Safely Driving through CA to Disneyland?

[Gamedog]

Is crime up? Yes - it is everywhere unfortunately.

Should one be prepared for crime? Yes - it is everywhere unfortunately.

Would it deter me from making memories with my family at the happiest place on Earth? No.

Carry personal protection on you (whatever you feel comfortable with - for me [CCW license holder] that is a 9mm), be aware of your surroundings, and enjoy the trip!

 

[Lisa24jks]

OP - You are more at risk of getting in a car accident on your drive than being a victim of a crime.

If we're going on anecdotal evidence, then definitely. 4 decades of going to Disneyland from Las Vegas and never been a victim of those sorts of crimes. But, 2 years ago was involved in a hit-and-run right on Disney Way. (Thankfully, no one was hurt and the damage to the car was fixable, but still a little bit mad about it. I guess a hit-and-run is technically a crime, but not the assault/robbery/etc. type.)

In all seriousness though, crime happens everywhere, big cities, small towns and everywhere in between. All you can do is take your own personal precautions, whatever they may be, and don't do anything outright stupid. If we worried about every possible bad thing that could happen, most of us wouldn't leave our house (and then you start worrying about home invasions, house fires, etc. instead). Paranoid is no way to live. Cautious and careful is just fine.

A great number of my trips to Anaheim are as a woman travelling alone and thankfully nothing has ever happened to me. I feel completely safe and take the same precautions I'd take in my hometown or any other place.

 

[Steven G]

When I am in Los Angeles or Orange County, the only thing I worry about is traffic and how horrible it is while driving.

While I admit there were times I was slightly concerned at times while walking around, I have never felt unsafe, at least anymore than I have in a northern suburb of Chicago.

Yes, there are places I would rather not drive in, in Los Angeles. I just avoid those.

I went to the university of chicago (on the south side of chicago), and so I know what it feels like to be unsafe. While the school does it's best, you are really not too far away from the really bad parts of chicago.

 

[MillauFr]

When I am in Los Angeles or Orange County, the only thing I worry about is traffic and how horrible it is while driving.

While I admit there were times I was slightly concerned at times while walking around, I have never felt unsafe, at least anymore than I have in a northern suburb of Chicago.

Yes, there are places I would rather not drive in, in Los Angeles. I just avoid those.

I went to the university of chicago (on the south side of chicago), and so I know what it feels like to be unsafe. While the school does it's best, you are really not too far away from the really bad parts of chicago.

Aren't you far safer when driving in heavy traffic?

 

[StarlitNight05]

Aren't you far safer when driving in heavy traffic?

I think in normal conditions that is true, but people tend to dangerously swerve from lane to lane trying to find the best one. Once we reach the LA traffic our heart rates skyrocket! It makes sense why you see all the car accident attorney billboards.

 

[China Expat]

I'm a local and have witnessd two incidents in parking lots where police have guns drawn on a suspect. I turned around and left. Do not honk at cars as some folks succumb to road rage. Lock your car when exiting. Otherwise, day time is fine. Crime is definitely up in the suburbs with car and home robberies.

 

[StormyCA]

I'm a 60+ woman and do the drive from No Cal to the Inland Empire yearly to visit family. We drive all over So Cal when I'm there, from DTLA to Orange Co Beaches to points in between and beyond. DH and I towed our TT thru the LA basin this summer.

Just walk with your head up & eyes moving, observe your surroundings, keep valuables out of site, lock your vehicle (when parked and moving) and avoid questionable areas, especially after dark. But you'd do that in any town or city, wouldn't you?

There are websites out there that can pinpoint areas where crimes have occurred, but who knows how reliable they really are. But if you can pre-plan your stops you could 'scout out' the area.

 

[VandVsmama]

We were planning to drive to Disneyland this fall from AZ but my husband is becoming more concerned about the increase in brazen crime, even just stopping for gas or a drive thru for food on the way.

Are there any locals that care to comment? Our perspective is just from news stories. He's wanting to cancel our trip this year since we can't fly in.

I'm in AZ and in early June, am driving myself and 16 yr old YDD to Disneyland for her birthday. Just the 2 of us. Staying with friends about an hour's drive from the parks. I've driven the I-10 route out to the Anaheim area on my own before. It's not a big deal. I usually stop for gas near Palm Springs. Just do all the things you'd normally do at home. Normal situational awareness. Pay attention to your surroundings. Park in well lit areas. Don't leave valuables out in plain sight. Lock your car doors & windows.

Don't hang out in Compton or Inglewood or other similar areas, obviously.

Also, for example, if you stay pretty much at any of the hotels surrounding Disneyland along Harbor Blvd & Katella Ave, there's so much foot travel and things are so well lit that it's not a big deal. Last September, my sister-in-law and I walked on our own with her 2 kids from DL to the Hilton at the convention center at 1:00 am and we had zero problems.

 

[mich311e]

We live in Phoenix and drive in all the time and have been doing it for years. I've driven alone with my son several times. We stop along the 10 for gas. Once we get to Anaheim we park and don't drive again if we're only doing Disneyland, which I love., I enjoy walking (I hate to drive on the actual vacation part). We walk to and from the parks up and down Harbor, Katella, or Manchester, depending on where we have stayed. We've even stayed a mile+ away at the Cambria or Comfort Suites and walked or took the Toy Story Shuttle. No issues at all. We've also visited Orange, Huntington Beach, Knotts, Indio, etc.

 

[Bossy22]

I drive from Canada and we plan where to stop. We definitely have preferences but have never felt unsafe anywhere (except maybe one time in San Francisco but it was in a place where we knew would be shady). Being wise is always the best option.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Biggest crime you'll encounter driving from Phoenix to Anaheim is the cost of gas as you cross over the AZ/CA border. Be sure and fill up before you get to Blythe - it will save you $1-$1.50/gallon easy.

The smash-and-grab nonsense is worst in SF and Oakland. You are going nowhere near there.

 

[2vets]

I live in San Diego and drive - solo and with girlfriends - with a car full of expensive scuba gear at the zero-dark-thirty hours of the day to OC, LA, Ventura, and SB. Exercise the same caution you would anywhere, be sure you have a way to call for help from the highway in case of a breakdown, don't stop for strangers, don't engage with anyone showing signs of road rage crazy, etc. Same drill as in AZ. You're a lot more likely to get in a traffic accident, although arguably, you're just as likely to have that happen in PHX . Yep, we have our issues here in SoCal, but ya know, so does every other state in this great country. Enjoy DL!

 

[cmph]

As a Phoenix local who has plenty of driving experience to/from SoCal (DD's in uni in LA) - if you don't drive, you're missing a sweet, sweet chance to stop in Chiriaco Summit for some preserved items. By "preserved" - I mean the full gamut: fruit butters/jams (highly recommend the cherry butter), pickled everything, and stuffed rattlesnakes (ok, that is not an item we've purchased). Without fail, Chiriaco Summit is where we need a gas stop on our way west, and it's now such an odd joy.

All joking aside, I'm not an AZ native. I have observed that many long-time AZ residents have some perplexing views on CA in general. I'm not sure which part of the drive your husband is most nervous about - the long stretch of highway in both states, or the Anaheim area specifically, or all of the above, but it's no different than anywhere else. One of my 2023 roundtrips was just DD and me (middle-aged female), and we didn't think anything of it.

 

[ClaraOswald]

We'll be driving to Disneyland from Nebraska in June. I'm not concerned. We've made this same drive several times. Crime is everywhere, sadly. We just control what we can and hope for the best. We don't drive at night though so that might make a difference? I don't know.

 

[StormyCA]

As a Phoenix local who has plenty of driving experience to/from SoCal (DD's in uni in LA) - if you don't drive, you're missing a sweet, sweet chance to stop in Chiriaco Summit for some preserved items. By "preserved" - I mean the full gamut: fruit butters/jams (highly recommend the cherry butter), pickled everything, and stuffed rattlesnakes (ok, that is not an item we've purchased). Without fail, Chiriaco Summit is where we need a gas stop on our way west, and it's now such an odd joy.

All joking aside, I'm not an AZ native. I have observed that many long-time AZ residents have some perplexing views on CA in general. I'm not sure which part of the drive your husband is most nervous about - the long stretch of highway in both states, or the Anaheim area specifically, or all of the above, but it's no different than anywhere else. One of my 2023 roundtrips was just DD and me (middle-aged female), and we didn't think anything of it.

We've never stopped there. I love me some good jams and butters. Where specifically are these sold? At the actual gas station?

 

[jimmymc]

Most of the reports you see with brazen robberies happen at in one area near the Oakland airport. Thieves target cars they know have luggage in them. So avoid the intersection of Edgewater Dr. and Hegenberger Rd in Oakland. The area around Disneyland is very safe, even at night.

 

[cmph]

We've never stopped there. I love me some good jams and butters. Where specifically are these sold? At the actual gas station?

Aim for the Chevron when you get off the highway. After passing the General Patton museum, the road dumps into a little area that has a coffee shop with an attached gift shop on your left and the Chevron on your right. Google maps calls it Chiriaco Summit Restaurant but the signs on the building say coffee shop. That gift shop is your target! We first went in thinking it would be like a non-chain Starbucks situation, which is about as far as possible from the reality.

The parking is just kind of shared for everything there. When you look on google maps, it makes it seem like everything is kind of spread out, but it's totally not. The Fosters Freeze is literally inside the gas station's convenience store.

 

[irlandaise]

The parking is just kind of shared for everything there. When you look on google maps, it makes it seem like everything is kind of spread out, but it's totally not. The Fosters Freeze is literally inside the gas station's convenience store.

Fosters Freeze! Do they have chocolate-dipped cones??

 

[cmph]

Fosters Freeze! Do they have chocolate-dipped cones??

Oh man, I'm not sure! I can take a look next month when we inevitably stop by during our dorm move-out trip.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed. I was expecting a standalone building/full-service type of place the first time we stopped there, b/c that's what the map shows, and like I said, it's just a counter inside the convenience store. The menu is small, and there were 2 whole employees the only time we got food there (one was customer-facing and one doing all the cooking). We got sandwiches and fries, which were fine but not remarkable. We did not get anything from the dessert menu. It didn't warrant a return, but it's totally fine/passable if it happens to be convenient.

 

[longboard55]

There is more to California than Oakland

Most of the reports you see with brazen robberies happen at in one area near the Oakland airport. Thieves target cars they know have luggage in them. So avoid the intersection of Edgewater Dr. and Hegenberger Rd in Oakland. The area around Disneyland is very safe, even at night.

Seriously how many Oakland stories do we need, note to self, do not hang out in Oakland. Check