Driving in the United States

The U.S. boasts many of the world’s greatest tourist destinations. While it is relatively easy to use public transportation if you are visiting a highly centralized city such as New York, Chicago, Boston, or San Francisco, the sprawling Southwest and much of the Midwest is an entirely different manner.
If you are visiting Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona as well as the great plains states of the central and midwestern U.S., you may find that the most practical option is to rent a car rather than attempting to use buses and rail. If you chose to drive, however, be prepared for speed. While American drivers are law abiding compared to drivers in many parts of the world, they do like to go fast. Some purchase radar detectors in order to avoid speeding tickets issued by local police.
For foreign citizens heading to the U.S., of course it will be necessary to obtain an IDP (International Driving Permit). If you are pulled over by any of the various legal authorities patrolling U.S. highways — usually local city-based police departments, countywide sheriffs, or statewide highway patrols — you will be asked to produce both your driving license from your home nation and your IDP.
Of course, you should treat local law enforcement officials with great deference. Also be aware that the vast majority of United States policeman are extremely honest. Though bribery may be commonplace in your home country, it is not that way in America. In fact, bribery is a serious crime which deeply offends the large majority of U.S. police, so if you are driving too quickly and are caught, simply accept your citation and move on. Whatever it is, it will probably be a far less serious a charge than trying to bribe an American police officer.
Of course, you can do as many Americans do and attempt to avoid authorities by purchasing radar detectors but there are also some legal issues there, so be careful. Actually, that’s really the best advice. Simply drive carefully and pay attention to all road signs. If you do that, odds are American law-enforcement will leave you alone. If you accidentally break a road rule and are pulled over, you might find that U.S. policeman can be reasonably understanding with foreign tourists.