I want to go back to driving and a very hot topic in the US, the Police. I cannot say it louder, know the traffic laws!!!! Let us talk about what will happen if you get stopped while driving by the police. First if you see emergency vehicles with their lights and siren on you are required to yield to them. This can be difficult at times in heavy traffic. Learn the laws of yielding to emergency vehicles here in the US, you can be cited a ticket for not doing so. If you notice those lights behind you and it is not a firetruck or ambulance you are being pulled over by the police. First find a safe place and pull off the road. This is the most important part right here, stay in the car!!! Again, stay in the car and keep your hands in plain sight on the steering wheel. Roll down the window and again, keep your hands on the wheel. If you have passengers tell them to sit still and stay calm and quiet. Do not get out of the car unless the officer tells you to. Nothing will get you face down on the ground faster than getting out of the car!!!! The officer will take his/her time getting to your window he/she will probably sit in his/her patrol car for what seems like forever, he/she is running the plates on the car be patient. He/she will first ask you for license and registration (ask rental rep about what the registration is) and proof of insurance. He/she will notice you are a foreigner and may ask for your passport etc. He/she will probably go back to his/her cruiser and run this information. He/she will return, and this is probably when he/she will ask you a few questions like where you are headed, some general chit chat like if you are visiting family etc. He/she is doing this to see if you are driving impaired more than anything. The officer will also probably approach the car with their hand on their service pistol but not out. Finally, they will tell you why they pulled you over. Do not start pleading your case or arguing. Be polite ask questions but don’t get upset or angry. My guess is that you will get a warning and be on your way unless it’s a major violation. In the event you do get a ticket the officer will explain what you will need to do about it. Do not start pulling money out to try and rectify the issue on the spot. do not do that ever. The police in this country have been taking a black eye from the press for a while now. There have been some horrible incidents here in the US involving the police and emotions are high on this issue. The patrol officer pulling you over is not going to beat on you, they are here to protect and serve the public. Do not let the actions of a few cast a bad image on all the police here. They will put their life on the line to protect you. Trust in that. With that being said this is the reason they will seam blunt and almost unfriendly they are watching out for themselves and being safe, they risk their life every day with every call and every stop they make. If you ever feel threatened or have an emergency in this country immediately call 911 a dispatcher will answer and send help you can count on that. Again call 911 for help in an emergency, not for directions or non-emergency questions. There are a few more things on this topic, things that will get you in serious trouble. Driving intoxicated is one of them. The US takes this seriously and it’s not just drunk driving. Driving impaired on anything. Thirty-nine states now have legal marijuana and driving stoned is the same as drunk. If you are going to have drinks with, say dinner or you go to a club to party get an Uber or taxi. Do not drive impaired. If you are pulled over and appear to be impaired the officer will give you a sobriety test. If you fail your vacation is over, you will be arrested spend some time in jail and probably have to get an attorney. The fines and fees could be over ten thousand dollars. Also, if you and the spouse or significant other tend to fight it out when not getting along etc. refrain from doing it in the US and anywhere for that matter!!! If the police respond to a domestic dispute and they think there has been or possibly could be physical contact someone is going to the jail house to cool off or maybe spend the night or longer. I am serious about this. Domestic abuse is not just something that the police look the other way at here. Another thing that you should be aware of in the US, you can’t smoke here except in certain areas. smoking is taboo in the US now. Do not smoke in the rental car!!!!! You will get a huge penalty when you check it in. They will make you pay to get the smell out. The one exception are casinos you can smoke in all of them as far as I know. If you are a chain smoker head to Vegas and smoke all you want. Let’s talk about the state of Nevada for a minute. Nevada is a little, no it is a lot different State. It is like the wild west almost, and definitely worth a visit. Vegas never sleeps you can gamble all night drink all night see shows all night walk on the strip with a drink in your hand drunk as a skunk. Prostitution is even legal there, under some pretty strict rules but they have legal lady of the night establishments in Nevada. I am pointing out this because again study up on US law they change from state to state even county to county.
Speaking of counties, the US is broken up into 50 states you probably know that but within those states we have counties think of it as sort of a mini state inside the state itself. A few states are different such as Alaska which use Boroughs and Louisiana, they are Parishes. Each county has its own mini government with some exceptions such as Alaska. Overall, there are 3144 counties in the 50 US states and a few states counties have no governments at all as I mentioned but as you can see this is why there are so many different laws to contend with in the US. Then you have state government which is separate from Federal government which both pass laws etc. You will find that most states police forces will be as follows. Citys typically have their own police force, then a county will have a Sherriff’s department which has an elected Sherriff and under them will be the deputies. The state will have their own force typically called a state trooper and the feral government has a multitude of law enforcement such as the FBI and many others. Some areas call some of their law enforcement a constable. I know right, it’s a lot to think about!!!! If you are in an area near a military base expect to see military personnel out and about and most areas have a national guard force which may be seen from time to time going somewhere on weekends to train or help out with emergency situations. There are really no checkpoints to go through except possibly in an emergency situation. When entering California along the interstates and some highways you will go through a checkpoint, and they will ask if you have any fruits or vegetables. Overall, there is a multitude of law enforcement agencies all here to protect and serve the public. Have confidence in them they are not a bunch of corrupt thugs, they have sworn a duty to uphold the law and they will be proud of doing that job. One last thing most patrol cars these days or even the officer themselves will have a camera recording their activities, so if an incident occurs it will have a record of it.
I am sure one of the reasons you are reading this is because you are concerned about what you have seen and heard about gun violence in the US. It is indeed very true how many guns are in the US. I just googled and it states there are roughly 393 million guns!! You can count on it that there are more than that. The population of the US sits at about 340 million so basically that’s 1 gun for every person. I am not going to sugar coat this one and say it is all ok here in regard to gun violence. People here shoot each other from time to time, with that many guns out there it’s inevitable. In the twelve years I have lived in my current house which is very rural we have had 2 shootings that I am aware of both related to drugs. The chances of you seeing someone packing a gun in plain site are very rare. In my rural area which is very much an area full of gun owners including myself on occasion I will see someone with a pistol on their side. It is legal in my state to open carry a firearm with some exceptions. I could leave my house right now drive 10 miles and buy a gun and probably bring it home with me in a few hours. With all that being said unless it is hunting season you won’t see a firearm in plain sight. We are not a bunch of gun toting cowboys in the US. There were over 14 million hunters in the US last year. Most firearms are for hunting and most gun owners have multiple firearms for different hunting season and game. The chances of seeing a gun let alone seeing someone firing a gun are extremely unlikely. The best way to avoid gun violence is to not put yourself in a situation that could possibly expose yourself to it. Avoid bad neighborhoods, if it feels sketchy it probably is, leave as fast as possible. Avoid domestic disturbances, if you see people arguing or fighting don’t stand around watching or try and catch it on your camera. Leave and call 911, let law enforcement handle it do not try and be a hero!!! If you see a protest happening do not join or be a bystander trying to get it all on your camera. I can’t emphasize this enough!!!! Do not go looking for those bad areas in big cities just to say you went through one, seriously do not do it!!! You might think you can just drive through and say “hey I went to Oakland, and it was nothing” that is a very good way to get in serios trouble fast. Gang violence is real they are not playing around one bit. Take this seriously it could save your life. The vast majority of gun owners keep them locked up at home and only take them out to hunt or go to the shooting range. If you are interested in shooting a gun some gun clubs and shooting ranges will allow you to pay to shoot with a rental gun under very close supervision of course. If you see someone brandishing a gun or threatening in any way, that they have a gun and might break it out call 911.