Rent a car in the US and cross the continent from east to west or from west to east, starting in New York or Los Angeles, following the route of Ilf and Petrov or choosing your own way - here it is a dream trip! In English, renting a car will be "rent a car". And where-where, and in America it is not difficult to find an office for rent. The choice of cars, prices, conditions - for every taste and budget.

The car can be ordered directly on the website of the distributor or from brokers offering options from different companies. The latter, as a rule, goes cheaper, and the choice is more. If the airport is indicated as the place to receive the car, keep in mind that you will not find the car at the airport itself - you first need to find a parking lot for shuttles that bring customers free of charge to the rental offices.

Documents, insurance

To rent a car in the States you will need a passport with a valid visa, a driver's license (enough of our "plastic") and a credit card (it's credit, but since debit cards issued in Russia do not indicate that they are debit cards, but you can about it to remain silent ...). When ordering via the Internet, you do not need to specify the card data, only your full name, e-mail, address and telephone number. The driver must be at least 25 years old (if so, have to pay a fee "young driver"). In some companies, rent is possible from the age of 18, and in some only from the age of 21.

The cost of car hire in the US usually includes: SLI + CDW insurance (but often the initial price calculation goes without insurance), unlimited mileage (Unlimited Mileage), which can sometimes be limited to several states, local taxes .Additional paid: extra |.insurance, the second driver (often if the second driver is a spouse, no surcharge for it is taken), rent of the navigator (if renting for more than a week the navigator will be cheaper to buy), rent EZ Pass (automatic payment card for toll roads, saves time at the entrance and departure), baby car seat .The

Cheat sheet for types of insurance: CDW / LDW (collision / loss damage waiver) - an analogue of our CASCO, insures against theft and damage, happens with a franchise and without, sometimes when renting a car on a card in the category of gold and above, such insurance is provided at the bank's expense; SLI (supplemental liability insurance) - an analogue of our OSAGO, liability to third parties; PAE / PPP (personal protect plan) - medical insurance for the driver and passengers, is not needed if you have already purchased personal honey. insurance before entering the States.

The lease term is usually considered to be from 12 am (12 am) until noon the next day, that is, if you take a car, say, at 9 am or return with a delay of more than 90 minutes, you will be paid one more day. When you receive a car from the card, prepayment plus 25-30% "in reserve" is debited - the final payment is made upon the delivery of the machine.

Fuel and refueling

Petrol in the US is Regular, Midgrade, Premium (87th, 89th and 92th respectively). Regular is suitable for most leased cars. The prices for refueling are indicated for 1 gallon, equal to about 3, 79 liters, in general in the territory of a separate state the prices do not vary much. Refueling machines accept credit cards, the sequence of actions is usually indicated on the scoreboard. At some gas stations you need to specify the postal code of the place where the card is issued, in this case you will not be able to refuel yourself on the Russian card - use the cashier's services.

The car is rented with a full tank - you must also return with a full one, so be puzzled by the search for the nearest gas station immediately, how to get the car. Alternatively, you can prepay the Fuel Service.

Traffic regulations

Moving on a car in the US, it is worth remembering that the traffic rules and the amount of fines, as well as the cost of gasoline and parking hours, differ from state to state .Nuances are numerous, but the basic norms of behavior on the road, of course, remain unchanged .Road signs differ from ours in that the characters are duplicated by inscriptions, and sometimes only by inscriptions and are limited to .The speed limit is indicated in miles and is accompanied by the inscription Speed ​​Limit .Other signs frequently encountered on the roads: Road closed - the road is closed; Do not pass - no passing; One way - one-way traffic; Wrong way - in this direction it is forbidden to move; No motor vehicles - traffic is prohibited; Road work ahead - ahead road works .The

It is forbidden to transport children under 6 years without a special restraint system .In 26 states and the District of Columbia, seat belts should be fastened to everyone who is in the auto .Dipped lights should be on at any time of the day .Talking on the phone while driving is prohibited, but not in all states .In the car it is forbidden to transport open bottles with alcoholic beverages .It is forbidden to overtake a school bus that is landing / disembarking children; Moreover, after seeing that the bus stopped at the curb and turned on flashing red signals, you should stop regardless of the direction of traffic .The

Penalties

If you are stopped by a policeman on the road, do not get out of the car and keep your hands on the steering wheel. The policeman will approach you, check the documents and / or voice a violation and write a fine. The written out penalty receipts are paid on the Internet or through the bank. A policeman does not have the right to charge "on the spot".

Some amounts of fines: exceeding speed - from $ 70 to $ 500; driving on the roadside - $ 450; on-site parking for the disabled - $ 250; non-use of seat belts - $ 50; driving in a drunken state - deprivation of rights, large fine and / or imprisonment; creation of a threat to the security of the road service employee - deprivation of rights.

Toll roads

Toll roads in the US are called toll road to pay for travel on them, you need to move from the main road to the side lane. Take in the rental office EZ Pass - it allows you to use paid roads without stopping for payment. The system considers these cards automatically and sends an invoice to the rental company, and they will already write off the funds from your bank card, even if you leave the country by that time. The fare varies from state to state. For more details about paid sites and prices, see here.

Parking in the cities of the United States

In the cities of America, you should park in specially designated areas. Stopping at the curb, pay attention to the color of the curb: white - stop only for boarding / disembarking passengers; green - parking is possible for a limited time (indicated on the sign or on the curb itself); yellow - stop only for boarding / disembarking passengers for a limited time; red - stop is prohibited; blue - stop is only allowed for the disabled.

The 9 most expensive for parking cities in America: New York with its Manhattan, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Seattle, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco. On average in the country (although it is very difficult to calculate such a value as average data for anything in all states), in centers of large cities it will cost about $ 4 for a couple of hours, and for the whole day about $ 10-12 . Outside the business centers, free parking is often found at shopping centers or restaurants.

Car Rental Firms in USA

Rental companies: Enterprise, Alamo, Thrifty, Budget, Avis, Hertz, Dollar, National Car.

Rental brokers: CarRentals, Economy Car Rentals, Priceline.

All prices are in US dollars for January 2013

The author - Gulshat Zakirova