The Best Time to Drive in California

The tormented know this feeling all too well. You’re jammed in the middle of rows and aisles of cars on a highway you’ve never driven on in California. You had a 1:00PM meeting with the beach, but at this rate, you’ll be lucky to make it there before sundown because of the drive in California. You’ve heard about the monstrous traffic there, but you pushed it away as folklore trying to scare away tourism. Yet, you find yourself stuck in one of the worst traffic jams in the entire country. Nothing is worse than the helpless feeling you have when you’re imprisoned in a sea of cars. Let’s hope you packed some snacks and used the restroom before you left, because you’ll be stuck on the 101 for another few hours. There’s a light at the end of this traffic jam. Your favorite online traffic school is here to help. We’re listing the best times to use the roads in California. [/framed_box] [framed_box]

Los Angeles

LA has some of the worst traffic in the world. It’s common that a person, leaving from work, can face upwards to 2 hours of traffic on their commute home. That’s horrifying. Unfortunately, it’s life of the Angelino - who owns a car. Whether you’re driving through Los Angeles or you’re planning on living there, know how to plan around rush hour - or rush 3-hours. The worst times to drive are between 7:00 AM-10:00 AM and again from 4:00 PM-7:00 PM. During these hours, traffic will become more like a nose during the allergy season - it’ll reach max congestion. We joke, but really. Don’t go on the roads between those hours. [/framed_box] [framed_box]

San Francisco

San Francisco’s traffic is similar to Los Angeles’ traffic, except everyone wakes up and leaves for work earlier. If you’re navigating the roads through the bay area, be on the lookout of early morning rushers and late afternoon/early evening sleepy commuters. 7:00 AM-9:00 AM and 4:00-6:00 PM tend to be work and home commute rush. Of course, it tends to be smooth sailing - sorry smooth cruising - when you’re passing through on the weekend. Between Saturday and Sunday, traffic dies down while the rest of San Francisco gets their beauty sleep. [/framed_box] [framed_box]

San Diego

Just like most of California, there’s no avoiding the traffic. But, you do have the option of congested traffic or super congested traffic! With that said, if you want to drive through that simple, easy going regular traffic, then try avoiding the dreadful 7:30 AM-10:00 AM and 3:30 PM-6:30 PM. If you’re visiting San Diego, one of the best options is to travel by foot. It has a vibrant downtown life full of culture, farmers’ markets, and eateries that are all within walking distance. [/framed_box] [framed_box]

California State

California is great for vacationing. Especially the Pacific Coast Highway which stretches from north to south along the western coast. So, if you’re planning a family vacation or a romantic getaway to the golden state, you should know the busiest times in the year to get around. Tourism traffic reaches its high point during the summer season. Visiting the state during Spring, Fall, and Winter will give you plenty of time to visit empty beaches, tourist destinations, and smooth cruises along the coast. Of course, if you want vacant roads, plan to drive on the highways during the holidays. Los Angeles during Thanksgiving looks like a post-apocalyptic waste, except there’s no mayhem and destruction - just no cars on the road. Remember the best way to drive is by being a defensive driver. Enrolling into a California defensive driving course online with Myimprov.com is will teach you the tools necessary to drive safely. Of course, when you’re stuck in traffic, the only thing to remember is to not yell at the cars around you. [/framed_box]

Just How Bad is L.A. Traffic?

“It’s appalling…an endless riddle.” “Adding any number of lanes couldn’t make it better.” “Countless reports claim that Los Angeles has the worst traffic in the country, and they’re all true.” If you recognize these quotes, then you’ve experienced L.A. traffic. These quotes are just a small sampling of what is said about driving in the legendary city. Every major publication in the U.S. and abroad has had something to say about L.A. traffic. Forbes, Money, Travel, LA Times, Huffington Post, New York Times, and Trip Advisor – they’ve all chipped in their two cents.

But just how bad is the traffic in Los Angeles? Consider the following facts:

• Residents of Los Angeles spend an average of 81-100 hours idling on freeways annually. • On any given morning, drivers will creep at an average of 17mph during the 8am “rush” hour. • Los Angeles is one of few cities in the world where automated vehicles (which are set to be released on a mass scale in the next 3 years), are going to make things worse, not better. • L.A. has four of the top ten world most congested highways within the city limits: 1. 101 Freeway between Topanga Canyon Blvd and Vignes St. 2. 5 Freeway between Highway 133 in Orange County & Olympic Blvd 3. 10 Freeway between Santa Monica and Alameda St. 4. 101 Freeway between the 60 Freeway & Haskell Ave. • On any given day at 8am or 5pm, drivers will have to wait an average of 51 minutes in delayed traffic just to go 10-20 miles. • 80% of traffic tickets given on CA freeways were resolved by taking CA traffic school. • Congestion costs the average L.A. driver just over $2400.00 per year. That equals 9.7 billion dollars city-wide. To put it into perspective, that’s roughly 3% of all the cities in the U.S.

Traffic and the Economy

Two contributing factors to how much traffic there is on the L.A. freeway within a given year is how strong the economy is in the Southern region of California as well as the rest of the country. For instance, if the job market and economy is strong and gas prices are low (as they have been over the past 3-5 years), then it’s a safe bet that the traffic could either double or triple. This is especially true during the summertime when tourism is at its peak. There’s no question that Southern California has experienced a huge boost in economic growth over the last half-decade. Thus, more single drivers and families are the on road.

No End in Sight

One of the greatest challenges L.A. traffic officials regularly face is figuring out how to exterminate the traffic situation throughout the metropolis. So far, past-presented solutions either didn’t fix the problem or created further ones. The idea of extending the Metro Rail out to congested areas failed. It presented its own set of challenges. Drivers who were used to commuting in their cars had a tough time transitioning from car to train. Currently, not enough Angelinos use the rail service to ease up the traffic congestion. In 2017, officials discussed passing a Traffic App law. It would require owners of L.A.-registered vehicles to install a traffic application hoping it would help drivers get to their destination without having to take the freeway. Although commuters would not necessarily benefit from the apps, those living in the congested areas may. Numerous tech ideas and alternate transportation models have been designed in the last couple of months. However, there seems to be no end in sight (pardon the pun), to the sheer frustration drivers are facing in their daily commute.

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