Is It Safe To Sleep In Your Car?
Is it safe to sleep in your car? This is a question that many people ask themselves when traveling or in the need of rest while in the middle of a long drive. While it may seem like a convenient way to rest, there are actually some dangers associated with sleeping in your car. Here’s what you need to know.
Is It Stay To Stay Overnight In Your Car?
There are a number of caveats that we’ll get into, but yes, it’s safe to sleep in your car overnight.
Many people believe that cars are airtight and suffocation might be a problem, but they are not. You might want to crack a window for comfort but very few cars have enough of an air seal that this would be any concern. If you happen to have a Telsa you can enable “Camp Mode” which will ensure the right airflow for your nap.
The Dangers of Sleeping in Your Car
One of the biggest dangers of sleeping in your car is carbon monoxide poisoning. Cars produce carbon monoxide gas as they run, and this gas can build up to dangerous levels if the car is left running in an enclosed space. Even if you crack a window, carbon monoxide can still seep into the car and poison the air. If you’re going to take a nap in your car, be sure to turn off the engine and keep it off.
Another danger of sleeping in your car is the risk of being involved in a car accident. This seems crazy since you aren’t moving, but the key here is that you move your car some place safe and take your rest. This means you should not pull onto the shoulder of a road under and overpass and take your nap! We have all seen people do this at odd hours of the night, but it’s not a good idea. Get off the road and pull into a parking lot, office park, restaurant parking lot, or someplace out of the way.
Getting your car to a safe, secure place is also important because local ordinances may consider sleeping in your car to be trespassing, loitering, or even vagrancy if the act is done in the wrong place. For example, sleeping overnight in a rest stop or rest area might seem like a perfectly logical way to get some sleep, but local laws may mean you will be fined if doing so, or asked to leave.
Wrap Up
As you can see, there are many dangers associated with sleeping in your car. If you’re planning on taking a long road trip with your family, it’s best to make arrangements for a hotel room or some other form of lodging, but if you just need to catch a quick rest when on your own, you can do so with just a little bit of planning.