Been contemplating a road trip from Orlando to Key West going down the Gulf Coast and up the Atlantic Coast. The proposed itenerary:
Day 1: Fly into Orlando, Drive to Fort Myers
Day 2: Finish drive to Key West
Day 4 Drive from Key West to West Palm Beach area
Day 5 Finish drive to Orlando.
Been thinking about taking US 1 and I-95 through Miami instead of the Turnpike. Terrible idea? I have a high anxiety level and am worried about carjackers, smash and grab, road rage, accidents, bump and robs and all kinds of stuff, I heard I-95 was the most dangerous road in America. I'd be going through Saturday / Saturday night. How tedious is US 1 between the Turnpike and I-95?
The North Yungas Road was, until recently, the most dangerous road in America.
[edit]For a more serious answer: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=3954.0
Thanks NE2 for the link to the other thread - I remembered a similar question to the OP's not to long ago (and I posted in the other thread as well).
I've driven from the Homestead Extension's southern terminus down US 1 to Key West a number of times and have always felt safe. It's mostly free-moving (well, not many traffic lights, that is) at that point. And only once or twice have I really driven north on US 1, but I've felt safe practically every time.
If you really don't want to take the Turnpike, I could suggest taking I-95 to the Palmetto Expressway (FL 826) which will eventually terminate onto US 1, so that way you can minimize your drive on surface streets if that's what you prefer. Traffic is pretty nuts, though, and people in the Miami area are pretty aggressive (in my opinion, at least) so no matter where you drive, you'll encounter it. I think the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike south to US 1 is a pretty safe bet, but that's just me.
If you plan on taking toll roads, I'd suggest getting a SunPass. The mini stickers work well and pay for themselves through a rebate of the purchase price. If you plan on taking I-75 from Ft Myers south (east) to Miami, you'll go through at least one toll.
Crime generally isn't too bad off the main road, but I usually do not recommend straying too far into a handful of the neighborhoods. Still, I did plenty of exploring / getting lost around Miami-Dade, and never feared a thing. The biggest worry you might have is a greater number of drivers that refuse to carry insurance, which is required by law.
I should mention that US 1 has a lot of stop lights and has a lit of traffic, so if you're just there to clinch it...be patient. The haul from Florida City to Key West is beautiful, but watch for speed traps and drunks.
I just got back from a trip of a flight into FLL, then over to Naples, then back over to Miami. Drove all over Miami, no problems. There have probably been several dozen "bump and take" car incidents on I-95 in the last decade. Out of the millions of daily trips taken on a very busy road. This is not like its Beirut or Gaza or Mexico City or someplace. Its Miami. As with any city, the smart driver knows what route he wants to take and does not take an exit or turn a corner without knowing exactly where he is going and what lie ahead. A few hours with a good map to learn the terrain and a good read of the Wikipedia article about the neighborhoods of any big city are enough for me. Because it is so flat and layed out such that you can come to an expressway if you just stay any course if you get lost, I found south Florida much easier to navigate than many places in rougher terrains.
BTW, I was kinda disappointed in "Alligator Alley", which I had been looking forward to driving. It is so ordinary. In south Florida, everybody lives within a six or so miles of the coast. The interior is just a swamp. I-75 (signed confusingly north and south, with little to inform you that it is actually e-w) just starts and ends at the "edge of civilization" and is an almost flat and almost curveless drive of about 90 miles. But there is life in the swamp. Rest areas fully stocked. Cell phone service. The road is completly I standard. An Indian Reservation exit with a truck stop (and a "Tribal Police" running radar on a 70 SL road that could easily be driven safely at 120). Hardly the frontier outpost I was expecting. Drives I have made out west go through far more spartan landscacpes.
I did also trackdown the "rental car" deal mentionedin the other thread. Florida puts county names on plates and plates are in a series counting down from "A" in some manner. Rental cars used to have "Rental" where the county should be and started up from "Z" and leased cars had "Lease" and counted up from "Y". Some kind of tax deal, as I understand it, as the state taxes such cars and splits the money among all counties, while regular cars are taxed by the county. This kept the rental and lease companies from seeking out a low tax swamp county and registering all the cars there. Anyway the story about the "bump and take" was this kind of pre-internet internet rumor and took off. So they stopped that and now rentals and leases get plates just in the regular series. A variation on the theme was/is that the Miami (or Tampa or Jacksonville or Orlando, dependig on the rumor) thugs would target people from other parts of Florida, based on the county names (which implies a greater geographic IQ than one would expect from a street criminal, IMHO) so you can also get "Sunshine State" or "In God We Trust" substituted for the county name if you want, and in Miami-Dade, all of the plates are "Sunshine State" and none have the county name.
BTW, Budget issued me a vehicle registered in Indiana.
^ Correct...in early 1990s the plates used to say rental where the county designation went. The Y or Z prefix disappeared over the years. There's still a few detail clues as to a rental car or not, but its less obvious than before.
Tamiami Trail > Alligator Alley...although its best enjoyed by the notion it's pretty much a vitally uninhabited, swampy desert.
Quote from: formulanone on August 22, 2011, 10:21:36 AM
^ Correct...in early 1990s the plates used to say rental where the county designation went. The Y or Z prefix disappeared over the years. There's still a few detail clues as to a rental car or not, but its less obvious than before.
by this stage of the game, why even bother? a computer can look up, in several milliseconds, an arbitrary license plate number and - independent of any clues from the form and layout - determine if the car is a rental or not.
there's a big lookup table in the DMV computer and it can say, accurately and quickly, that plate number "A55 RGY" is privately owned, while "A56 RGY" is a rental, "A57 RGY" is a commercial vehicle and "A58 RGY" is a trailer.
the important part is, that under this system there would be no formula for Miami's underbelly to reverse-engineer because, literally,
there is no formula.
It would be far more entertaining if the assholes came up to vehicle "A59 RGY", figuring it to be an easy mark ... and it turned out it was an unmarked police car containing two fully armed officers.
Quote from: SP Cook on August 21, 2011, 08:30:01 AM
I just got back from a trip of a flight into FLL, then over to Naples, then back over to Miami. Drove all over Miami, no problems. There have probably been several dozen "bump and take" car incidents on I-95 in the last decade. Out of the millions of daily trips taken on a very busy road. This is not like its Beirut or Gaza or Mexico City or someplace. Its Miami. As with any city, the smart driver knows what route he wants to take and does not take an exit or turn a corner without knowing exactly where he is going and what lie ahead. A few hours with a good map to learn the terrain and a good read of the Wikipedia article about the neighborhoods of any big city are enough for me. Because it is so flat and layed out such that you can come to an expressway if you just stay any course if you get lost, I found south Florida much easier to navigate than many places in rougher terrains.
BTW, I was kinda disappointed in "Alligator Alley", which I had been looking forward to driving. It is so ordinary. In south Florida, everybody lives within a six or so miles of the coast. The interior is just a swamp. I-75 (signed confusingly north and south, with little to inform you that it is actually e-w) just starts and ends at the "edge of civilization" and is an almost flat and almost curveless drive of about 90 miles. But there is life in the swamp. Rest areas fully stocked. Cell phone service. The road is completly I standard. An Indian Reservation exit with a truck stop (and a "Tribal Police" running radar on a 70 SL road that could easily be driven safely at 120). Hardly the frontier outpost I was expecting. Drives I have made out west go through far more spartan landscacpes.
I did also trackdown the "rental car" deal mentionedin the other thread. Florida puts county names on plates and plates are in a series counting down from "A" in some manner. Rental cars used to have "Rental" where the county should be and started up from "Z" and leased cars had "Lease" and counted up from "Y". Some kind of tax deal, as I understand it, as the state taxes such cars and splits the money among all counties, while regular cars are taxed by the county. This kept the rental and lease companies from seeking out a low tax swamp county and registering all the cars there. Anyway the story about the "bump and take" was this kind of pre-internet internet rumor and took off. So they stopped that and now rentals and leases get plates just in the regular series. A variation on the theme was/is that the Miami (or Tampa or Jacksonville or Orlando, dependig on the rumor) thugs would target people from other parts of Florida, based on the county names (which implies a greater geographic IQ than one would expect from a street criminal, IMHO) so you can also get "Sunshine State" or "In God We Trust" substituted for the county name if you want, and in Miami-Dade, all of the plates are "Sunshine State" and none have the county name.
BTW, Budget issued me a vehicle registered in Indiana.
These are the same street thugs who cant drive a manual transmission. I saw something on Tru tv where a car thief was baffled by the stick shift... needless to say he was apprehended.
Back in the 1990s the retirement villages were all abuzz about going to Miami with non-Dade tags and being victims of crime. So the old folks all called their legislators and got things changed so you can opt for the Sunshine State tags.
But if you take precautions and have some wits about you, you will be fine. ( i.e. Don't stop and ask directions if you see an abundance of burned out cars)
We did a fair amount of driving around the Miami area on our trip to Florida in late June and we had no problems. I will echo the advice about the SunPass Mini; several people here gave me some very helpful advice on that and you can read that thread by clicking here if you like (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=4615.0). Note that you need not mount the Mini permanently to your windshield the way the Florida DOT says you must. Scotch tape worked fine for me. If you think you may want to use the HOT lanes on I-95 in Miami, then you are required to have a SunPass. Also, if you plan to visit Key Biscayne, note that the causeway does NOT accept SunPass, as I learned the hard way. The other reason to get the SunPass is for convenience–it will give you more spur-of-the-moment options if you decide at the last second that one of the toll roads is a better route.
Alligator Alley is a little boring unless you just want to see how fast you can go, but note that there is road construction on the eastern part of US-41 across the Everglades where they are putting the road onto a bridge for environmental reasons. So that could have the potential to slow things down. If you've never been there and you picture the Everglades as a Louisiana-style bayou with Spanish moss, big trees, lots of scenery, you're in for a disappointment. It reminds me more of the Canadian sub-arctic (especially the long hike down the boardwalk to Western Brook Pond in Newfoundland) rather than meeting what I had pictured a swamp as being before I first saw it.
Incidentally, we drove down part of US-1 to the south of the I-95 terminus and had no problems at all other than annoyance at the large number of traffic lights. If I were heading to the Keys, I'd opt for the Turnpike unless I had a reason why I needed to take US-1 (and a clinch will never be a motivation for me because I know I am never going to clinch US-1 even in my home state!).
Quote from: 1995hoo on August 22, 2011, 05:01:09 PM
Alligator Alley is a little boring unless you just want to see how fast you can go
from what I remember of I-75, it was pretty decently patrolled. so, yes, attempting to make a speed run will make things interesting fairly quickly, I'd imagine.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 22, 2011, 05:56:52 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on August 22, 2011, 05:01:09 PM
Alligator Alley is a little boring unless you just want to see how fast you can go
from what I remember of I-75, it was pretty decently patrolled. so, yes, attempting to make a speed run will make things interesting fairly quickly, I'd imagine.
We didn't see any cops, but it was also raining so I didn't get much above 80. On my first trip there, back in November 2005, I seldom dipped below 100 mph on there on the way down to Miami for a football game (the trip back was at night so I kept it to 75). It was fun, but those days are behind me now. My wife would have gone nuts had I gone that fast with her in the car.
Alligator Alley used to have little-to-no patrolling until 2002 or so. The Miccosukee Police love the area around Exit 49, and they will nail you for 6-over the limit. I count at least one Florida Highway Patrol vehicle every time I travel on it (about once or twice a year). So it's no longer Florida's Autobahn.
Until then, it was a good place to test your car's wheel/suspension alignment and try the triple-digit thing. Usually, there's too many vehicles going 55-60mph, so the differential can be rather dangerous, as boredom can lead to distraction at all speeds, people ignore mirros after a wile; I'll speed up when it's clear, but lift when there's traffic.
I know I'm a little late to the discussion, but I do want to advise against taking US1 between I-95 and the end of the turnpike. It's perfectly safe - the road goes past UMiami and through other general suburbia - but it has some of the worst traffic in Miami.
You don't have to worry about safety driving around Miami, at least not any more than any other city. There are definitely some bad areas, but you won't go through them as a tourist, and even if you do you won't get carjacked, shot, or anything like that just driving through on a main road.
I'd recommend stopping for Cuban food while you're there. There's a really good Cuban place on SW 88th just off of the Turnpike in Kendall, plus some good ones in Little Havana on "calle ocho" if you don't mind going a bit out of your way. We usually stop at the one on 88th whenever we're driving to the keys, sometimes on the way back too.
I appreciate all the responses. A few more questions about the proposed trip: Would US 1 be slow and congested on a Saturday enough to make me regret trying it. And driving from Fort Myers to Key West in a single day a good idea or no. Where does one stop for a break on the Overseas highway, I don't see any rest areas on my map? Driving through Tampa on a week-evening a good idea or no? (Figure I'll be out of the Orlando airport 4-5, then I-4 to I-275 and across the Skyway then I-75 south to Fort Myers getting there around 8 or so to spend the night). Is the third week of October too soon to buy oranges?
I am starting to get the idea that I should worry about normal things like getting sick or a car accident rather than things like sharks or criminals. The idea of never traveling is tempting to me since I have an anxiety disorder (could you tell...) but on the other hand there's so much in this country I want to go see.
Quote from: Mdcastle on August 29, 2011, 09:43:39 PM
I appreciate all the responses. A few more questions about the proposed trip: Would US 1 be slow and congested on a Saturday enough to make me regret trying it. And driving from Fort Myers to Key West in a single day a good idea or no. Where does one stop for a break on the Overseas highway, I don't see any rest areas on my map? Driving through Tampa on a week-evening a good idea or no? (Figure I'll be out of the Orlando airport 4-5, then I-4 to I-275 and across the Skyway then I-75 south to Fort Myers getting there around 8 or so to spend the night). Is the third week of October too soon to buy oranges?
I am starting to get the idea that I should worry about normal things like getting sick or a car accident rather than things like sharks or criminals. The idea of never traveling is tempting to me since I have an anxiety disorder (could you tell...) but on the other hand there's so much in this country I want to go see.
Google Maps puts the Fort Myers to Key West drive at about 5 1/2 hours. That's about what the drive is from Palm Bay where I live. It's a very doable drive. Personally, I would just focus on getting there and skip US1 through Miami. Coming across on I-75, you'd have to go way far east to pick up US1. It's much more direct to just take I-75 to the Turnpike. If you really want to drive that stretch, do it on the way back up the east coast after leaving the Keys.
There are plenty of places to stop on the Overseas Highway. Key Largo, Tavernier, and Islamorada are all very much developed. You won't have any problem finding fast food, gas, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. Heading south from them are a few undeveloped keys but you'll quickly get to Marathon, another built up city with places to stop. Heading south from Marathon gets to be a bit rural again but there are still gas stations and restaurants between there and Key West. There aren't any rest areas on the overseas highway but plenty of gas stations and restaurants along the whole stretch, plus name-brand fast food in Key Largo, Marathon, and Key West if you're looking for something less adventurous.
You'll have no problems heading through Tampa in the evening. Heading out of the Orlando airport, I'd strongly suggest taking the south airport exit to SR-417 (TOLL). It puts you onto I-4 far enough west that you'll miss most of the Orlando rush hour traffic. If you take the north exit onto SR-528 (TOLL), you'll hit the usual evening traffic jam around Disney. Once you get to Tampa, you'll probably hit some more traffic between the end of I-4 and the bridge on I-275, but it shouldn't be terrible that time of night. It's worth going the long way through St. Petersburg on I-275 instead of just picking up I-75 east of Tampa to take the Skyway IMO, even with the bit of traffic you'll hit downtown.
If you have any more questions, please keep coming back. There are a number of us Floridians here and we're happy to help put down any fears and concerns you may have!
I'll second realjd's suggestion on taking SR 417 south of the Orlando Airport. It seems that mostly everyone is heading to SR 528, as downtown is in that direction as well as links to a lot of other things, like Disney. 417 is the (half) beltway around Orlando, so it bypasses a lot of the traffic you'll be seeing, and I've never run into any major traffic on 417.
Taking I-275 across Tampa Bay (twice, once on the Howard Frankland bridge and once again on the Skyway) is a beautiful drive and I highly recommend it. The Skyway does charge a $1.00 toll ($0.75 for SunPass) one-way, so I'd recommend getting the SunPass if you haven't already. Plus you'll save money using the Turnpike in Miami if you decide to go that route.
So Tamiami trail is a better drive than Alligator Alley? Now I'm kind of torn, I've always wanted to clinch AA but it sounds like TT would be a better way to see the Everglades. My vacations seem to be making compromises between doing things to clinch roads and doing other things more traditional on vacation. My sister is coming along, and she wants to see things, has zero interest in whether we're on a 2di interstate or not.
We plan to spend time at Fort Zach Taylor beach in Key West, but we may have a couple of hours to go to a beach on one of the coasts. I was told that the Gulf beaches are generally nicer and warmer than the Atlantic beaches. Recommendations on one in the Naples-Fort Myers area. We're looking for lots of white sand and palm trees, warm water, preferrably quiet rather than a busy party zone.
Can you use the express lanes on I-95 with the toll-by-plate option on rental cars? Would you be run down if you attempt to drive the speed limit on them?. And dumb question, but how to you keep car keys secure and dry at the beach? Put them in waterproof bag in a zippered or velcroed pocket?
Quote from: Mdcastle on September 05, 2011, 12:13:01 PM
Can you use the express lanes on I-95 with the toll-by-plate option on rental cars? Would you be run down if you attempt to drive the speed limit on them?.
At least the company I dealt with (Budget) came with a Sun Pass attached to the window with a device that shielded it, such that you had to "turn it on" by moving a lever to remove the shield. It charged a $10 "convience fee" and the tolls to my credit card, seperatly from the rental. The rental contract provided that any plate tolls, along with parking tickets, photocop tickets and such, would be charged to my credit card, plus $100.
The I-95 express lanes require a SunPass.
Our relatives in Fort Myers said not to bother with US-41 across the Everglades because they said it's slow and there's nothing to see.
My family has a condo in the Ft. Myers area, and while visiting with my wife and her friends back in 2007, we decided to do the drive to Key West, stay there overnight, then come back the next day.
Now it wasn't extremely crowded when we made the drive since we chose to drive down on a Wednesday or Thursday, not to mention it was either June or July when there generally aren't as many visitors in FL, especially South FL. That being said, it was a pleasant experience.
We took the I-75 to FL Turnpike to US 1 route for obvious reasons. One annoyance of the Turnpike is going southbound, where right before traffic from the Don Shula (formerly South Dade) Expressway merges in, the southbound Turnpike narrows down to one lane! One of a few rare instances where FDOT (or the FL Turnpike Commission, whoever controls the toll roads) dropped the ball on roadway design, otherwise I've had very few problems with their roadway designs.
ALso, we were stopped only once on US 1. This was at the drawbridge leading up to Key Largo, and I believe this problem may be solved by now as a replacement high-rise bridge was under construction at that time.
Once we were on the Keys, it seemed like there were plenty of places to stop along the way for restroom or gas breaks, though the gas prices get higher the further down the highway you get, for obvious reasons. Marathon seemed to offer the most as far as selection of fast food restaurants.
Pretty much, if you're not thinking about it too much, this part of US 1 is pretty much just like any other part of any two-lane US highway running through the countryside. The only clues you'll have that you're even on the Overseas Highway are all of the bridges.
Quote from: Mdcastle on September 05, 2011, 12:13:01 PM
So Tamiami trail is a better drive than Alligator Alley? Now I'm kind of torn, I've always wanted to clinch AA but it sounds like TT would be a better way to see the Everglades. My vacations seem to be making compromises between doing things to clinch roads and doing other things more traditional on vacation. My sister is coming along, and she wants to see things, has zero interest in whether we're on a 2di interstate or not.
We plan to spend time at Fort Zach Taylor beach in Key West, but we may have a couple of hours to go to a beach on one of the coasts. I was told that the Gulf beaches are generally nicer and warmer than the Atlantic beaches. Recommendations on one in the Naples-Fort Myers area. We're looking for lots of white sand and palm trees, warm water, preferrably quiet rather than a busy party zone.
Can you use the express lanes on I-95 with the toll-by-plate option on rental cars? Would you be run down if you attempt to drive the speed limit on them?. And dumb question, but how to you keep car keys secure and dry at the beach? Put them in waterproof bag in a zippered or velcroed pocket?
Tamiami Trail is a nicer drive, but I still would suggest just trying to get to Key West as quickly as you can, and that means taking Alligator Alley. Driving the Overseas Highway is a beautiful drive, but it can be tiring. You'll be glad to get to your hotel earlier rather than later in this case. It's one of the few times I would recommend not taking the scenic route.
Fort Zachary Taylor State Park is really cool. It has a nice (if man-made) beach, and the fort itself is worth seeing. The nicest beach in the Keys though is Bahia Honda State Park. The Keys are rocky islands -- Bahia Honda is one of the only naturally sandy beaches. If you don't make it there, Fort Taylor SP is probably my favorite KW beach. You'll love it. Picture coconut palms and clear calm water.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DvutIf5_pWg/R27p9HLCC7I/AAAAAAAAA04/S3RJV_PVpiM/s800/IMG_0504.JPG)
I don't get out to the west coast very often, but my usual advice for finding a nice beach is to find a state park. In the Fort Myers area, I'd recommend Lovers Key State Park. I've heard nice things about Sanibel there also (not a state park), but I've never been there personally. Looking on a map, Barefoot Beach State Preserve is closer to Naples, and I'm sure it's nice. The state beaches are cool because they're undeveloped. They're not as crowded, quieter, and aren't crowded with condos.
As for your car keys on the beach, don't bother with a ziplock bag. The sand won't hurt them. When you get in the water, just leave them with your stuff on land. You'll probably have beach towels, chairs, shirts, and other things you leave on dry land when you get into the ocean. Don't worry about leaving your keys with that stuff. You won't get far enough away that you won't see it, and unlike other Caribbean countries, it's very unusual for people to steal stuff on the beach. Just fold them up with your shirt or something so they aren't sitting out visible.
I don't think the 95 express lanes support toll by plate, but most rental cars in FL support SunPass through the rental car company. You'll have to ask when you pick up your car. And yes, you will absolutely be run down if you try the speed limit in the express lanes. The speed limit is 55 and most cars drive 75-80. It's two lanes wide though so if you're really uncomfortable, cars can still pass. Traffic in general moves fast in Miami. People like to talk about how crazy Miami drivers are. My experience is that they aren't that bad as long as you can keep up. If traffic is moving 80 and you're going the 55 speed limit, it will be terrifying. Don't worry about tickets. As long as you aren't the fastest car on the road (usually a BMW, Audi, or other European import), you won't get a speeding ticket in Miami on the freeways.
If your rental car has a tolling agreement that allows you to use SunPass Only lanes, you can use the Express Lanes even if you dont have the tag in the vehicle. If there is no tag but there is an agreement in place allowing you to use SunPass lanes, then the license plate is your SunPass, and tolls will be billed by image.
If you are in a normal car, you can only do the image billing where there is a "toll by plate" sign. Otherwise, you either have to pay cash or not use the facility if you do not have a SunPass.
Rental cars are very easy to spot on the road. Forget about the license plate. They have the rental car company car inventory bar code stickers all over them. What normal person puts barcodes all over the windows of their car?
I got a deal on renting a Ford Escape, but now I'm wondering if I should have because it doesn't have a lockable trunk for luggage. Are car break-ins at beaches, restaraunts, whatnot a problem or should I not live in fear?
Quote from: Mdcastle on October 10, 2011, 10:35:32 PM
I got a deal on renting a Ford Escape, but now I'm wondering if I should have because it doesn't have a lockable trunk for luggage. Are car break-ins at beaches, restaraunts, whatnot a problem or should I not live in fear?
if you can break into a car, you can break into the trunk just as easily. I wouldn't give it a second thought.
The Ford Escape I had as a rental had a cover that shielded the luggage compartment.
I suppose a lot of thieves look for obvious stuff (purses/wallets left on seats, visible laptops, iPods, et cetera), based on the weekly contents of my local Police Blotter in the paper. Most of the time, people just forget to lock their doors or close windows, which makes theft a lot less obvious to the public in broad daylight.
Most decent rental agencies will have another car ready for you to switch to.
I had a film called Supaglass applied to my car. It stops someone from smashing the side or rear windows to gain entry to the car. Here's a video of it in action
.
The only problem is the cost which is £600 (around US$900). However I am more confident about leaving stuff in the car, out of sight of course. This company seems to operate only in the UK although I suspect similar products are available in other countries. If you're fortunate enough to drive a Lexus they come with laminated side windows as standard so the extra film isn't needed.
Quote from: Mdcastle on October 10, 2011, 10:35:32 PM
I got a deal on renting a Ford Escape, but now I'm wondering if I should have because it doesn't have a lockable trunk for luggage. Are car break-ins at beaches, restaraunts, whatnot a problem or should I not live in fear?
During the day, it's pretty rare unless you leave a laptop or purse on the passenger seat or some other high value item. I've never had issues with my GPS or radar detector - both items that attract thieves. I wouldn't leave them at night parked outdoors though. But I can't imaging thieves really looking for luggage anyway.
It's possible, but I think it depends on the mentality and resourcefulness of a thief in question. Basically, not leaving any reason to attract thieves helps...but some people will steal anything. I have been to shopping malls during the holiday season in which people seem to check car door handles to see if they're locked or not. One example was a middle-aged lady...I personally believe that there are people, given the opportunity to commit a "perfect crime", would do so if they could get away with it and not damage property nor cause physical harm to others.
I've had my car broken into twice in 20 years, the last in 1994. The first time was not in a great area, at night and unlit, but they stole my lighters, cassette tapes, road maps, and jumper cables...and left me with a smashed rear quarter-window; mysteriously leaving the radar detector and tape deck alone, which might have actually been worth something! The only thing left in view was a black container that held the cassette tapes, which was partially under my seat, but that might have been what captured the thief's interest.
The next break-in was at my workplace, where they stole my backpack - which I left on the passenger seat - instantly losing three textbooks, all my college notes for the semester, but yet again leaving the CD player (upgrade!) and radar detector (same one) in their place. The thief obviously didn't like my taste in music, as I used to carry about 30 CDs in their jewel cases in a box in behind the passenger seat...still, used CD stores were at their peak at this time (easy money). Got the company to defray the cost of loss and repairs by making us park out of sight, leveraged by the fact two managers and a few other employees had break-ins that afternoon. The notes were the worst loss of all, naturally. Probably caused by a disgruntled ex-employee.
Want a quick easy way to tell if a car registered in the state of Florida is a rental or not? Look at the license place. If the tag expires in June it means that either 1) the person who owns the car was born in June or most likely 2) It is owned by a business company. And the other thing to look for is a bar code sticker usually on the driver's side on the non-movable section of the window or the corner of the rear window.
Well, I'm back home from the trip. Drove 1403 miles all in one state. Beautiful weather and no major problems.
I have a question regarding US 1 in West Palm Beach. Is the area around where US 1 changes alignments north of Downtown a safe area? I noticed the same type of activity that is taking place in the Pine Hills and Parramore areas of Orlando and I do not want to be like many to automatically assume that all minority neighborhoods are trouble. I have driven Miami plenty of times and felt safe and in Tampa as well I felt safe, but I do not know the area here.
It seemed like it might be questionable and its always good to know for future reference. Also, I am to assume that from Jupiter to Florida City, that US 1 is red light city meaning all urban or suburban with frequent signals timed independently. I never clinched it totally through Miami, but I know from Jupiter to Hollywood it is all arterial and being it was later on after the day rush, I could not see how the signals operated in peak times.
You mean where it runs east/west for a few blocks? There appear to be a few newer antique shops, art galleries, and coffee shops in that area. I know that US1 does run through some bad areas in WPB, but that immediate area looks fine on Streetview at least. Now it may get bad a few blocks off of the highway, I don't know.
Regardless, as long as you stick to US1, you'll be fine even in the bad areas. At it's worst it will be like West Colonial in Orlando. Sketchy area, but safe to drive down as long as you don't go on any of the back roads.
It's fine...if you're not actively looking for trouble, you won't find it.