Driving abroad
Driving in the United States means driving on the right, with a drink drive limit of 0.08 percent in most states, lower in utah and motorway speeds of 65 to 80 mph depending on the state. Everything below is the practical version, the things that actually cost visitors money or time.
Four way stops go in arrival order, and turning right on red is legal unless a sign forbids it. School buses with flashing lights stop everyone.
Once the paperwork is sorted, this is what you came for. Beartooth Highway, Utah Scenic Byway 12, Going to the Sun Road are among the highest scoring roads we hold in the United States, and all of them are open to any road legal car.
Motorway limit
65 to 80 mph depending on the state
Outside towns
55 to 70 mph
Built up areas
25 to 35 mph
Drink drive limit
0.08 percent in most states, lower in Utah
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. A planning summary, not legal advice. Check the national road authority before you travel. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 8 May 2026
The detail
Common in the east and on many bridges. Most hire cars carry a transponder billed back to you.
Chain controls apply in the Sierra Nevada, the Rockies and the Cascades.
None for visitors.
A foreign licence in English is normally accepted. An international permit helps in a traffic stop.
Nothing mandatory
911
Now the good part
Montana and Wyoming
Swaths of switchbacks climb to 3337 metres past alpine lakes and snowfields.
Utah
Slickrock, the Hogback ridge with drops both sides, and red canyon after red canyon.
Montana
A cliff shelf road through Glacier National Park under hanging valleys.
California
The Pacific coast at its most theatrical, cliff curves above the open ocean.
Colorado
A mining road cut into the San Juan cliffs with sheer drops and no barrier.
Tennessee and North Carolina
318 curves in 11 miles, the most famous stretch of asphalt in America.
Common questions
Motorways 65 to 80 mph depending on the state, main roads outside towns 55 to 70 mph, and built up areas 25 to 35 mph. Lower limits are posted and always take priority.
Common in the east and on many bridges. Most hire cars carry a transponder billed back to you.
0.08 percent in most states, lower in Utah. Roadside testing is routine and the safest approach on a driving tour is nothing at all before you drive.
Chain controls apply in the Sierra Nevada, the Rockies and the Cascades.
Nothing mandatory. Emergency number is 911.
A foreign licence in English is normally accepted. An international permit helps in a traffic stop.