Sleeping in a car isn't illegal necessarily, but there are increasing popup communities that settle in empty/low traffic lots and live out of their vehicles. Like most of America's problems, our politicans are sending police forces to "clean up" the effect, instead of trying to solve the cause.
Not Ohio, but I did sleep on my car on the West Coast on and off for about a year and only got into trouble once. And I didn’t even get a citation, just an oral warning that this wasn’t permitted in that particular town despite there being no signs anywhere (it was written in the city code).
I will say, for all the shit that private property owners get on this site, Walmart is actually one of the places where this is the easiest and least problematic to do. I always tried to avoid private property in favor of more inconspicuous places but I frequently saw quite a few motorhomes parked on their lots after dark and they were still there in the morning, and I’ve heard from others that they’ll generally let you be unless you are causing some sort of ruckus there. Same goes for just sleeping in the car.
In general, if you’re not making a nuisance of yourself or parking right in front of a sign that prohibits overnight parking, you’ll most likely be okay.
I slept in my car for a bit and Walmart was the best place, followed by Home Depot.
The worst places? Believe it or not, truck stops and rest areas. I was asked to leave multiple locations. You couldn't tell I was living out of my car and I looked like I was just on a road trip.
I slept in my car on public rest stops while on a road trip in Norway.
IIRC you can sleep in your car there for two nights, which I never ended up doing anyway because I was travelling.
Public rest stops are amazing, there's usually pretty clean toilets, benches for picnics and sometimes even showers or a lake to bathe in.
Afaik it is allowed as long as its only to regain your driving capabilities and not for multiple nights I'm a row on the same place. The Straßenverkehrsordnung does not state otherwise.
Interesting, I've been told that it's illegal to sleep in your car in Canada when drunk because being in a car with possession of the keys is enough to show intent to DUI and get arrested.
I imagine it's something you could fight in court and win with a good lawyer, but it always seemed counter intuitive to me.
IIRC that's how it works in the US, too. Apparently you're supposed to leave your keys outside the car if you're drunk and want to sleep in it (and even then it's only a court defense, not something that would stop you from getting arrested in the first place).
My understanding is that if the keys are in the ignition, it counts as driving and you're DUI even if you're dead asleep. As long as they're in your pocket, center console, whatever you're good.
I agree though that it may not keep you from going downtown but it'll save you from catching the charge (again, I am super not a lawyer, whatever the opposite is, thats me. Don't take this as fact 😂)
I see a lot of areas with "No Overnight Parking" signs or something similar, so they don't make sleeping in your car illegal technically, but you can't stay there over night.
Often times it's loitering charges, loitering being a fancy term for "being out in public whenever it displeases a person of authority". Sitting on a public bench, having a picnic, walking on a sidewalk, sleeping in your car, whatever, all of those can and will get you loitering charges depending on your exact location in the United States.
Then you have public intoxication charges which on paper are only supposed to apply if you're causing a public disturbance (despite disorderly conduct already being a charge for that, public intoxication just makes it more severe), but in reality it's mostly used to harass drunk people who couldn't get a ride home, or uber home, and decided not to drive while drunk. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a higher likelihood of getting arrested for public intoxication while drunk walking/public transporting home than of getting arrested for DUI while drunk driving home. But public intoxication and even DUI can also be used if you're sleeping off drunkenness in your car, while the car is turned off.
Less actually illegal and more that the lots are privately owned and the owning companies can have you removed from the lots of they don't like what you're doing.
There should be secret laws you have to unlock by doing unfathomably inhumane things.
"You chased a homeless person in their own car off your completely unutilized property for no reason other than malice. You've been sentenced to 12 hours of fighting a flock of geese naked while locked in a middle school gym."
Solo Leveling Penalty Game huh? Damnit, I'm in! What do I get for being someone in HR denying someone a job for reasons of "I just wasn't feeling it."?
You? Nothing, you're just being a good cog in a bad machine. Bossman? Rashes, but on the inside of their skin, but that's likely compounded by numerous other crimes.
Yeah, in an article talking about how news stories about crime often show pictures of tents, they pointed out that the photo is of a crime scene, but the crime was not committed by those living in the tents.
I hate Walmart, but they let people sleep in the parking lot there. Cars, RVs, whatever. So if you're ever unfortunate enough that you're stuck sleeping in your car, you can park at Walmart without getting harassed.
Actually Walmart does not allow it, but most stores don’t care. My local one had a guy unalive himself in his car surrounded by other multi day parked cars. It took them 3 days to see all the others cars leave and he was inside. So now they enforce it. Understandably so.
It has to do with property and liability.
All digital landowners including Lemmy, Mastodon and other social media work very hard to make sure they don't get sued by lazy users 'unaliving' themselves looking to sue for perceived damages and or promoting illegal content by their presehahahaha im just fucking with you but could you imagine some fucking boomer writing something like this
it's Gen Z slang, might have started as evading censors but it's just how they talk now, just like OK started as a joke abbreviation but now everyone says it unironically
Huh, only place I've seen/heard it is in Vault Hunters which definitely isn't made by Gen Z. That may be where they got it though. Hard to say as I've never heard anybody use it irl.
Well, jokes aside, property owners have a responsibility for the well being of anyone on their property in the UK. A lousy contractor without insurance falls from the ladder and snaps their neck? Off you go to jail!
UK has very old laws. Some of them are like a thousand years old. It never had a revolution, so a lot of dumb shit got stuck. For example, if your house is near a church then you must pay the church for their building maintenance, lol.
When a person is in the exercise of his trade at a premises (eg, an electrician), that person will appreciate the special risks associated with his trade and will guard against them. This means the occupier will be free to leave the tradesman to do just that and will not have a higher duty of care placed upon them.
They had us in the first half, ngl.
Is sleeping in your car being illegal some sort of FREEDOM©®™ thing that I'm way too European to understand?
Sleeping in a car isn't illegal necessarily, but there are increasing popup communities that settle in empty/low traffic lots and live out of their vehicles. Like most of America's problems, our politicans are sending police forces to "clean up" the effect, instead of trying to solve the cause.
Here's an article on Vehicle Residency https://www.thenation.com/article/society/homelessness-vehicle-residency-housing/
Sleeping in your car is actually illegal in a lot of places.
In Ohio I'd have to wake up every couple of hours to switch parking lots to avoid cops/loitering charges
Not Ohio, but I did sleep on my car on the West Coast on and off for about a year and only got into trouble once. And I didn’t even get a citation, just an oral warning that this wasn’t permitted in that particular town despite there being no signs anywhere (it was written in the city code).
I will say, for all the shit that private property owners get on this site, Walmart is actually one of the places where this is the easiest and least problematic to do. I always tried to avoid private property in favor of more inconspicuous places but I frequently saw quite a few motorhomes parked on their lots after dark and they were still there in the morning, and I’ve heard from others that they’ll generally let you be unless you are causing some sort of ruckus there. Same goes for just sleeping in the car.
In general, if you’re not making a nuisance of yourself or parking right in front of a sign that prohibits overnight parking, you’ll most likely be okay.
I slept in my car for a bit and Walmart was the best place, followed by Home Depot.
The worst places? Believe it or not, truck stops and rest areas. I was asked to leave multiple locations. You couldn't tell I was living out of my car and I looked like I was just on a road trip.
Sleeping at rest stops is literally stealing money from hardworking hotel owners! /s
I slept in my car on public rest stops while on a road trip in Norway.
IIRC you can sleep in your car there for two nights, which I never ended up doing anyway because I was travelling.
Public rest stops are amazing, there's usually pretty clean toilets, benches for picnics and sometimes even showers or a lake to bathe in.
The US has such places along highways also.
Yeah, check local ordinances this is not legal or universal advice lol
Sleeping in your car in public is not allowed in Germany either
Afaik it is allowed as long as its only to regain your driving capabilities and not for multiple nights I'm a row on the same place. The Straßenverkehrsordnung does not state otherwise.
Interesting, I've been told that it's illegal to sleep in your car in Canada when drunk because being in a car with possession of the keys is enough to show intent to DUI and get arrested.
I imagine it's something you could fight in court and win with a good lawyer, but it always seemed counter intuitive to me.
IIRC that's how it works in the US, too. Apparently you're supposed to leave your keys outside the car if you're drunk and want to sleep in it (and even then it's only a court defense, not something that would stop you from getting arrested in the first place).
My understanding is that if the keys are in the ignition, it counts as driving and you're DUI even if you're dead asleep. As long as they're in your pocket, center console, whatever you're good.
I agree though that it may not keep you from going downtown but it'll save you from catching the charge (again, I am super not a lawyer, whatever the opposite is, thats me. Don't take this as fact 😂)
How the fuck does that work with keyless starting cars? Lol
I guess it wouldn't lol. My last car was an 04 Isuzu rodeo so I don't know nuthin bout that sorcery. 😂
Simple solution: sleep on the back seats if drunk.
Wtf are you supposed do if it's cold out? Just die? So stupid.
No. You are not allow to leave your body out in the cold. That is a public health hazard and littering.
You have successfully identified the end goal
Yeah it's that way everywhere
It is absolutely allowed in Germany. Private parking lots can forbid it, but on public parking space it's allowed
In some places, parking lots are monitored by security and you'll be kicked out if you're sleeping in your car in the parking lot.
I see a lot of areas with "No Overnight Parking" signs or something similar, so they don't make sleeping in your car illegal technically, but you can't stay there over night.
Sleep during day, party with neighbors at night
Often times it's loitering charges, loitering being a fancy term for "being out in public whenever it displeases a person of authority". Sitting on a public bench, having a picnic, walking on a sidewalk, sleeping in your car, whatever, all of those can and will get you loitering charges depending on your exact location in the United States.
Then you have public intoxication charges which on paper are only supposed to apply if you're causing a public disturbance (despite disorderly conduct already being a charge for that, public intoxication just makes it more severe), but in reality it's mostly used to harass drunk people who couldn't get a ride home, or uber home, and decided not to drive while drunk. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a higher likelihood of getting arrested for public intoxication while drunk walking/public transporting home than of getting arrested for DUI while drunk driving home. But public intoxication and even DUI can also be used if you're sleeping off drunkenness in your car, while the car is turned off.
Don't forget local "no camping" laws meant to keep homeless people from sleeping in their cars on public property/public parking.
Less actually illegal and more that the lots are privately owned and the owning companies can have you removed from the lots of they don't like what you're doing.
It's illegal in the netherlands too
You have cars? I thought all cars are forcibly seized and replaced with bikes at the border.
It's because those things happen if you allow people from general Benelux to have a car.
There should be secret laws you have to unlock by doing unfathomably inhumane things.
"You chased a homeless person in their own car off your completely unutilized property for no reason other than malice. You've been sentenced to 12 hours of fighting a flock of geese naked while locked in a middle school gym."
First time I’m rooting for the geese, usually they’re the assholes.
There should also be some extra sauce on the sentencing for anyone who carries a badge or position of legal power and abuses that.
Twice as much geese which are thrice as pissed?
Solo Leveling Penalty Game huh? Damnit, I'm in! What do I get for being someone in HR denying someone a job for reasons of "I just wasn't feeling it."?
You? Nothing, you're just being a good cog in a bad machine. Bossman? Rashes, but on the inside of their skin, but that's likely compounded by numerous other crimes.
I prefer a cordial introduction to everyone's favorite friend in red.
Why the geese have to be named?🤪
It should be illegal to force people to sleep in their cars because a depraved system has deprived them of decent housing..
Yeah, in an article talking about how news stories about crime often show pictures of tents, they pointed out that the photo is of a crime scene, but the crime was not committed by those living in the tents.
That got me. It really does sound like what a "lawyer" would write.
Hod can we stop treating that like a special body of knowledge and start treating it like the target it is?
I hate Walmart, but they let people sleep in the parking lot there. Cars, RVs, whatever. So if you're ever unfortunate enough that you're stuck sleeping in your car, you can park at Walmart without getting harassed.
Actually Walmart does not allow it, but most stores don’t care. My local one had a guy unalive himself in his car surrounded by other multi day parked cars. It took them 3 days to see all the others cars leave and he was inside. So now they enforce it. Understandably so.
Why say "unalive" here on lemmy?
Culture behaves like a gas and expands to fill any space it is provided with
It has to do with property and liability. All digital landowners including Lemmy, Mastodon and other social media work very hard to make sure they don't get sued by lazy users 'unaliving' themselves looking to sue for perceived damages and or promoting illegal content by their presehahahaha im just fucking with you but could you imagine some fucking boomer writing something like this
it's Gen Z slang, might have started as evading censors but it's just how they talk now, just like OK started as a joke abbreviation but now everyone says it unironically
Aliven't
Huh, only place I've seen/heard it is in Vault Hunters which definitely isn't made by Gen Z. That may be where they got it though. Hard to say as I've never heard anybody use it irl.
When I was in this position in my life I used parking lots of 24 hour gyms never once got hassled or disturbed.
No one should have to be forced to sleep in a car in the first place.
Unless it's one of these
No one has to be forced to sleep in something that rad.
https://odditymall.com/adult-race-car-beds
They make them with LEDs
I had a monster truck bed but I broke my nose falling out of it one night.
That's metal!
I think I just would have dented it if it was metal.
Especially if you get the CB radio so you can talk to other car beds
You were balls deep in your turtle, I didn't wanna disturb you
Lazy people in houses doing drugs and drinking...
Whoa, all of us lazy people doing light drug use catching strays
Doing drugs and drinking instead of going out there and getting a job? That's just lazy talk!
(A lot of homeless people are employed, and do not have drug/alcohol issues.)
A lot of people do both a job and drinking/drugs at the same time. It just saves time.
Such relentless pursuit of efficiency should be rewarded with a hefty bonus!
Gas Station Dick Pill Official made me lol
Imagine what some places would be like if you could sleep in your car.
They had me in the first half not gonna lie
We elected a bunch of lawyers to run our country. No surprise then that everything is based around liability and "safety"
[email protected]
How is it a wholesome comment?
Well, jokes aside, property owners have a responsibility for the well being of anyone on their property in the UK. A lousy contractor without insurance falls from the ladder and snaps their neck? Off you go to jail!
Sounds to me like the UK is either stupid or corrupt.
UK has very old laws. Some of them are like a thousand years old. It never had a revolution, so a lot of dumb shit got stuck. For example, if your house is near a church then you must pay the church for their building maintenance, lol.
When there's nothing a country can do about pieces of paper written on a thousand years ago, the legislative process is pretty well invalid.
Well yeah, but we have free medicine, worker rights, paid holidays and other things Americans call communism.
Yeah, I don't believe that for a second
You don't have to believe, you can check the law.https://www.claims.co.uk/knowledge-base/land-law/occupiers-liability
Bro your own link contradicts you
The wording "guard against them" means they're certified and insured. But if you call a random dude from the ad, you can get fucked real hard.
So if you call a random guy instead of someone working in that field and he falls then you can be liable, thats pretty different from what you said...
i am not a lawyer, but I am pretty sure they would also have to prove that you knew the guy wasn't an actual tradesman.