Driving in Canada

Driving in Canada can be without incident if one meets the required standards on the border. For starters, an international traveler should have a passport or a document that is equivalent to the same. The passport is passed to the border officers who staff the border between the United States and Canada.

Driving in Canada
Author: Levi Quinn
Driving in Canada can be without incident if one meets the required standards on the border. For starters, an international traveler should have a passport or a document that is equivalent to the same. The passport is passed to the border officers who staff the border between the United States and Canada. In addition, the driver should have documents to prove car ownership or if the car is on hire, they should have a lease certificate to prove the same. The international traveler should also be prepared to answer questions from the border patrol officials. The patrol officials question an international visitor concerning his/her reasons for travel, accommodation when in Canada and the length of his or her travel. As such, it is important that an international traveler establish where he/she will be staying while in Canada, the length of his stay and most importantly, he should have a clear reason for travel to Canada. If accompanied by children during the travel, you should have identity documents for the children too. In the absence of the parents, the adult traveler(s) should have written consent from the parents. Children who are less than 40 pounds must use car seats. The consent document should include the parents address, phone numbers and contact address. One should also find out beforehand the things allowed entry into Canada. This is especially so because Canada has restrictions to the entry of motor boats and hunting rifles into the country. You may be allowed to bring a pet if a veterinary certificate indicates that they have been vaccinated against rabies. Beyond the border, the international traveler should know that wearing seat belts in Canada is the mandatory. Unlike other countries however, you need to buy local insurance since United State’s insurance is accepted in Canada. However, one should obtain an insurance card for use in Canada from their insurance before travel. In addition, the US driving licenses are accepted in Canada. The speeding limits differ in different places. In rural highways for example, one can drive at 100 kilometers per hour, while the speed limits on highways and cities roads are 80 km/hr and 50 km/hr respectively. Americans should be aware that the driving rules and road conditions in Canada are slightly different from what they are used to at home. For example, most highways lack merging lanes for incoming traffic. In addition, rapid changing of lanes and tailgating are common among the Canadian drivers. Before proceeding on lights turning green, one should be careful since Canadians are notorious for running red lights. From Monday to Thursday, travelers should expect at least 10 minutes delay at the border crossings. The Cornwall border point is especially notorious for such delays due to the high number of people crossing the border at this point. On Fridays to Sundays, travelers should expect 20 minutes delay at the borders, again because of the high traffic as people go and leave Canada. These wait times are applicable for both the commercial and social traffic flow.
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