Are the interstates in and around Los Angeles really that bad to drive?|105195

We are planning a family roadtrip from Santa Fe new mexico to Los Angeles...we will be flying to santa fe(we live in Pittsburgh, PA) my dad is scared about the interstates in LA saying they are too dangerous and everyone drives too fast and we woun_t be able to handle driving on them. Specifically we would need to be on the 405 and interstate 5 and interstate 10. Are these roads bad for a non-californian? Once again we live in pittsburgh PA so we are not completely sheltered from city traffic and interstates

If you can drive on the 376 and the like in PIttsburgh, the freeways in LA will not scare you. You are perfectly OK here to drive the speed limit as long as you stay in the right two lanes. WHen my daughter first learned to drive here in Orange County she was scared to go out onto the 405 but once she was on it, she says it was easier to drive on than the surface streets.

The accident and injury rate is lower onthe LA freeways than on the surface streets.

I have lived here for 9 years and when I went to Pittsburgh to my daughter_s graduation from Chatham I got truely terrified in the Swissvale tunnels and on the 376, far more than anything LA could ever havd out.

I_m originally from Dallas and I don_t think the freeways in Los Angeles are any different than driving there. I never had any problems merging, even with Texas plates on my car. Just drive at least the speed limit (not under) and we won_t give you any obscene finger gestures. If you see something interesting park your car and walk and not by driving 15 MPH under the speed limit to gawk.

Most of the time the freeways are too congested to go very fast.

Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, even GPS don_t give very good directions for getting around the city. That_s speaking from newbie experience. Buy a real paper map of the area in advance. AAA or most gas stations sell maps.

The freeways and many of the streets are in bad condition so if you think the wheels are about to fall off your car it_s just rough pavement.

Most of us find the freeways too slow, bogged down by traffic most of the time! Sometimes the 405 is soooo slow I want to get out and walk, and I_m talking about the weekend. During weekday rush hours, there is no rushing.

The trick is planning ahead so you know where you_re going and what the signs will say. You can_t figure it out while driving on the freeway unless you already have a good knowledge of the area. When traffic is moving fast, if he stays in the slower lanes to the right, he should be fine.

If your dad can be patient and not freak out if he misses an offramp, he won_t have a problem. Just get off the next offramp and check your map. It_s not a big deal, happens to everyone at some time.

Have a fun adventure!

people who say this are absurd, i_ve lived here for years and only approached the speed limit on a couple of golden days i can remember like they were my birthday. if you want to practice you can just sit in your car in a parking lot. i_ve been to every other major city and they_re nothing like DC or Miami or something where everyone is a maniac. they call it the 405 cuz you will go 4 o_ 5 miles an hour. why you guys are planning to drive all around so much when you come on vacation is another question, you will get to spend about an hour outside the car if you go all around like that.

Non a non-Californian. A non-Angelino.

Take it from someone who makes visits to Long Beach, I find LA freeways scary! I am not used to 5 lanes and extremely fast speed limits, so I am always on the 4th or 5th lane to get to an exit or to another freeway safely.

You_ll be fine though. I haven_t been in an accident in Los Angeles, yet. I figure I might as well get used to it if I go to school in CSU Long Beach or any school in LA anytime soon.

They aren_t bad if you are not a person that gandys You need to know where you are going and go with the flow of traffic.
If the traffic is running 80 mph and the speed limit is 65 and you go 65 you will be given a ticket for impeding the flow of traffic.
In other words if you don_t want to run with the big dogs stay on the porch.

First the bad news-----Traffic on the 405 between the 10 and 101 starting this month will be at a near stand still for the next 3 years as they add another lane and redo the bridges. They will be closing off 1 north bound lane in a few days.
The Good News- You won_t have to worry about fast LA drivers......Just Road Rage.....LOL

The roads are fine. It_s the drivers that will kill you.

LOL! Oh man. The 405? Do you KNOW why the call it the 405? Because you go 4 o_ 5 miles per hour, THAT_S why.

If you_re from Pittsburgh, you should be fine. Frankly, you can_t get over 55 on any of those freeways anytime during the day. The traffic around LA is terrible. Yeah, there are a couple of agressive drivers out there, but nothing like back east. People who have come here from back east tell me that LA drivers are too slow. So go figure.

I-10 is pretty fast from Blythe to San Bernardino, but slows down as you get closer to LA. Just stay in the right lane, and you_ll be fine.

The best part about the interstates here is that you don_t have to deal with snow, and rarely rain. If it does rain, Angelenos over-compensate, and drive REAL slow.

Have fun!