U.S. Highway Terms, with UK Equivalents.

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Below you will find American English highway terms, with their UK English equivalents.

Click here to return to the UK English terms..

Amber Alert - a law-enforcement agency message to activate an urgent bulletin alerting the public to a serious (and usually local) child-abduction case. Using highway electronic signs (or other electronic media), the message usually contains information about the abductor's car and police contact information. Named after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman who was kidnapped in Texas, 1996. The first Amber Alerts were issued over local radio stations but have now become national in scope.

American Automobile Association (commonly known as the "AAA"). US equivalent to the AA or RAC.

Back-up (traffic) - Queue, Tailback.

Bypass Road - a Ring Road or Orbital.

Car Ownership (certificate) - MOT Certificate. If renting a car, make sure a photocopy of this (and the Insurance certificate) is in the glove box of the car before you leave the car rental lot. A copy of each is required to be in the vehicle, by law. These, and your driving licence, are the first documents requested by the police at an accident scene.

Car wash (coin or automatic) - Jet Wash. If coin, make sure you have lots of quarters in your pocket.

Coach - somebody who helps a football team win (or lose) games.

Construction Area or Zone - Road Works. Construction zones are often marked with temporary speed limit signs. Be very careful of your speed while driving through such an area since there is often a police car parked at the end of the zone ... and speeding fines (tickets, citations) are often doubled.

Convetible (car type) - a Coupe.

Counter-Clockwise - Anti-clockwise.

Dimmer Switch - Dip Switch.

Detour - Diversion.

Divided Highway - Dual Carriageway.

Downtown - City Center.

Exit (Expressway) - Junction (Motorway) - A word about exit numbering. Unlike UK motorways where junctions are numbered sequentially, all exits in Florida are numbered according to the closest roadside mile marker. This is very helpful since if you are driving past mile marker 25 and want to leave the interstate (motorway) at exit 10, then you know you only have 15 miles to go.

Expressway - Motorway, which can be an Interstate, freeway or toll route.

Fender - Wing (car part).

Gasoline (or Gas)- Petrol. There are usually three grades (all unleaded) available at the pump, plus diesel at many stations. Incidentally, a number of gas stations in Florida will not accept non-US credit cards at the pump. You must take it inside the shop and leave it while you fill up.

Gas Pedal - Accelerator, throttle (car part).

Glove Compartment - Glove Box (car part).

Green Arrow - Filter Arrow. Don't often see these because unless otherwise signposted. It's legal to make a right turn after stopping on a red light, as long as the road is clear. Some cities do use them in city centres and if installed, they over-rule the "turn on red" law.

Head Light (car part) - a Head Lamp.

Hood - Bonnet (car part). Also slang for a crook.

Intersection - Junction or Crossroad.

Jumper Cables - Jump Leads.

Learner - There isn't such a thing. All drivers on the road are "experts" and those around them are "idiots." The "L" sign is not used in America except on licenced "driver instructor" vehicles. The kid speeding alongside you could easily be having his first lesson. The only proviso is that he or she must have a "provisional" (beginners) license and must be accompanied by a fully-licensed adult driver.

Main Street - often the town centre, the same as our "High Street."

Mile marker - Marker or Mile Post.

Overpass - a Flyover.

Parking Lights - Not needed when parking on the road. Incidentally, unlike common practice in the UK, you must park in the same direction as the traffic flow, and only where parking on the road is legal (look for signs close by).

Pavement - Carriageway (the road's running surface).

Pedestrian Crossing - similar to a Zebra Crossing - treat all Florida pedestrian crossings as if they are Zebra Crossings. Pedestrians always have the right of way in Florida, even when they try to throw themselves under your car!

Radar Detectors - are legal in Florida, and often work on the same frequencies as British units.

Railroad Crossing - Level Crossing, often abbreviated "RR" on signs.

Ramp ("on" or "off") - Slip Road.

Rest Area - Can be a Lay By or Service Area. Unless you are on Florida's Turnpike (the FTP), Florida's Rest Areas only have minimal services - toilets, drink and coffee vending machines, newspaper boxes and at night time, armed security guards. The FTP has full-service plazas, but you will not find shops like Marks & Spencers.

Right Turn on Red - the equivalent of a green filter arrow signal. Unless signed otherwise, vehicles may make a right turn after coming to a halt on a red light, as long as the way is clear.

Rotary - Roundabout. There are not many of these in the USA but finally, road engineers have "discovered" them ... and more are being built A word of caution, before entering, don't forget to check over your left shoulder and drive around it in an anti-clockwise direction.

Side turn lights (car part) - Side Indicators (car part). This European standard is not required in the USA. Very few cars have them.

Sidewalk - Pavement. Where pedestrians are supposed to walk.

Soft Shoulder - Hard Shoulder. "Soft Shoulder" is derived from the days when the side of the road was gravel or worst still, swamp.

Speed Camera - not used in Florida!

Speed Cams - There aren't any - but lots of radar traps.

Station Wagon - Estate Car. Not used much since the advent of the SUV.

SUV (car type) - a 4x4 or UAV.

Transmission - Gearbox (car part).

Truck - Lorry. If long and articulated, also known as an "18 wheeler".

Trunk - Boot (car part).

Virtual Message Board (VMS) - an Electronic Message Board, above or beside the carriageway, providing traffic or speed limit information, and in some cases, an "Amber Alert." See "Amber Alerts" under "A" above.

Wheel Clamp - Not used in Florida.

Wind Shield - Wind Screen (car part).

Wrench - Spanner.

Yield (inverted triangular sign - Give Way. In North America, the car to your right has the Right-of-Way in normal traffic situations. For example, when two cars arrive at a cross road with stop signs, at the same time.

18 Wheeler - an articulated, heavy goods lorry.

There is so much more to help you in Along Florida's Expressways.