Sleeping in your car...safe? Yay or nay?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Allie

Next Saturday I leave for a road trip (spring break), from Arkansas to Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Boston. I am staying with a friend in Boston and for one night in Hartford, have a motel room booked in Rhode Island, but a night or two I have nowhere to stay and honestly, no extra $$$. Soooo...

What do you think? Is it safe to sleep in your car? If so, where would you recommend parking and sleeping? It makes me a bit uneasy but I've got to sleep somehow, and in my car seems like the only way.

ADVICE???

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Don't expect to get much sleep when you are trying to sleep in your car. Comfort is not there. But, use a truck stop (Love's, Pilot, Flyin' J, T/A, Petro, or any large one) and park in a comfortable spot that does have occasional to heavy foot-traffic nearby. You can trust the truckers. It is the other nut cases you will have to worry about. Just be courteous.

In the old days you could park at a small truck stop and leave a wake-up call at the fuel island. Try that anywhere today and they will call the Nut Farm to come and get you.

Do you have, or could you borrow, a small tent and sleeping bag? If so, check out this site, which I saw someone post recently. You may even be able to save yourself the motel fee.

All the reasons for not sleeping in your car, have already been mentioned, and I would concur with them.

Lifey

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Hi, have been interested in this thread as we are planning a trip from Portland Maine to Florida. I'd like to sleep
in our SUV at some of the truck stops as its about a day trip and 5 hr naps will do us just fine. Is this safety
precaution mostly aimed at cars/SUV's? what about tag-a-long trailers or Class A motorhomes? Do they
provide enough of a barrier for safety concerns.? thanks for your observations. alehar

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I'd say the advice above would apply in pretty much any situation. Rest areas are not good spots for overnight sleeping, because of safety issues, regardless of your vehicle, and overnight stopping is often illegal there too.

Just remember in a camper, you should not be using slide outs/generators, etc when you are stopped at a truck stop or similar parking facilities that are not campgrounds.

Only in Florida, where you will find armed guards at most rest areas, is it safe to stop overnight. In those exceptional cases, you are actually made welcome. But as mentioned above, just any rest area is often not legal and probably never safe. (FL has provided armed guards ever since a family of four was murdered at a rest stop... some time ago.)

Lifey

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Allie

Next Saturday I leave for a road trip (spring break), from Arkansas to Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Boston. I am staying with a friend in Boston and for one night in Hartford, have a motel room booked in Rhode Island, but a night or two I have nowhere to stay and honestly, no extra $$$. Soooo...

What do you think? Is it safe to sleep in your car? If so, where would you recommend parking and sleeping? It makes me a bit uneasy but I've got to sleep somehow, and in my car seems like the only way.

ADVICE???

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Personally, I wouldn't recommend you sleeping in your car. Like what everyone else here said, you're not only running the risk of getting caught by the police. You're also exposing yourself to unnecessary danger. I'd recommend to try to bring some extra cash and go to a tent camping ground. It's going to be cheaper than spending a night in a motel. Not to mention it'll be so much safer.

Posting a reply to the original poster probably won't help them - it looks like this trip was taken 6 years ago!