Originally Posted By disneymum Hi! I'm sorry in advance if this has been covered somewhere else. We will be driving in the morning on June 30. I don't drive so DD24 will be driving. Even though she has had her license since 16 she has NEVER driven on a freeway before and is somewhat nervous about it. Any freeway diving tips would be much appreciated? Also what route is best to take? What lanes should she use on each? I read somewhere that taking the 210 is best? We will be staying at BWPPI. Thanks!
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I don't have any recommendations on which highways to take, since I've only driven from Vegas to DLR once. But why not get her doing some freeway practice now in preparation?
Originally Posted By Dabob2 One good thing: since you'll have two or more people, you drive in the HOV lanes in the LA area. That means you don't have people cutting in front of you, and don't usually have stop and go traffic. You will have to know your exit well in advance, get out of the HOV lane and get over several lanes to the exit lane. But until you get to your exit, it makes it easier.
Originally Posted By Ursula Just take the high-speed train. Oh, wait. We haven't built it yet... Be careful. People drive from Las Vegas to L.A. often enough that they drive like demons. If you are going the speed limit, stay to the right and let everyone pass you up. I usually take the 15 to the 10, but I don't live in the direction of Anaheim. I do know that the 210 is our most mellowist Freeway here.
Originally Posted By minigirl1156 We take that route annually from Denver to LA. I would be cautious about having a newer driver do it. It even scares me sometimes. There are alot of really fast and dangerous drivers on that stretch. Even the semi's sometimes fly through the desert. Once you get to civilization again, it's a pretty busy drive the whole way but not too bad really. You could take the 15 to the 10 or the 210 and then down the 57. That keeps you away from downtown and backtracking.
Originally Posted By disneymum Thanks for everybodys advice so far! DD24 is a really good driver (been driving 9 years) and has no tickets and no accidents. She can't practise ahead of time because we have no freeways here with that many lanes!
Originally Posted By trekkeruss This is what Mapquest pulls up: <a href="http://www.mapquest.com/mq/10-qEQy" target="_blank">http://www.mapquest.com/mq/10-qEQy</a>
Originally Posted By ksargen Since I drive the high desert out that way pretty frequently - Watch the speed limit signs. The speed limit changes a fair amount on 15 through the desert, and some spots, you may not know WHY it says to slow way down, but when the traffic is nasty, it makes a difference. Google gives the directions based on what is supposed to be the shortest amount of time between points. Most of the routes suggested only differ by, at most, 10 minutes under ideal circumstances. My suggestion - know more than one route you could take, have them printed out, and take the one with the least traffic hassles. KNX 1070 AM does traffic updates every 5 minutes (on the 5's), and usually covers the worst of it for the entire LA area. If you can get the info from them, you can plan accordingly before you exit 15. If you have an iPhone or similar thing, some of the map programs also have traffic updates. As for inexperienced freeway drivers - Be aware of what's going on around you. Do not get distracted. Use your signals, and move with a purpose. The HOV lanes can be your friend, but only if you'll be traveling the speed the rest of the HOV traffic is going. If it looks faster or slower than you want to go, don't get in it. Some of them don't let you exit for miles. And, yes, lots of us who drive the high desert can be speed demons. *LOL*
Originally Posted By ksargen PS - common sense says let the copilot deal with the radio, maps, and any GPS / phone / etc stuff. 8)
Originally Posted By disneymum Thanks so much. I will definitely be listening to the radio for the updates. Just can't wait to get there!!
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <Why does Google Map and my GPS say to go Hwy. 60?> I-15 intersects with the 210, the 10, and the 60. All of them will take you to the 57 south, which is ultimately what you need. The 60 is slightly the most direct way, which is why it comes up. Of course, if it's clogged, it's not the best choice. The good news is, as someone said, you have 3 options to head west from the 15 to the 57. Listen to the traffic reports (or if you have a smartphone, use a googlemaps app - they show traffic conditions and are often more up to date than the radio!) and see which of the three are reported as clogged or clear. Hopefully they'll all be clear! But if one or two are not, you can use the third.
Originally Posted By rainbowmama Oh, my...we were going to drive this summer and would need to do this same route. Is it really as daunting as it sounds? I'm generally a good driver but don't particularly like driving in very heavy traffic. I'll be the only adult in car with 3 kids. Should we rethink and fly? I've heard the traffic is bad but this is the first time I thought it just might not be worth driving!!
Originally Posted By minigirl1156 I don't care for the traffic in the desert, not because of the volume but because of the speeds. Once you hit the city, as long as you are alert and a bit agressive, I don't think the traffic is that bad. If you are passive, you won't get very far just because there are alot of cars. But I've never had a problem with traffic on any of our trips and we always drive.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I wouldn't worry, rainbowmama. Two things: 1). Try to time it so you don't hit greater LA at rush hour on a weekday (and any time after 3 PM can start to get dicey); 2). Just drive in the right lane in the desert. Don't think you can do the speed limit or 5 MPH over it and not be considered a "problem" by impatient drivers who are used to zooming as fast as they can through the desert. Just drive at a speed you're comfortable with in the right lane and pay them no mind when they pass you.
Originally Posted By disneymum I didn't mean to scare anybody when I asked for help. Thanks to everyone for their advice. It never hurts to be prepared when doing something unfamiliar. Don't be mad at us as you speed by us in the left lane.
Originally Posted By SnowWhite We drive Vegas to Disneyland all the time. We take the 15 to the 91 to Harbor. The 91 splits 3 times from the 15 to Harbor. Just stay with it and you are fine. Easy peasy
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Yes, the 91 is yet another alternative. From what my friends which still live in OC and Riverside Co. tell me, though, it's the most likely to be clogged. But if it isn't, that's yet another way to do it.
Originally Posted By Schmitty Good Vibes I think Dabob's comment can't be understated. It is very important what TIME you arrive in the greater L.A. area. Try your best to get where you want to go before 3:00 p.m. I take a lot of business trips to So Cal with a lot of coworkers and we all know to work our day so that we start early before the morning crush and end early before the evening crush. Once in a while we will get stuck at a job site, and our one hour return trip becomes two or three hours (usually the latter).
Originally Posted By ksargen Schmitty - no kidding. Disneymom - you'll be fine, and asking for advise was the smart thing to do. In the end, common sense and a laid back attitude (you ARE going to the Happiest Place on Earth!) will win the day. 8)
