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While a trip to Walt Disney World Resort is meant to be a magical one, things can quickly turn awry if you choose not to follow the rules.
Credit: Travel Pulse via X (Formerly Twitter)
While there is a ton of free transportation at Disney World, from busses to boats to the Disney Skyliner and the monorail system, not all guests will be able to utilize them, especially if they are not staying at a Disney resort. If you are staying off property, there is a good chance that you are likely driving to the theme park you are going to visit (or Disney Springs), or you are taking a ride-share service like Uber or Lyft.
Disney World has multiple entrances onto property, each of them having fun Disney theming to welcome guests to the most magical place on earth.
One of the most popular entrances is, of course, the famous Walt Disney World archway, which appears in a few locations. Because this spot is so well known, many guests tend to drive a little slower to capture photos when they enter, which is strictly not allowed. Disney has even put up signage to warn guests to not slow down at the entrance, as it can and has been the cause for a ton of accidents.
Credit: Kelly Ryan, Flickr
Now, it yet again was at the root of another accident, putting thousands of other guests entering the property in danger.
Disney fan Schmoofy shared a TikTok from (@jurassic_vic) which seems to have been removed on TikTok but lives on via X. In the video, we can see two vehicles who crashed due to what is assumed to have been one of the cars stopping for a photo.
“those large flashing signs that say NO STOPPING on both sides of the road mixed with people slowing down to get their tiktoks and then you have someone filming a TikTok too. The WDW archways are becoming a social media nightmare irl”
those large flashing signs that say NO STOPPING on both sides of the road mixed with people slowing down to get their tiktoks and then you have someone filming a TikTok too. The WDW archways are becoming a social media nightmare irl pic.twitter.com/CmBSevM16e
— Bretral Florida Tourism Oversight District (@Schmoofy) August 24, 2024
This was later confirmed in the replies to the post, where Liam, a guest who witnessed the accident said, “BRUH I THINK I SAW THEM TAKING PHOTOS”.
A cast member replied, “I drive under this sign every morning for work and every single time I lay on the horn if I see people slowing down or stopping. I am trying to get to work, Keep it moving!”
This, as we have noted, is not an isolate incident. One reply stated, “A few weeks ago On my way! In someone pulled over, got out of the car and climbed onto the metal side rail to take a picture”. There is no stop sign or speed change right as guests enter, which is why slowing down dramatically or stopping a car entirely, or worse, exiting the vehicle for a photo is incredibly danger and could put your life at risk.
There have been multiple deaths at Disney World due to vehicle collisions, crashes, and accidents. Just last month, a woman died after running off the road with her car and striking a sign. In 2023, a cyclist was struck by a car with fatal injuries.
Credit: Inside The Magic
In 2023, a car collided with one of the iconic purple signs at the Resort. The accident involved at least two vehicles, with one crashing directly into the purple road signs at the Orlando Resort. According to reports from Guests, a Jeep made a wide U-turn, forcing a minivan off the road and into the pole and sign. Witnesses observed the incident on their way to work, and this remains the only information available about the accident at this time.
Fortunately, no major injuries were reported.
In 2022, a tragic accident occurred involving a man and three others, including two children, who were injured in a crash involving a bus (not a Disney bus) and another vehicle on State Road 417 in Orange County near Walt Disney World.
These are a few examples of the many accidents that take place at Disney World each day, but personally, I have seen multiple car accidents and nearly got into one myself at the Disney World entrances due to guests disobeying the rules and stopping for a photo or to film a video.
As we can see in the video shared above, not only are the two cars affected, but thousands of other guests who are constantly driving into Disney have been forced to slow down and merge as the accident has taken up multiple lanes, which could have led to another accident. While it does not seem that this incident was fatal, any accident could be.
Most recently, there was a fiery crash near Disney World; read more on that here.
Rest assured that if you are visiting Walt Disney World on your next vacation and you are driving into the theme park, there will be plenty of photo and video opportunities at the parks and resorts, and causing or getting into an accident will not be a possible side effect of them.
Have you ever noticed this as an issue when driving at Walt Disney World?
