Crime

While California is an often-violent place (cities like Oakland, Richmond, East Palo Alto, bits of East LA., and Compton are the murder capitals of America, with death rates much higher than those of New York), as a tourist you are likely to be insulated from most of it. But don't be complacent -- even for well-sheltered tourists, California is still far more violent and dangerous than most places in Europe, Britain, or Australia, and you need to be aware of what to do and what to avoid. This section concentrates on the problems most likely to be encountered while driving; more general tips and hints can be found in the various California tourist guides.

Some things to watch out for or remember:

Try to avoid driving or parking in bad neighborhoods. If you do have to drive through bad areas, try not to run out of gas or break down in such a place.

This advice is obvious, but it's not always easy for foreigners to tell bad from good here (when I first arrived my London common sense about these things nearly proved fatal). So how do you tell whether a neighborhood is possibly bad? Again, most of these are obvious, but they need to be said somewhere:

Are there lots of old, beaten-up, large American cars parked on the street or driving around?

Are there lots of liquor stores in the area, i.e. one on nearly every corner of the larger streets? Do these stores have bars across the windows and doors?

Are there lots of check cashing stores in the area? Are they heavily barred?

Are there "donuts" on the streets at nearly every intersection? ("Donuts" are the circular skid marks left on the street by cars "doing donuts", i.e. repeatedly making fast small-radius turns in the street with screeching / burning rubber...).

None of these things, taken separately or all together, means that a neighborhood is necessarily bad (far from it -- the area of Berkeley I used to live in failed three of these tests, but it was a reasonably safe and pleasant place to live). However, as a foreigner without a native's sense of what's good and what's bad, it always pays to be cautious. If you stray into what you think is a bad area, go back out the way you came (if you can) unless you know that there's a quicker way out ahead.

Also, as several people have reminded me, there are plenty of areas that are relatively safe during the day but that you definitely do not want to go through at night. These include many of the downtown and industrial parts of most cities.

Carjacking. If someone comes up to you and attempts to take your car with a gun or knife, or just generally forces his way into your car, do what he says -- give him the car. Don't try to be heroic -- you'll probably end up dead, particularly if you don't know how to "read" the person trying to take your car.

Car theft. Car theft is not as bad in most of California as it is in (say) New Jersey or New York, but again, don't be complacent. Always lock your car's doors and close the windows securely, and try not to park your car in a bad area or away from the light. Use a car alarm if you have one (but take pity on the nearby residents if it's not a reliable one).

Remember that in general, if you rent a car and it's stolen while in your possession, you will be responsible for it. Hopefully your insurance will cover this, but it's one good reason to keep your car well locked.