The dangers of driving cross country?? (relocate, fuel, moved to, bathroom)

[Ruth4Truth]

I never thought about the "don't drive after dark" point, but it's a good one, especially for women.


I don't just get up early and drive as long as I can, and check into a random hotel. My max tolerance is 6 hours, but 5 is better. So I break the trip up into 5-6 hr. segments, and scout out in advance the hotels in the towns that are at that 5-6 hr. point. Sometimes they charge less if you make reservations in advance. I can do 5-6 hrs. on one tank of gas, unless I need to run the climate control, so I take simple food with me that I can munch on when I get hungry, so I don't have to stop. It's probably healthier to stop and stretch your legs, which I sometimes do. I take the most direct routes usually, which are the interstates and state highways.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Rhapsodie2014

Hello......I thought I would ask how many people have driven across country, or even half the country. I am wanting to especially target females but absolutely want male input also.
I am looking for the most logical safety tips, to more subtle safety tips.....if anyone can add to this please let me now.

1. Map out trip
2. Make sure to arrive to motel/hotel at least an hour before dark
3. DO NOT DRIVE AT NIGHT.....
4. Make sure to have car super super inspected prior to leaving, even with this done...never know,,,,,,
5. Make sure AAA card is ACTIVE! and fullly covered.
6. Weapon......?? This question is very subjective.
7. Make sure to let friends and family (at both sides, where you came from and where you are going) know daily where you are....
8. Make sure your cell # does not go dead.
9. STAY OFF LONG DESOLATE ROADS....LIKE IN THE DESERT, SO YOU DO NOT FEEL LIKE YOU ARE ENTERING A STEPHEN KING MOVIE.
10. Have plenty of water....
11. Do not have luggage etc staked so high that other travelers can see that you look like you are traveling...as opposed to normal driver.....
12. Lastly, I am going to go to AAA as I am a member and ask them for best route from Los Angeles to northeast......mainly I am concerned with the best route to take from L.A. to Chicago....avoiding long desert roads.....want to travel the roads with many people on them.......nicely patrolled by police etc.


How to avoid being targeted??????????????

I am woman (middle aged) traveling alone. Traveling from west coast to east coast. I have done this before, coast to coast.....but I was not ALONE!! My car is an older car.....

Thank you for any input or first hand experience.....

Have made cross country trips many times. They are fun. Here is what I would add or subtract:

Bring a friend or family member or a bunch of them. It makes the trip much more pleasant and safer.

Forget your number 2. That is too limiting. You do not want to arrive at 1 a.m., but sometimes, someplace it is dark by 6 p.m. I would say try to arrive before 10 p.m. is reasonable. Not critical.

Driving at night is actually usually safer unless you have night vision problems or are driving in or near a place where everyone is drunk at night (like L.A). There are fewer cars on the road. Now because my night vision is poor, I usually try to drive between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Inspections are not going to do much. Get the oil changed, top up the other fluids, watch your guages. There are service stations very few miles, or at least every hundred or so miles.

Do carry a lot of water and snacks, a flashlight and a pillow. In case you get stuck somewhere and have to wait for help.

AAA get the upgrade where they will to 100 miles. However check with your insurance company. Some provide the same services as part of you insurance that you already pay for.

N weapon unless you are well trained in its use. A weapon will only get you hurt or jailed.

For you cell, triple redundancy is helpful. Bring a charger, a battery pack (about $30 for one that will charge your phone several times) and get a hand crank flashlight that can also charge your phone a tiny bit in a pinch (they cost about $30).

Also take extra time to enjoy the country as you cross it. This may be your best opportunity to see it.

Do not overshedule yourself so you feel you have to arrive at City X by this time or day. Allow yourself to stop early or get sidetracked and sleep somewhere unplanned .

Pick your route by what places you want to visit along the way. However avoid the northern and middle route in the winter because in the north - snow and in the middle there will be snow in the mountains.

[timberline742]

I've done it a couple of times. I try not to drive more than 12hrs at a stretch, though I've done more. Stop a couple of times and have visits with some friends, see a few sites. Have roadside assistance. Good flashlight. Avoid metro areas during working times/rush hours, prefer dealing with those at night.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by Glenn Ross

About 5 years ago my family and I were 30 miles west of Little Rock on I-30 headed to Nashville when traffic ground to a halt. Rain had flooded the interstate. Then cell phone service went down. It took us 60 minutes to inch up to an exit. We stopped at a Hampton Inn and the desk staff let us use the lobby as we regrouped. Here's my advice, go to a bookstore, Costco, or Sams and spend $20 on a Road Atlas. We had one where each page is one state. The state maps also include the counties which you won't find on Google Maps. I was able to call several sheriffs' offices based upon the county names on the maps and from conversations with them, I was able to chart a route around the flooding. Ultimately, we had to backtrack 60 miles, turn south, then east again. Made it to Nashville four hours late.

I will never travel long distances without a hard copy road atlas. The ability to see most or all of a state's road system at a glance as well as the county names is very useful. (By the way, we had a Garmin, but it wasn't useful in letting us see the "big picture.")

I love maps.

[Threestep2]

Originally Posted by jamies

I also take a gun. Usually several guns. And a lot of ammo! There's no better feeling than driving a big 4X4 truck, full of guns, ammo, and beer, with the open road ahead to make you feel like the King or Queen of the Road!

Drive On!

As long as you are in a state allowing guns and/or reciprocity for concealed. Do not smile at a state trooper asking you if you have a firearm in the vehicle and say "one?" when you are coming from a shoot:>)

Cell phone, gps, reliable vehicle, checking in with friends - at the end of the day common sense gets you from a to b especially a female travelling alone.

[Frihed89]

Boredom will be your biggest and most dangerous challenge. Prepare for it.

[nameunused]

I'm a female and have driven across country before, I'm getting ready to move from AZ. to Florida with my dogs. I make sure I stop at truck stops for anything even rest, I park where everyone can see me and I hang a blanket across the windows.. my dogs will let me know if someone get to close to the truck if i'm sleeping. I make sure I park where I can walk my dogs also. I stay away from road side rest areas. They tend to get a little creepy.

[blktoptrvl]

Definitely DON'T carry large amounts of money or valuables. Cops may steal them.

[JonathanLB]

Yeah there's no way I would "not drive after dark," for me that would be incredibly unsafe. I'm a night owl, I don't even wake up until at least noon, so if I stopped at dark I wouldn't drive enough in the day. If I get up early, I'm just going to be tired all day long, and driving tired is unsafe. I agree I probably wouldn't drive much past 10 p.m. but that's more a function of not wanting to drive too many hours in a day and if I left at noon or so, I just don't want to drive more than 10 hours. If I left at 3 p.m. I'd be fine driving until 1 a.m. though, I don't even get tired until 4 or 5 a.m. usually.

[kent_moore]

I used to "don't drive after dark" but when I tried it one time, it's more calm, no traffic and no distractions (like looking at the scenery or nice sports car infront of you), usually cars are very far apart.