dernoncourt
  • 60,186
  • 35
  • 215
  • 416
50
votes
3 answers

Why are California freeway exits painted with disconnected shoulder lines?

On freeway exits on a recent road trip to California, I noticed the following paint markings: The paint marking for the exit seems to disconnect in two locations from the main shoulder paint line, as if the exit was painted after the road. However,…
Stephen S
  • 472
  • 4
  • 10
47
votes
7 answers

Why don't American traffic signs use pictograms as much as other countries?

Driving across the United States, I noticed that many signs contain words and actions to do or not to do, rather than pictograms. In many (maybe most) countries, in Europe and also in the neighbor Canada, I remember that most traffic signs use…
Vince
  • 21,035
  • 11
  • 90
  • 146
47
votes
9 answers

Longest uninhabited road segments

I am wondering about the road(s) where the traveller must travel the furthest to meet some (sort of) civilization, e.g. a place where they could get some food or help or some fuel, electricity, etc. My googling (mostly) failed - and I only found a…
clt60
  • 597
  • 1
  • 5
  • 16
45
votes
2 answers

Is it dangerous to go to Île de Noirmoutier using the pass?

I heard that there are two possibilities to get to the island of Noirmoutier. You can either use a bridge, or you can use a pass through the water, which is only drivable if the tide is low. Is this dangerous to cross? And what if I'm stuck halfway?…
AutoDemolisher
  • 1,753
  • 2
  • 15
  • 23
44
votes
8 answers

What regulations should a European driver know when driving in the US?

There are the obvious ones. The US has the keep-your-lane system, where as in Europe you are expected to keep to the right (left for UK) as long as possible. On my latest travel to the US, I was confronted with the possibility to go through a red…
user141
44
votes
6 answers

What is the longest stretch of the Autobahn that is guaranteed to have no speed limits?

I would like to rent a nice sports car this summer and go for a drive on the Autobahn. What is the longest stretch of the German highways that is guaranteed (short of a natural disaster) to have no speed limits? If there's more than one such long…
JonathanReez
  • 82,178
  • 90
  • 394
  • 764
44
votes
6 answers

Are drivers from mainland Europe likely to end up in an accident when driving in the UK?

I have a European license and would like to rent a car in the UK for a trip to the countryside. The only thing that worries me is driving on the left — it seems that one would need quite a bit of effort to reeducate and there's a much higher risk of…
JonathanReez
  • 82,178
  • 90
  • 394
  • 764
1
2 3
…
51 52