Driving to States - NY

Hey guy's any advise,

driving to the US from TO (Rochester) 3 night trip, pleasure

have a UK passport / PR card

* do I need a visa

* Car wise .. any specific's insurance wise

* Specific Accident insurance / health insurance

* anything to watch out for or be careful about

txs again

bobajob wrote:

Hey guy's any advise,

driving to the US from TO (Rochester) 3 night trip, pleasure

have a UK passport / PR card

* do I need a visa

* Car wise .. any specific's insurance wise

* Specific Accident insurance / health insurance

* anything to watch out for or be careful about

txs again

I believe Canadian insurance automatically provides coverage in the US but best to check with your insurance company. I would say you need as much coverage as you can afford for the US.

You will need a passport for entry into the US. A Canadian citizen and/or permanent resident does not need a visa. Note that while a passport is required the requirement can occasionally be waived. Last month my wife and I drove to the US from Ottawa and I mistakenly took my daughter's passport and not mine. The US border folks laughed, scanned my daughter's passport, looked at my DL, and said because I'm such a frequent visitor they would let me in.

Always wise to have health insurance for out of country trips. Some employers will cover you, you and your family, or offer no coverage. If you are healthy the cost of out of country medical insurance is cheap and is a small price to pay in case the unexpected happens.

One of my daughters was flying to the US for a weekend to visit a friend. She chose not to buy health insurance. I bought it for her. While in NYC she fell and broke her arm. If not for insurance she would have been on the hook for close to $6000 for the hospital visit to set her arm.

grt txs again man,

any differences in driving compared to Ontario ?

speeds are in MPH right, are the cops any harsher for out of country for say speeding

etc

txs

Markus wrote:

bobajob wrote:

Hey guy's any advise,

driving to the US from TO (Rochester) 3 night trip, pleasure

have a UK passport / PR card

* do I need a visa

* Car wise .. any specific's insurance wise

* Specific Accident insurance / health insurance

* anything to watch out for or be careful about

txs again

I believe Canadian insurance automatically provides coverage in the US but best to check with your insurance company. I would say you need as much coverage as you can afford for the US.

You will need a passport for entry into the US. A Canadian citizen and/or permanent resident does not need a visa. Note that while a passport is required the requirement can occasionally be waived. Last month my wife and I drove to the US from Ottawa and I mistakenly took my daughter's passport and not mine. The US border folks laughed, scanned my daughter's passport, looked at my DL, and said because I'm such a frequent visitor they would let me in.

Always wise to have health insurance for out of country trips. Some employers will cover you, you and your family, or offer no coverage. If you are healthy the cost of out of country medical insurance is cheap and is a small price to pay in case the unexpected happens.

One of my daughters was flying to the US for a weekend to visit a friend. She chose not to buy health insurance. I bought it for her. While in NYC she fell and broke her arm. If not for insurance she would have been on the hook for close to $6000 for the hospital visit to set her arm.

Be careful on the New York State Thruway (I-90) if you're using it. There are frequent weekend blitzes by State Troopers, when they show almost Zero Tolerance. If I remember correctly, the speed limit on the Thruway is 65 mph (about 105 km/h). When you're driving eastbound from Buffalo to Rochester, watch for police with "customers" on the other side of the highway. If you see a lot of them, chances are good there are a lot of police watching eastbound as well. If so, try to keep it to 70 (113) or under. What the officer won't tell you at roadside is there's a surcharge for out-of-state drivers that can almost double the cost of the ticket.

* do I need a visa

No the UK is part of the visa waver program so you should be fine with just your passport as long as it is still more then 6 months away from expiring. If you were flying you would need to get an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), however I believe those are not required at land border crossings.

* Car wise .. any specific's insurance wise

You can double check with your insurance broker, but I believe most Canadian auto insurance polices will cover you in the US as well.

* Specific Accident insurance / health insurance

It is a good idea to get supplemental medical insurance when you are going to the USA as hospital fees there far outstrip what OHIP will pay for out of province care.

* anything to watch out for or be careful about

NY State assesses a driver responsibility fee for people who commit certain driving offences that gets added on top of what ever fine you get assessed. For example anyone caught going 21 mph over the limit or higher has to pay a $300 fee on top of their fine. NY state troopers are known to be pretty rigid in their application of the law so I would make sure not to speed or at least not excessively while there.

txs guys

yes looks like gmaps shows i90, so I'll be carefull, taking the wifes minivan as it has cruise control, a digital speedo setting and also in MPH

my other car has cruise but the speedo is in "clicks"

I'll chat to my insurance guys on Monday.

txs again