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Now this is a hot take!
And I agree with it!
I’ve never really understood why sleeping in your car is illegal in some places…it just seems weird to me. I can understand certain areas like residential neighborhoods being off-limits to this, but what’s the harm in letting someone sleep in their own car anywhere else?
It’s kind of puzzling…
Someone summed up how they feel about this issue on Reddit.
Sleeping in your car should be completely legal and never looked down upon.
byu/dankmemeking21 inunpopularopinion
Here’s how people on Reddit responded to these statements.
Enjoy!
1. Health and sanitation.
“The arguments I’ve heard for it are health and sanitation.
Where large numbers of people are living in their cars, more people tend to relieve themselves outside, or store bottles, and litter. While not all car sleeping would contribute to same, it is an easy thing to point to for living in a car.
I don’t know the numbers, but that’s the general argument as I understand it.”
2. Interesting…
“There’s a high overlap between people who sleep in their car and people who commit crime.
I work across the street from a park bordering a forest and we have a lot of people who park on the street and sleep. We also have a lot of people who try to break into the company car or otherwise f*ck with things.
Living out of your car means you don’t have a place to dispose of your waste, trash and otherwise…
I’m not saying it’s right but this combo is almost certainly why.”
3. A strange law.
“One of the first times I went to a bar I got too drunk to drive home.
I planned to sleep it off in my car, but the bartender told me to sleep in the passenger seat, because if I slept in the drivers seat I could get a DUI. I slept in the passenger seat and everything worked out fine.
It’s always bothered me that someone making the smart and safe decision to not endanger others on the road after realizing they drank too much can get the same penalty as someone that does drink and drive.”
4. Sounds dangerous.
“My mom work night and drives a high way of 40 minutes, one time she felt too tired to drive the whole way home so she side parked and rested in her car.
She then wakes up by a police officer knocking asking her if she’s alright and if something is wrong at home. She explained kindly her situation but he went “I’m sorry ma’m but we can’t let you sleep here people get worried”
Which is ironic. Why is a person resting such a warning sign, a tired person driving in front of the wheel should be much more worrying.”
5. Be aware of this.
“If you are over the legal limit asleep in your car, that’s a DUI.
There is only one specific way to not get a DUI in this instance and it’s if your keys are a certain distance away.
It could be up to 150 feet.”
6. Good to know.
“Just an FYI but you can always sleep overnight at Walmart.
Sometimes certain section restrict RV parking but even RV’s are welcome somewhere on Walmart’s lot.”
7. A bit extreme, perhaps?
“I was in my apartment complex, and I was waiting for a phone call from my parents and they said they would call me in about 30 minutes.
It was around 7 PM in the winter, so the sun was down and the atmosphere was very cool. I decided to just take the call in my car, and take a quick nap.
15 minutes later, a cop pulled up with a flashlight aimed at my face and had me get out of my car and then made me walk with him to my apartment, and waited until I proved that I am actually a resident in that apartment.
Crazy.”
8. Be safe out there.
“To sleep in your car is not illegal, it is only where you choose to park that make it illegal. It’s unsafe and not good to do this.
I had to live in my car for a time and no matter where I’ve slept I have had someone come look in on me. It was creepy because not one person came to see if I was okay, rather to see what was in the car.
Be safe people.”
9. A big difference.
“There’s a difference between camping out in one spot on a public street for a month and just spending a night or two in your car somewhere.
The latter should not be illegal as long as the sleeper isn’t doing anything else disagreeable.”
10. Uh oh.
“Welcome to Seattle.
That obscenely expensive 500 square foot home you just bought? RV full of crackheads just parked out front. And they are staying for the rainy months.
There will be poop in your yard.”
11. The straight dope.
“The problem is sh*tty people, who don’t clean up after themselves. I witnessed a lot of it when I used to roadside camp in the ’90s.
People would park their vehicle and sleep somewhere, sh*t in the woods and leave toilet paper everywhere, and just empty all of their trash on the side of the road. I’ve even seen this kind of attitude on various trails with campers in tents, who just leave huge messes in the wilderness. A few bad apples spoiled it for everyone else.
I’ve heard that you can camp at Walmart these days, so at least there’s that, but for most homeless people who want to shelter in their cars, it’s become a nightmare.
When I was doing it, I worked seasonally and roadside camped (slept in my van) while traveling to my next job, because I couldn’t afford to stay anywhere. I stored my trash and then threw it away in a receptacle, I used public toilets (McDonald’s mostly), and stayed at State Parks every few days to shower.
Sometimes, when you’re far from civilization and you have to go, you have to go, but at least I would dig a hole….”
12. Here’s a good tip.
“It’s also better to sleep in your car in a quiet suburban neighborhood or wherever the cars parked look fairly new.
Parking lots usually make for spots where car break-ins are frequent.”
13. From someone in LA.
“Los Angeles reporting in.
Here’s what people not living in these cities don’t understand.
Cars don’t have bathrooms or trash pick up. Where does that waste end up? Where it shouldn’t. On the sidewalks and surrounding area.
The longer someone lives in their vehicle in one spot, the more of them will show up because clearly it’s a place they can be without being harassed.
Yes some of them are down on their luck but some of them also have mental issues and some of those issues end up harming people who happen to just be walking by at the same time.
People living in their car need to be resourceful. Meaning finding ways to steal or freeload. This comes at a cost to the actual residents of the street they’re squatting on that week/month.
Groups of vehicular residents kill property value.
Having someone living in their vehicle outside your home will not make you happy no matter how virtuous you think you are.
We had an RV show up outside our home one day and he was there for almost a month. He pee’d in the alley behind our house. Used our hose and water. Dumped a bit of his holding tank on to the street a couple of times. He had a friend that would come over and they’d have shouting matches.
Their window was 5 feet outside of my window. That was very unsettling. Every time I’d go out to walk the dog, there it was. I didn’t feel safe with it there and felt a giant weight lifted off my mind when he left.”
What do you think?
Should people be allowed to sleep in their cars legally and without judgment?
Tell us what you think in the comments. Thanks!
