LA has a smog problem – keep an eye on the local news and stay indoors when it’s REALLY bad.Don’t panic and don’t swim against the current. Be aware of riptides – dangerous offshore currents can be deadly.Know what to do in the event of an earthquake – get under a sturdy table, cover your head and neck, etc.Conceal your wallet or purse – or use a money belt so it’s less easy to reach.Try to explore LA without flashing your cash – looking too rich can draw attention you probably don’t want.Then there are popular tourist spots like Hollywood Walk of Fame – a bit of an issue with pickpockets.Similarly, Venice Beach, whilst FINE in the day, has a big problem with meth at night. At night avoid certain areas – Boyle Heights, South Central, Westlake, and Pico-Union.To help you be as safe as possible when you’re visiting the City of Angels, here are our top safety tips for traveling to Los Angeles: You can NEVER be too careful with exploring a new city, and especially one that has such a toxic cocktail of gangs, drugs, and violence all masked with a kind of celebrity sparkle that makes you think, “it can’t be THAT bad.” So it’s best not to be caught off guard. Keep out of trouble with these 18 safety tips! Pickpockets, burglaries, violence… Yep, all the normal big city stuff. On the whole, crime IS going down in recent years. Mental health issues and drug addictions that remain untreated make people here unpredictable. Then again, Skid Row should NEVER be visited by a tourist. When it comes to the homeless community, it’s important to note that it doesn’t pose TOO much of a risk. Mid-to-late summer in Los Angeles means awful air condition. There are even warnings on TV and radio to not go outside. It’s HONESTLY THAT BAD. The chances of an earthquake putting your visit and your well being at risk are very slim. There’s a fault in the north end of the city called the Santa Ynez Fault and there ARE concerns about a major earthquake occurring in the near future.īut that’s just life in an earthquake zone. You obviously won’t feel ALL of them, but around 20 of them are more serious than Magnitude 4.0. Some people died.Īnd then there are earthquakes. It was serious. People fled for their safety. It was described by the city’s mayor as one of the largest fires in LA’s history. 2018’s Woolsey Fire razed approximately 96,949 acres of land. Wildfires are unpredictable and often tragic. There are a few seasonal problems that Los Angeles faces. Is it Safe to Visit Los Angeles Right Now? This place is home to the largest homeless population in the United States (over 20,000). Makes sense.īut the infamous Skid Row is CRAZY. At the same time, the LAPD want visitors to know about crime prevention tips so they don’t get caught out. Of course, the city DOES want tourists to visit and have a trouble-free time whilst there here. It’s a melting pot of a city: 70% of its population is non-white, most of which are Hispanic.Ĭrime rates are LOWER in Los Angeles than in San Francisco, Las Vegas and New Orleans. It’s the country’s 5th safest large city. Yes, it has a reputation for being somewhat dangerous but it is also known for being a clean and safe holiday destination. The high crime rates MIGHT alarm you, but in comparison to other big cities in the US, Los Angeles has “the largest decline in crime of any major American city” – according to the FBI. Just ask the 35 million tourists who come here every year. The good news is that Los Angeles is safe to visit. Otherwise, thanks for your ear and stay safe! We strive to provide the most relevant travel information on the web and always appreciate input from our readers (nicely, please!). If you see any outdated information in this guide, we would really appreciate it if you could reach out in the comments below. If you use our guide, do your own research, and practise common sense, you will have a safe trip to Los Angeles. It won’t be down to the wire cutting edge info on the most current events, but it is layered in the expertise of veteran travellers. Here, you will find safety knowledge and advice for travelling Los Angeles. Between the pandemic, ever-worsening cultural division, and a click-hungry media, it can be hard to maintain what is truth and what is sensationalism. The information present in this safety guide was accurate at the time of writing, however, the world is a changeable place, now more than ever. But this article is written for savvy travellers from the perspective of savvy travellers. The question of “Is Los Angeles Safe?” will ALWAYS have a different answer depending on the parties involved. There is no such thing as a perfect safety guide, and this article is no different.