L.A. Can't Drive

[TikiRoomLiz]

Heavens knows that driving through Downtown L.A. I've encountered my share of crazy drivers on their commutes, and finally someone has a blog to post all this on so I can vent!

Los Angeles drivers can't drive. Plain and simple. Basic traffic laws and driving etiquette clearly do not apply in a town where the people seem to operate in their own little bubble, completely unaware or dismissive of others on the road. Call it what you will: self-entitlement, negligence, malaise, ignorance. My goal? To have mandatory driving tests randomly issued where drivers are eligible for selection after 6 years. Consider this jury duty for the road.

Check out more here ... http://lacantdrive.blogspot.com/

[EvilQueen]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

This morning on the way to work:

I am driving east on Beverly Blvd in the second lane; a 30-ish woman is just ahead of me in the first lane; she looks like she is going to head into the Left Turn lane, then suddenly she comes right across 2 lanes of traffic - NO turn signal, no checking, right in front of me! - and goes into the Right Turn lane (talking on her cell phone the whole time); it was as though the person on the phone told her, "Oh, did I say turn left? I mean turn right - I hope you make it..." and this gal just went for it - and missed my front bumper by no more than 2 feet (we were going about 30 mph). Now, she's on my right - she was on my left side just seconds before - and as I pass her and give her the Jaw Drop I-can't-believe-you-just-did-that-and-didn't-hit-me look, she flips me off!!

[This is when I wanted to do a variation on the Kathy-Bates-in-'Fried Green Tomatoes' maneuver: pull right in front of her, throw it into reverse, and back right into her front end... "Well Officer, I certainly wasn't backing through the intersection; it's obvious that she was talking on her cell phone and she rear ended me!!" ]

Unbelievable...

[Bruce Bergman]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

I should mount cameras and run a video recorder on my work truck - On an AVERAGE day I avoid at least one accident just by actively spotting and avoiding these people before they get too close.

When the Black Helicopters come out on the day of the Full Moon, hover over Los Angeles and sprinkle the "Stupid Powder" it's a dozen a day.

Noted variable: The stupidiy and/or arrogance of the driver is connected to the price of the car. The really expensive ones (Like the AMG Mercedes that cut me off this afternoon) think they own the road, and the people driving the 'rolling wrecks' really don't care.

The only solution is to have the highway partrol and police departments start actively trolling the freeways and surface streets for these people who are "overly aggressive" in their driving, and publicize that they are doing it.

Put Officers in unmarked cars with video rolling and watch for the really boneheaded stunts, then they call in the marked Black And White from a side street to do the traffic stop.

If it's only the word of the Officer Vs. Driver they can try to lie their way out of it - but when you roll the video of them driving the right shoulder of the freeway for a half mile before merging, or running a light so red they had to thread through the cross traffic from the other direction, suddenly they have no good explanation.

--<< Bruce >>--

[pratt55]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

It is for these reasons that I will only drive as far as Palm Springs in California.

[draybook]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

They should come to Memphis and see what bad driving is really all about.

[alphabassetgrrl]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

Yep. It's awful. And the worst part is, they all think they're good drivers because they don't have a lot of accidents. Um, that's only because the real good drivers are looking out for your sorry backside. My father-in-law still thinks he's a good driver. While he lived here for a few years, he had almost an accident a year. His last one- he ran a red light, crashed into another car, broke a leg, totaled his car, and his reaction?

People should look before they go through a stoplight. Even if it's green.

Moron.

[disneyfan07]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

what it boils down to is the lack of the following:
1) common sense
2) brains
3) common courtesy
If I have left off anything on this list feel free to add to it.

[SummerInFL]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

Wow, It seems that people who drive in Tampa, FL frequent fly to L.A. :lol:

[TraceCub]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

With a layover in Atlanta!

[Druggas]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

Guns!

That's the answer to rude driving.

[DisneyIPresume]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

Heavens knows that driving through Downtown L.A. I've encountered my share of crazy drivers on their commutes, and finally someone has a blog to post all this on so I can vent!

Check out more here ... http://lacantdrive.blogspot.com/

True Liz. But we all know they drive so nice once you cross into Orange County!

[French25Fan]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

This thread is like Chicken Soup for the LA Driver's Soul.

[QuietViolet]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

Guns!

That's the answer to rude driving.

:lol:

[SummerInFL]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

The people that get me are the ones that honk at me for driving to slow when I'm already going 10-15mph over the speed limit.

Hurry much?

[goofygoof]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

The people that get me are the ones that honk at me for driving to slow when I'm already going 10-15mph over the speed limit.

Hurry much?

YES! And high beam you like you're doing something wrong! As if the person wants to go any faster and has a death wish and wants to create possible havoc.

I love it when a car cuts me off, zooms off...and then we STILL get stuck at the same red light. Except I didn't endanger lives and waste gas.

[TikiRoomLiz]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

This thread is like Chicken Soup for the LA Driver's Soul.

Now that's a perfect description!

The other day while driving back home from work I almost got hit by some fool who decided to be a stunt driver and make a left turn right in front of me! Illegal move since there are NO LEFT TURNS allowed on that street between 4pm - 6pm!

[alphabassetgrrl]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

I love it when a car cuts me off, zooms off...and then we STILL get stuck at the same red light. Except I didn't endanger lives and waste gas.

On my drive to work, we have a stop light about every mile. One morning I had one of those jackrabbits in front of me, in a jacked-up truck, and every light he stopped, and I caught up to him. I laughed. I doubt he noticed. Not quite sure what he thought he was accomplishing.

I think most of the bad drivers don't actually think about what they're doing, or what they hope to accomplish. They're just driving, please don't ask them to think.

[spunkymonkey]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

I drove home through Korea town (Up Vermont to Los Feliz) everyday for 4 years. I can never drive that route agin, I always make my wife drive it.

[goofygoof]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

I drove home through Korea town (Up Vermont to Los Feliz) everyday for 4 years. I can never drive that route agin, I always make my wife drive it.

thats a drive I have to live, luckily through the phone when a certain someone gets off work everyday :shy:


my condolences

[Bruce Bergman]

Re: L.A. Can't Drive

On my drive to work, we have a stop light about every mile. One morning I had one of those jackrabbits in front of me, in a jacked-up truck, and every light he stopped, and I caught up to him. I laughed. I doubt he noticed. Not quite sure what he thought he was accomplishing.

I think most of the bad drivers don't actually think about what they're doing, or what they hope to accomplish. They're just driving, please don't ask them to think.

Oh, no, I DO ask them to think. I WANT them to figure it out JUST so I can see the look on their faces.

After the second or third red light, I calmly cruise up next to "Mr. Zoom To The Next Red Light" and beep, and wave & smile. If their windows are down, I'll even toss in a "Gee, Look at that! We got that green light at the same time!"

Ain't I a stinker?

Drive smarter, not harder. The Rabbits constantly change lanes into the one that is moving faster at the moment, but it's going to stop in 10 seconds as three people try to make it move faster... I read the traffic patterns a half-mile ahead and get into the lane that will move better over the long term.

--<< Bruce >>--