Renting a car in Los Angeles. Questions.

[Messerschmitt Man]

Next month I'm doing just that through Thrifty. I live in New Zealand so driving is definitely different between the countries.

Last year I drove around Oahu (Hawaii) including through Honolulu during evening traffic & that was fine so I'm pretty confident driving on American roads. I had a GPS then & will have one again in LA so that significantly reduces the workload & stress.

Since it's been a while I'm a little rusty on the American road rules & I'd rather ask now instead of at the rental branch as I will be holding people up in the queue & I'd be eager to get the car & drive away.

1- If you approach a controlled intersection & are turning right you can turn right on the red light so long as there is no straight through traffic coming from my left, is this correct?

2- If I came across a yield sign at an intersection I must give way to all traffic until the road is clear to turn? (so for example turning left at a yield I would give way to all straight through traffic & traffic turning left into the road I'm exiting). Is that correct?

3- Are there many roundabouts in LA? Is that something I need to worry about & if so what rules apply there?

4- Are there many un controlled intersections in LA? (as in no yield or stop signs?) If there are what rules apply there?

We plan on driving to Hollywood & Santa Monica what can I expect in terms of parking? Is road parking difficult in these areas? Is it better to park in a parking building?

Do you guys think this car insurance is worthwhile? "Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Protection" provides coverage for injuries and damages caused by an owner or driver of an uninsured or underinsured third party vehicle. I interpret this as if I did no wrong & another driver hit me & was not insured this insurance would pay for my medical &/or damage to my rental car? The reason I'm questioning this insurance option is I thought it was illegal in the U.S for a driver to not have at least 3rd party insurance?

Thanks for the help in advance!

[Bok269]

1. The law varies from municipality to municipality

2. Yes.

3. Not sure. I don't believe so.

4. Not sure.

Check with your credit card company-insurance may already be included.

[Tanner_J]

Next month I'm doing just that through Thrifty. I live in New Zealand so driving is definitely different between the countries.

Last year I drove around Oahu (Hawaii) including through Honolulu during evening traffic & that was fine so I'm pretty confident driving on American roads. I had a GPS then & will have one again in LA so that significantly reduces the workload & stress.

Since it's been a while I'm a little rusty on the American road rules & I'd rather ask now instead of at the rental branch as I will be holding people up in the queue & I'd be eager to get the car & drive away.

1- If you approach a controlled intersection & are turning right you can turn right on the red light so long as there is no straight through traffic coming from my left, is this correct?

Unless there is a sign at the light saying "No Turn On Red" you may do so, but only after treating that stop light as a stop sign. Not many people do this, but you must come to a complete stop before making the turn, it cannot be continuous.

2- If I came across a yield sign at an intersection I must give way to all traffic until the road is clear to turn? (so for example turning left at a yield I would give way to all straight through traffic & traffic turning left into the road I'm exiting). Is that correct?

Generally, you won't find a yield sign at the point you can turn left (I've never ever seen one). It should be a stop sign. Yield signs are generally used for merging with the flow of traffic. If you have a stop sign, and the other directions don't, you do need to wait until traffic is clear. If you pull up to a stop sign at the same time as someone else, the person to the right of you has right of way. Also if you're coming along and you want to turn left and there is another car turning right from the opposite direction onto the same street. They have right of way. Cars turning right always have right of way, unless there is a stop light.

3- Are there many roundabouts in LA? Is that something I need to worry about & if so what rules apply there?

If there are roundabouts, the vehicles already established in the roundabout have right of way. They will only be one direction so they are fairly simple. Be smart and use your turn signals. I also doubt there are many in the LA area.

4- Are there many un controlled intersections in LA? (as in no yield or stop signs?) If there are what rules apply there?

All intersections will have some kind of device, mainly stop signs because once again, yield signs are only used for merging traffic such as on ramps to major highways. Stops signs generally have small signs on them that say how many signs there are at that intersectiong. They will be 2-way, 3-way, 4-way. If you're at a 4 direction intersection and it says 4-way, every direction has a stop sign. If you have a sign in front of you at a 4 direction intersection and the sign shows 2-way, that means only the road you are on has stop signs. Your cross traffic will not, so you must wait for that to clear. Whoever gets there first, goes first. If you arrive at the same time, the person to the right should generally go first. However, it is not always feasible for that to work, so use hand signals like waving someone on and let them go first. If you're waved on by someone, make sure it's clear and go. Nothing pisses people off more than waving someone on and them sitting there like an idiot.

We plan on driving to Hollywood & Santa Monica what can I expect in terms of parking? Is road parking difficult in these areas? Is it better to park in a parking building?

Not sure.

Do you guys think this car insurance is worthwhile? "Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Protection" provides coverage for injuries and damages caused by an owner or driver of an uninsured or underinsured third party vehicle. I interpret this as if I did no wrong & another driver hit me & was not insured this insurance would pay for my medical &/or damage to my rental car? The reason I'm questioning this insurance option is I thought it was illegal in the U.S for a driver to not have at least 3rd party insurance?

GET THE INSURANCE

Thanks for the help in advance!

Also here's a tip. Be patient, we get pissed off in America easily.

Here's another important tip. If you are on a busy multiple lane road (i.e. four lanes) and you are turning left and a car travelling in the opposite direction is trying to turn left across your lanes. If they wave you on because they are looking in their rear view for you and they wave you on, make sure it is clear for yourself. I have seen this happen where the car trusts the person and then gets t-boned. They might tell you to go, but they're not responsible for the action. I run into this situation nearly everyday here and it drives me nuts.

[Dmmoore]

1- If you approach a controlled intersection & are turning right you can turn right on the red light so long as there is no straight through traffic coming from my left, is this correct?

Correct. Unless posted otherwise a right turn on red is legal after coming to a full stop anywhere in California.

2- If I came across a yield sign at an intersection I must give way to all traffic until the road is clear to turn? (so for example turning left at a yield I would give way to all straight through traffic & traffic turning left into the road I'm exiting). Is that correct?

Correct.

3- Are there many roundabouts in LA? Is that something I need to worry about & if so what rules apply there?

In 40+ years driving the streets of L.A. I've never seen a roundabout.

4- Are there many un controlled intersections in LA? (as in no yield or stop signs?) If there are what rules apply there?

There are uncontrolled intersections in some residential areas. The vehicle on the right has the right of way.

We plan on driving to Hollywood & Santa Monica what can I expect in terms of parking? Is road parking difficult in these areas? Is it better to park in a parking building?

Street parking is not always available. Parking lots and garages are options.

Do you guys think this car insurance is worthwhile? "Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Protection" provides coverage for injuries and damages caused by an owner or driver of an uninsured or underinsured third party vehicle. I interpret this as if I did no wrong & another driver hit me & was not insured this insurance would pay for my medical &/or damage to my rental car? The reason I'm questioning this insurance option is I thought it was illegal in the U.S for a driver to not have at least 3rd party insurance?

Thanks for the help in advance!

Check with your credit card company. Many cover you when you use their card to rent the vehicle. (AMEX for one).

It is against the law to operate a vehicle without liability (3rd party) insurance but not everyone complies with the law.

[Messerschmitt Man]

Thankyou, you guys are fantastic!

I don't have time tonight but tomorrow I will go through these answers carefully.

[Messerschmitt Man]

Awesome, that sounds pretty straight forward. Again thanks for the replies especially you Tanner_J, very informative post there.

[a78jumper]

Re the insurance, I have a Gold card that covers it, but if you read the fine print only for vehicles rented in Canada and the USA, and does not include some classes of vehicles, eg pickup trucks. Check the card policy

If you are not covered, you may be able to buy a policy from your regular insurer for a lot less money than paying a daily rate from the car rental agency. Basically your insurer knows you are a good risk(hopefully) and you are chraged accordingly. Every one that steps up to a rental counter is covered if they pay, and the rates are refelctive of the increased risk.