North AmericaWorldwide

1. North America

North America extends from the Arctic regions of Canada and Greenland through the United States and Mexico to Central America and the Caribbean. Road environments range from snow-covered northern highways and vast prairie or desert routes to crowded metropolitan freeways, tropical mountain roads and hurricane-prone coastal areas. There is no single North American traffic code. Most of the mainland drives on the right, including Canada, the United States, Mexico and the countries of Central America, while several Caribbean jurisdictions, including Jamaica and The Bahamas, drive on the left. Traffic law can also be highly decentralized: everyday rules in Canada are largely provincial or territorial, while U.S. states set many fundamental driving rules.

North America is also divided by road conventions and measurement systems. The United States uses miles per hour, while Canada and Mexico use kilometres per hour. Tolling ranges from electronic toll roads and bridges in the United States to Mexican toll highways and IAVE electronic payment, while many roads remain free. Road signs are not governed by one continental standard, and written information can appear in English, French, Spanish and local or indigenous languages. Winter storms, hurricanes, flooding, wildfires and long distances through sparsely populated areas can all influence road travel depending on the region.