Driving from LA to San Diego

shaky · Post by **shaky** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 1:15 pm

Here in blighty we have speed cameras and gentlemen in marked and unmarked cars waiting (or following) to hand out tickets. What is the system over there? have sent email David

allen pierce · Post by **allen pierce** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 5:21 pm

You can often exceed the speed limit (5mph or even 10mph over the freeway limit is often usually OK, maybe a little more), just don't be the fastest guy out there. Don't attract attention, let the real speeders do that for you!

shaky · Post by **shaky** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 8:25 pm

This may sound dumb but here goes. Over here we fill up with gas and then go and pay. is it the same in the US, apart from not taking out a mortgage each time?

allen pierce · Post by **allen pierce** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 10:58 pm

Not many of those operations left, but you might find one. Usually you pay first (we don't trust anyone), either at the pump with a swipe of your credit card (no other human envolvement, except yourself) or you pay in the office/kiosk/whatever (leave your credit card or give cash). And, if you use cash by either giving them (human to human interaction) the exact amount you want to pump ("give me $20 on pump #7") or giving them more cash, because you don't know how much the car will take ("here's $20 for pump #7, I'll be back for the change in a minute"). Keep those, "I'm travelling in a foreign (strange) land", questions coming... I'm a traveller, myself, and I enjoy these types of questions, both asking and answering. Oh, and besides perhaps driving longer distances in cars with lower miles per gallon usage, our gas is "still" cheap compared to yours. Maybe it all balances out. Enjoy.

manxdavid · Post by **manxdavid** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 6:57 am

I love the way you can buy beer in American gas stations...also the height markers on the exit doors so the attendant can tell the cops how tall the guy was who just mugged her!!! :rock:

shaky · Post by **shaky** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 6:13 pm

[QUOTE="allen pierce"]Not many of those operations left, but you might find one. Usually you pay first (we don't trust anyone), either at the pump with a swipe of your credit card (no other human envolvement, except yourself) or you pay in the office/kiosk/whatever (leave your credit card or give cash). And, if you use cash by either giving them (human to human interaction) the exact amount you want to pump ("give me $20 on pump #7") or giving them more cash, because you don't know how much the car will take ("here's $20 for pump #7, I'll be back for the change in a minute"). Enjoy.[/QUOTE] Great answer. Lonely Planet doesn't cover this important stuff, so you end up looking like a (insert suitable phrase)! At least I won't start trying to fill the car up and making a mess of things. thanks

shaky · Post by **shaky** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 10:22 pm

and another thing... here in the UK the govt add on something like 80% tax, so as fuel prices go up so does their income. :hello: there must be a reason to live here!