6 Unsaid Rules of Driving in Illinois

If you think that only local spectacles or matters of sightseeing are geographically unique, you might want to reconsider adding another to that list.

Regarding the rules of the road, each place is uniquely different and Illinois is no exception. In order to avoid any misinterpretations, we have these 6 unsaid rules for you if you are driving in and around the Land of Lincoln.

1. Learn to Use Turn Signals (not) Out of Turn

The first thing you would notice in Illinois is how wide the carefulness spectrum is among drivers. Sure, you’ll find a driver or two who are rather careful, have excellent reaction times, and are wary of potential dangers on the road. But the others—polar opposite.

For this, you will have to exercise a great deal of caution. Illinois’s most important unsaid rule is to make other drivers aware of your present and future directions. Keeping your turn signals 30 seconds before you make the turn is one of the foolproof ways to not get rammed.

2. Understand Merging and investing in Insurance

When you’re driving in traffic and the lanes begin to merge, it’s important that you know when to merge. Merging too early can cause problems for other drivers and could lead to road rage. While merging too late isn’t as dangerous as merging too soon, it could also cause an accident if another driver is frustrated by your slow speed or your failure to merge into traffic immediately after the lane ends.

If there are three lanes on your side of the highway and only two lanes on the other side, make sure you merge into the middle lane even if this means slowing down. You should also let those who have merged early pass by before you do so yourself.

3. Motorcycles and Rental Cars Rule

– Motorcycles

There is one thing that can help you save time amongst all the hustle and bustle. While lane splitting is illegal, motorcycles are still reliable, quick, and give excellent gas mileage. If you can ride one, you should avail it indeed. Considering how tractors take up most of the road sometimes, this should be a sweet option after all.

– Rental Cars

Rentals are a pretty ubiquitous thing in Illinois. In fact, if you are in for a short trip to Chicago, Rockford, Elgin, or any other place—these utility devices will make for a sweet experience.

You won’t have a hard time picking the best rentals out there. Enterprise and Alamo are well-renowned in Moline, whereas Hertz, Budget, and Avis have a stronger footing in the aforementioned cities. With prices ranging from $70-200 per day depending on the car, rentals are a smart financial move.

The issues that you might face here are mostly technical. Battery replacements can cost over $1000, whereas camshafts can skyrocket over $2000. Airbags can be setting you back even by as much as $2500, whereas compressors would be a few hundred dollars cheaper. If your engine breaks down? It is bound to set you back so much; that you’d rather get a new unit altogether.

To avoid these issues, you first have to exercise a great deal of scrutiny. In order to ensure that your car doesn’t face these issues, be sure to double-check before renting. It is an unsaid rule to get a rental after maximum inspection—that too if you are insurance-covered. If that is the case, you might be able to save yourself a fortune even if your car happens to break down.

If you are in a rush and your car breaks down, you’d want to check the plethora of garages out in Illinois. Illinois Garage Door Repair, Riverside Garage, and of course, Regency—you won’t have any regrets with these garages.

4. Check and Double-Check at Crossroads

Illinois is notorious for car crashes borne out of haste or indecision. More often than not, people tend to disregard the use of the yellow traffic light. One look at the official crash reports and you would be shocked that most of them occur at intersections or crossroads. If you are in Illinois, the unwritten rule or observation that you will find is the misuse of the same.

Yellow lights are ideally meant for you to either slow down or just keep your ignitions ready. Not in Illinois—notoriously known for people to creep in or out during the yellow lights, you need to exercise great caution. When you are at intersections, make sure to wait a couple of seconds after the lights have transitioned to green. This could save you from a lot of potential dangers on the road.

5. The Weather is as Unpredictable as it can Get

This is particularly annoying if you are in for a road trip or indulge in daily commuting. The weather conditions in Illinois can be extremely unpredictable, and to a great extent, get in your way.

Where the summers can make you feel lethargic, the monsoons make for a slippery affair on the road. The winters? Let’s just say that folks out there don’t welcome the snow as much as the Europeans do. It makes life on the road a mess, and with such a large number of ruckuses in general, it will make driving a vehicle all the more challenging.

6. Does that Stop the Folks?

Despite the weather and its perils, there is no way the folks in Illinois back down. Firstly, people are usually advised to carry a shovel in their trunks with the snow all around. Additionally, a windshield scraper becomes a must.

Not only that, but wheel protectors call for a relatively smoother experience when you are driving in those harsh winters. Most importantly, be sure to drive slowly and steadily. There is no alternative to a slow and composed road experience—and folks at Illinois believe it to be the greatest attribute to overcoming those weather uncertainties.

Is getting car insurance tailored for Illinois a good idea?

While you may think it’s unnecessary to get Illinois car insurance, there are a few reasons why you should be considering it. Firstly, Illinois is arguably one of the most confusing states for driving in, so it’s important that everyone has the proper coverage. The state has a complex network of toll roads and interstates, so having a policy that is up to date with all of these can prevent some costly mistakes. If you happen to live near an airport and have to drive through it frequently, getting an insurance policy that covers these areas is also advised. It’s not uncommon for airports to have very expensive parking fees, and if you’re not prepared for it when you pick up your rental car, you could be in for a surprise.

To Conclude

Illinois is a fun place to drive if you keep the aforementioned rules in mind. The nightlife is superb, the roads are as buttery as it can get, and there is a fair bit of liberty with regard to road rules. As long as you are exercising safely, you should be good to go.