U.K. MoD warning to military stationed in the U.S.

"Americans are very warm and welcoming, especially to military personnel, but – make no mistake – America is a foreign country, and as far as the locals are concerned, you are foreign aliens."

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And schools can throw up another hazard, says Cheryl Friedrich, the schools adviser:

"Watch out for school buses. They stop and disgorge seemingly hundreds of kids who mill about all over the road with no regard to traffic. You are not allowed to overtake or go round a school bus, and if you do, you can bet there will be a traffic cop hiding behind a tree waiting to slap you with a $1,000 fine. My advice is to find the routes your local buses take, then take all the back roads possible to avoid them."

And then there is the problem of laws that differ from state to state. You could be driving perfectly legally at 70mph (113km/h) on one side of the state line, only for the speed limit to drop to 50mph (80km/h) on the other.

Again, the advice for new arrivals is clear: If you do get stopped, just sit still. The traffic cops are very twitchy. It is a legal requirement to carry all your documentation with you, and if you don't, your car might be impounded. But suddenly lunging for the glove compartment to retrieve your licence can ruin your day.

Whatever you do, don't argue with the traffic cops, if for no other reason than in this country you will need your car very much. That applies especially if you find yourself with a posting to a "dry" county, where you could be facing a round trip of 100 miles (161km) or more just to get yourself a Bud.

~ From Getting a slice of American pie ~