These vary from state to state, so it is best to check with the local branch of the American Automobile Association (known as 'Triple A') if you want to be sure of speed limits, seat belt rules and so on in the state that you are driving in. If you are staying for any length of time in the States and are planning on driving a lot it would be worth joining the AAA, which provides breakdown service, and also maps and travel information. Basic membership costs around $60 a year for breakdown service, tire change and three miles towing, or more for AAA Plus, which allows you a 100-mile tow if necessary. Membership also includes hotel and restaurant discount cards, a $5000 bail bond should you be arrested, and a $1000 arrest bond (which will save you from being arrested except in cases of drunk driving, driving without a license, or failing to appear in court on a previous charge). There are two other motoring organizations, the Amoco Club and the Mobil Auto Club.

The basic rules of the road throughout the USA are: drive on the right, never drink and drive or have an open container of alcohol in the car, never overtake on corners or on the brow of a hill, never pass a school bus that has stopped to unload children, always give way to pedestrians.

Speed limits in congested city areas are usually 20-25 mph, and on highways 55-65 mph. Highway police have all the usual tricks for detecting speeds over the limit, from radar to automatic cameras that are triggered when your car passes the limit. Speed limits are often rigorously enforced, and tickets can be very expensive.

In most states you are allowed to filter right at red traffic lights if traffic permits.

Parking rules are enforced with varying strictness in different states. Never park in front of a fire hydrant or on a bus stop; look out for signs warning of street cleaning, i.e., between 2am and 7am, and move your car the night before; learn what different colored curbs mean: generally, red is no parking at any time, yellow denotes a limited truck loading zone, green a limited waiting period, blue is for handicapped drivers, and white means set down only. These colors will vary from state to state. In some states there will be designated snow streets, which have to be left free for snowplows in winter. Parking on highways in rural areas is generally forbidden, and camping, apart from designated areas, is often prohibited. Parking in cities and towns is often controlled by private companies as well as the city police, who will tow away or clamp illegally parked cars. To get your car back you will have to pay a fine, and show proof of ownership, ID, insurance, registration and license.

Private and municipal parking lots charge from $10-$25 a day; you will also find private outdoor parking lots, where you pay by stuffing notes into a slot corresponding to your parking space. In some cities, such as New York, garage space is extremely expensive - around $300 per month in Manhattan. As it is essential to keep the car under cover to avoid losing it, most New Yorkers forgo the luxury of owning a car.

Driving while under the influence of alcohol is taken very seriously in the USA. In some states (such as Utah) you are not allowed to carry alcohol anywhere in the car, and in other states it must be carried, unopened, in the trunk (the boot).