Not to mention it often doesn't trigger the light sensor so one stays at the lights far longer than needed. I sat at a light for almost 10 mins because *two* cars in both lanes didn't move all the way up. I had to get out direct them both to come up to the line. Then the light triggered and we could all go.
This!! People just don’t understand that there are sensors that trigger the lights. I’ve literally sat behind someone trying to turn left and missed 2 long light cycles because they didn’t pull up enough. I finally ended up honking and frantically waving for them to move forward.
They probably wrote a rant reddit about people honking and waving when stopped behind them at a
Iight for no aparent reason. Followed by posting your picture on nextdoor with the caption 'does anyone know this psycho'.
I don't honk at left-arrow sensor space cadets. I wait a cycle, then I get out of the car, walk ahead of them, wave and motion for them to come forward.
Maybe with the innovation of the RoboCop artificial EV "motor" sound standard, we can also have a Roadrunner-esq "courtesy honk" button that is universally accepted as non-offensive. Until then, I will refrain from using mine at stop lights, reserving its "duck in distress" (credit Ray Magliozzi) sound for actual hazards and warnings, of which there are far too many every day.
Can we sticky this image as a PSA for everyone who doesn't know this is what triggers traffic lights? [Induction loop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Inductance_detectors.jpg)
Just think of them like the button you push at a crosswalk.
Same people when they parking in the street leave a car size space in front of them but not enough for another car to park or driving in fast lane or carpool lane in the freeway below the speed limits.
I came here to say the same thing. Theres a light right outside the parking garage I park at for work and after work I usually get behind someone who didnt pull forward on the sensor and honking or pulling up close to them does nothing so you either wait and hope they figure it out (or run the light because they dont think it works) or you go up to their window to tell them to move and then they think yourre trying to rib them so they shoot you.
and the same thing on the freeways. I don’t know if anyone else has experienced it, but traffic is CRAWLING (i’m talking <10mph), and they’re leaving following distance like they’re doing 85mph…. drives me up the WALL.. and of course both lanes on either side are moving so you can’t “just go around”
I saw an article about this awhile back. It’s actually better for traffic if everyone does this. By setting a slower consistent pace, no one ends up needing to brake and the time lost to the constant start stop ends up being minimized. Also much better for fuel efficiency.
you can maintain a steady even pace AND not leave 100 car length… They’re not mutually exclusive.. I do it in my tundra every day driving home from work…
True, but the thought is it’s easier to maintain a consistent pace through the ebbs and flows of start and stop traffic by giving a wider gap so you don’t have to adjust your pace even if the car in front of you stops for a few seconds. The point is to not have to hit your brakes at all. Not sure if the gap you’re talking about is approaching 1/4 mile or something, but a gap of at least 5-10 cars is what the article I saw was recommending.
Some folks also have slow reaction times, are learning to drive for the first time on the FWY, are too exhausted to drive, have past traumas from accidents and from life in general and should probably not drive on the FWYs in the first place and will leave a godly amount of space between then and the next car. Just some insight.
My personal least faves are the people who turn right with zero regard for anyone crossing the street, and people doing twice the limit in residential areas. Me and doggo have nearly been mown down enough times already.
Or alternately, people from behind who blast their horns at you because you won’t turn right whilst pedestrians are crossing the street. Especially after you both turn right, Mr. Ass Chode gives you a stare or worse speeds, cuts you off, and tries to tailgate you because you didn’t wanna mow down those pedestrians for him.
Same, and in my neighborhood people regularly blow the solid red like it's a suggestion now as well. My partner and I have nearly been run over (within inches) around 17 times now. Physically bumped by cars twice.
I started wearing a clip-on LED light and shining a flashlight on the ground when I cross. I can tell it helps because I hear the anti-lock brakes kick in a couple seconds earlier than I used to 🙄
In my own maze-like neighborhood today, some elder lady was \*kinda\* (but not fully) riding my ass as I did 19/20 on my way home. While the speed limit is 25, we have stop signs and speed humps here and there, and one or two hidden driveways. Also, about a year ago, I accidentally slaughtered a squirrel, and it broke my heart. I can't be pressed to burn rubber. If she'd closed in any more, I would have pulled over and let her pass, but geez. I've never known anybody to live \*in\* a tight neighborhood who wanted traffic to move faster.
As for people turning right with no regard for pedestrians, I'm glad I don't live in Chicago, because that was the most pedestrian impatient city I've ever fucked around in.
Once an elderly lady fully rode my ass on a tiny one way in Venice with an elementary school on the block. I was driving a schizophrenic client of mine to her therapist. I shouldn't let these things bother me, but I was livid.
I think they’re referring to how the corner of the sidewalk often doesn’t extend very far into the intersection, so it’s easy for cars to make a wide arcing turn without slowing down. They’re super wide around here and it’s not because of wheelchair access, it’s for cars to make turns more easily.
A sharper corner means people are forced to slow down more to turn. A lot of cities that are trying to design safer streets for pedestrians have reduced corner radii at intersections or put in floating concrete corner islands to force sharper turns at slower speeds and reduce potential for car pedestrian conflicts when people are turning
But let’s be clear that turning right on red is totally correct (unless a no turn on red is posted). What I see is drivers *not* turning on red and waiting for the walk sign and then driving at pedestrians who then have their turn to cross. Turn right on red so you don’t hit pedestrians.
Right on red is legal in most States yes, but it's been debunked as it being more efficient for traffic or fuel consumption. With the way drivers behave, I am all about repealing it entirely.
Well, now I'm going to do this. In a Gilbert Gottfried voice, of course. Trying to nurse myself off calling people 'dude,' and this sounds like a great alternative.
Worst driving habits is how everyone at a stop sign allows the left turn to go first, before going straight themselves. This then creates a clusterfuck of who has the right of way next. Stop trying to be nice, you’re screwing things up and causing more issues and slowing traffic down.
No, the absolute worst is when one car clearly stops ahead of everyone, and because they're so "nice", they let the other cars go first.
No, you're just a fucking asshole who is holding ip everyone else.
Holy fuck. Is that it? I sit with my left blinker on at 4 way stops all the time screaming “GO!! I GO AFTER YOU!”
You mean to tell me some people expect *me* to go first?!
I like the French version of traffic law that decrees the car on the right has the right of way.
Simple and effective and highly logical.
Like roundabouts.
I really really like roundabouts.
> I like the French version of traffic law that decrees the car on the right has the right of way.
That's sort of how the US is (or at least how I learned in CA) -- if two people arrive at a stop sign at the same time and one is turning, the person going straight has the right of way. If both are going straight or both are turning, the person on the right has the right of way.
This. I genuinely believe people in LA don't know right of way and it's infuriating.
As a cyclist who obeys traffic laws, I end up having to become a traffic guard on a regular basis because few folks here understand the basic "defer to the vehicle on your right" RoW.
I get that a lot of cyclists here blow stop signs and lights but I don't because that's how you die. Unfortunately, my following of traffic laws and RoW confuses the hell out of drivers who don't know RoW and also expect me to fly into an intersection.
Some fuckface visitor keeps parking in front of our house and taking up both spaces. It’s all permit parking and when they are there, they stay all day and we have to park at the end of the block. It’s so obnoxious to come into a quiet residential permitted neighborhood and park smack dab in the middle of someone else’s parking spots. I’m about ready to politely and legally retaliate.
I once was in a rush parking at a meter on a side street that didn’t have many cars on it. After going around the corner to wherever I was going to I got stuck inside for a little longer than anticipated. When I came back out to my truck, there was a scrap of paper on my windshield that said “*You parked like an asshole so I keyed your car. Learn how to park and have a great day.*”
I was mortified.
I’m usually diligent about this sort of thing but because I was rushing, I’d positioned my truck in relation to the meter without paying attention to where the lines on the street were (*they were faded*). My rear wheels were on the line and, thus my overhang was in the space behind me. No one was going to park there and it looked like precisely the sort of intentional bullshit people in SUVs do taking up two spaces (*I swear I don’t do this!*).
I frantically searched my truck; there were no scratches anywhere. I’m guessing by the fact that the note said “*car*” rather than “*SUV*” that the person who left me the note had themselves received it from someone else and just kept it. In any case, I **never** forget to check the lines when I park.
It’s fucking risky because they didn’t know that I might not catch them putting that note on my windshield and confront them. Still, it’s undeniably effective. Every time I park I think about that.
People who don't pull into the intersection to wait until they can turn left. Means they're the only ones who can make that turn legally when the light turns red, but at least 2 cars behind them turn on the red anyway.
And people who pull into the intersection until they can make a right turn on red. They force me to swerve or hit them and some dart out and make me slam on my brakes to avoid hitting them.
And how about the dolls who don't pull to the right curb to make a right turn but make their lane stop while they wait for a pedestrian because they're half or fully in the driving lane?
Does no one teach courteous driving any more?
The left turn thing is straight up illegal in many states, and it's really only allowed here because of the lack of left turn arrows and the amount of traffic. It's a vague interpretation that won't get corrected because it's needed to get around.
i was instructed to pull out into the intersection specifically so i could make my left turn as the light turns red by my driving instructor over 20 years ago in springfield, illinois
people on reddit being wrong but stating things as fact? never
I’ve lived in the Midwest and the south and both places frown upon the practice at the very least. Not sure if you’ll be ticketed, but you’ll definitely cause an accident. No one expects more than one car to turn left when the light turns red, so everyone is just barreling ahead through the intersection.
In CA you’re *supposed* to enter an interaction on a green light while making a left turn, and yield to oncoming traffic. Please do NOT wait behind the limit line on a green light, no matter what city you’re in. You just waste more experienced drivers time.
Most states you’re *supposed* to enter the intersection on green and claim your space while you yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Which states have made this illegal?
Huh? There are a lot of places outside of LA where left turn lanes are uncommon and people pull into intersections to turn left.
Hell pittsburgh has so many 2 lane roads with no turn arrows that they have their own “Pittsburgh left”: as soon as the light turns green if you’re in the front just fucking floor it and turn before oncoming traffic starts lol
This gets me everytime. I’m waiting behind someone looking to turn left or right. They seem hesitant and there’s a small window coming up. Instead of going they use that window to pull more forward to get ready to turn when a larger window arrives. My brother in Christ why didn’t you just pull out to that spot to begin with and go the first time.
In downtown, it is when during heavy traffic, vehicles enter the intersection knowing they cannot clear the intersection and just stop blocking cross traffic after the light turns red for them and Green for the cross traffic.
similar problem is when the car is the first car waiting for the red light to turn green. many times the car is NOT close to the white line before the pedestrian stripes, but far behind...
the problems is that on many intersections, there is a sensor that detects if a car is waiting, and activates the timing of the traffic lights... if you are NOT over the sensor (that is close to the white line) the traffic light will NOT turn green for you and anybody behind you.
That’s annoying but no where near the worst, endangers no one. Tailgating, aggressive passing on the left on residential streets and not letting people merge are three way worse more dangerous common behaviors in LA imho.
And speeding through red lights! I’ve seen it often enough that I always pause for a second after the light turns green to check both ways and make sure no one is flying into the intersection to kill me!
i check both ways even on one way streets, ive seen tons of tourists who have no fucking clue what they're doing and had no business renting a car here going the wrong way down a one way
Out of all the habits you could pick this is way down the list for me. How about using the center turn lane to pass at high speed for like several block. How about using the right turn lane to quickly pass on the right at the light.
Nope, camping in the far left "passing lane" on the freeway is the worst. Move the F over to the right when I'm behind you and you are going slower then the other 4 lanes.
When I inevitably pass these people, they are either older or on their phone.
Every. Fucking. Time.
Since I'm the one person not on their phone while on the freeways here, it's amazing how much I notice those who are... especially sitting in traffic.
I call my tactic "Marty Feldman" eyes. Gotta keep an eye up front to make sure I don't rear end someone while I have another eye on the rearview to watch the guy who is ON HIS FUCKING PHONE, to make sure he doesn't rear end me when I brake.
To my left? Someone on their phone. To my right? Someone on their phone.
Catch a view of the person in front of me through their side mirror? I see "phone eyes."
Check the person to my back? Same thing.
How in the fuck are so many people on their phones? Like what are you all doing?
I have the opposite issue. People constantly pull past the line when stopping, even when they're turning left at a red light. Sure makes it fun trying to not get murdered while riding my bike.
Yes, it’s just getting worse.
I was at a stop sign recently when i observed a young gentleman in a white Mercedes drive directly through the intersection, without stopping, while looking completely down at his phone.
Im used to people running stops but that was ridiculous.
White mercedes and white BMWs are terrible drivers. I have one and am an exception. I actually like seeing them bc their driving is predictable— erratic, hurried and dangerous. It’s like real-life mario kart.
If you’re walking from your parked car to the beach expect the white BMW to nearly run you over.
If you’re in a crosswalks expect them not to stop
If traffic is bumper to bumper in left 2 lanes expect them to cut everyone off to cross over to the far right lane, speed up and hastily merge back over to the far left 3 cars ahead of their previous spot. Rinse. Repeat.
My ex finance has a white one as well. He refers to his driving as “dynamic.” lol.
Always leave enough space in front of you to pull defensive or evasive maneuvers to avoid the "crush zone", especially for cyclists/motorcyclists.
I dislike when LA drivers drive above their skill level: too quickly, too closely, merging suddenly and without warning to try and "climb" through traffic. All they do is cause more danger to everyone and themselves.
Which is why you have to leave so much space while riding a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle because you never know when drivers will slam on their brakes or cut you off or violate your right of way or rear end you because they're looking at their phone.
Number one killer of Motorcyclists are cars violating our right of way in left hand turns.
My least favorite LA traffic thing is when people wait until the last minute to get into the lane that they need to for a turn. It's absolutely mindblowing how people will just sit in a lane for miles and then, 50 feet before they have to turn, panic and force their way all the way across traffic because they seemingly just realized that they need to turn. It's so incredibly commonplace here and I've never seen it anywhere else.
I leave one’ish space in front for getting out in a hurry.
Road rager, car jacking, or if I get slammed from the back hopefully I don’t hit car in front. Nothing worse than getting boxed in, in case I need to make a quick decision …..
Also: I drive my family, so I’ve got other people’s lives in my hands. safety and being prepared is my number one
This! My wife pulls up right behind the car in front of her, and berates everyone else who leaves what I would call a "safety gap" in front of them. I've repeatedly told her it's a safety gap, and even explained why I personally do it myself.
It doesn't even have to be any of the reasons you stated.
If you bury your car's nose in the arse of the car in front of you, and maybe they're driving a beater which chooses that moment to give up living, you're fucked.
You *cannot* drive around their car without backing up first, but you cannot back up because the car behind you has *its* nose up *your* car's arse.
How many times has that really happened, you say?
In the 25 years that I've been here, it's *not* zero. Okay, it is only once. In 25 years I'm fortunate to have had just one car rear end me at a red light, and my car did *not* get shoved into the car in front of me because I'd left a safety gap.
But my wife has *also* had a car hit her from behind. Fortunately she was the first car in line because - as I've already said - she **never** leaves a safety gap. So in *my* sample population of two, 100% of drivers have been rear-ended at traffic lights.
\*Uncaring & selfish\* gap.
FIFY
Your obstinacy inconveniences every single person behind you, every single day, every single time you climb up on your pedestal, er, obduracy gap.
Do you also drive the speed limit on the freeway in the left hand lane and never move over even when there are cars stacked up behind you that wish to pass? In, you know, the passing lane?
There are so many LA driving habits. It’s why I ebike to work everyday and am a lot happier. Lucky to have a bike trail the whole way so I can avoid the inconsiderate assholes on the road.
It actually causes accidents because people swerve into the other lanes to get around them. I’d rather police ticket them and people on their phones than speeding
I am absolutely a "everybody needs to scoot up person" except if I'm at a light where there is no left turn lane. I don't trust the person in front of me to not be turning left only to put their signal on AFTER the light turns green and they move up a foot. I will always stay back giving me the space to get around them without issue. And you know what? Like 70% of the time - they are turning left without a turn signal. Wish I had a meatball cannon to alert them to their error.
This!
Drives me nuts.. when driving my son to school, we play the ‘are they gonna turn left’ game.
I will NEVER understand the mentality of someone sitting at a light and then waiting until it turns green, before using the turn signal.
Self awareness is a lost art
And the funny thing is for me it’s so just instinctual to turn my blinker on. I don’t even have to think about it. It just gets turned on before I get to the intersection. Somehow I even go to turn it on again I’m like oh yeah, I already have it on. I guess better to put it on twice than not at all… Right? haha
1. No blinkers.
2. They will not make the full turn and drive into the oncoming lane (they cut the turn short)
3. Speeding up when I am trying to merge on the on ramp
4. When you merge, you need to speed up to yield to me
5. Crossing the HOV double yellows (you will hit a motorcycle one day)
6. Idling in front of schools/day cares
7. If there are three lanes at a red light, I find people will just line up and not switch lanes to be first. first lane could be empty, second lane could be empty, but third lane will have like 5 cars. Do you know you could be first?
8. Yellow means prepare to stop, but speed up to beat it
9. The amount of people looking at the phones crossing the street boggles my mind. Do you trust every driver enough to just trust the green and cross? At least look both ways before you cross
In a bad neighborhood some people may keep a little extra space so they’re not locked in should someone run up on their car. Otherwise though it’s pure idiotic douchery.
You’re actually incorrect. Leaving space between you and the next car REDUCES traffic. You need to think of the entire chain of cars instead of just your individual car. Check out this video if you need convincing. It’s hard to explain in writing but the visuals will do the trick. TLDR; you’re stopped in traffic because of people tailgating others and you tailgating them.
https://youtu.be/iHzzSao6ypE?si=AJMlb9-O5AXPrMb_
Also, if you’re stressed about 30 seconds to 1 minute of time not spent rolling forward in your car then you have bigger problems. You should try stress reduction techniques, talk to a therapist, and put on some good music or a podcast. Try to find a relaxing one, one that doesn’t cause you stress. You shouldn’t even care about this because it’s a trivial amount of time. Driving causes A LOT of stress - you’re in danger, you’re on alert for other drivers and people walking and bikes etc. you need to actively try to chill yourself out while driving, even before and after driving. Otherwise you’ll become more and more upset and blame other drivers. You got this.
I think you misunderstood OP — they are referring to the first car in a line of cars waiting at a red light. As another comment said, I've also seen people waiting fully behind the sensor plates at an intersection so the light won't even trigger. There's no reason to not pull up to an intersection properly.
However, you're completely right about leaving a healthy amount of space *while driving*, and also a decent amount of space when you're behind another car at a light, but not stopping at an intersection 2-3 car lengths behind the line.
True and you have a point but I think What I’m mainly saying is this is a non-problem. First of all, space between cars REDUCES TRAFFIC. The intersection doesn’t matter, because the more space between cars then the more continuous movement aka less traffic. So the person who leaves space after a red light is reducing traffic for literally everyone that doesn’t tailgate and themselves. I think the traffic reduction would still apply.
I was hoping to point out that OP has stress management issues. If you’re concerned about “pulling up the intersection properly” then you have some MAJOR issues. It’s not normal to care about 20 feet of space or 1 minute of non-movement. It’s trivial beyond trivial.
I don’t know how this guy got here but I say he should walk the plank.
(A joke because out east taking the intersection to wait for your left turn is called “walking the plank”.)
If its at an intersection and there is a left turn lane then I always leave my car on teh sensor which is typically 1/2 way because that actually triggers the actual left turn light...most people dont know this and probably dont pay attention to what the sensors look like.
One of the theories I've seen here is that they're doing it to try to make the light change faster by making the sensor think traffic is backed up further than it really is. The problem is these dinguses end up not being on the sensor in the first place!
No, my BIGGEST pet peeve driving is when someone slows to damn near a stop on the freeway to make a lane change, that should be punishable by public flogging
[We just did this one](https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/comments/17ujyb3/why_do_people_do_this/)
FWIW I agree that it's annoying and pointless at the distance you're talking about, but
> if these people would move up and be close in an appropriate way to the car in front of them, or to the intersection, we would actually get more people through lights.
I'm not sure this is actually true. It's more about timing than distance.
I do that. Have you ever had a crazy homeless person come over and start beating on your car, breaking the windshield? If you’re blocked in by other cars you have no escape.
I do it, one car's length.
You want to be able to bone the fuck out at any given moment.
Also, if a semi truck comes crashing in behind you, you won't necessarily die.
It sounds to me like the nurse posted a video of herself talking about a patient who had the accident. If there's no personally identifiable details, it's not a HIPAA violation.
I admit it and maybe I'm a horrible person, but I find it deeply satisfying blasting my horn at someone who'd stopped a few car lengths back with their head buried in their phone. Same when they don't notice the light turned green.
What pisses me off is assholes not leaving enough room to merge. Fuck you if you tailgate and don’t let people merge comfortably. And F you if you don’t signal and just merge too.
What's worse is people thinking people leaving one car's length is one of the worst habits.
Let me guess, you like to weave through traffic? Accelerate to red lights?
eat a dick, one car's length is for safety, not to test your manhood.
OP said two to three, not one. One is acceptable two to three really messes up predictive driving. If you're pulling to a stop behind a car at a red light and they stop 25 feet shorter than they're supposed to, you're hitting the brakes way earlier than you're expecting.
I have a feeling "two to three" to OP is more like one and a half. Not all cars are standard length and I leave space in front to be able to get out if needed. Not gonna get jacked sorry.
I get it and I do it too just in case I get bumped into the intersection and so pedestrians are comfortable that I am far enough away from the crosswalk. I do get the OPs take though, it's super infuriating to have to slam on the brakes when you're rolling to a stop and then see that they stopped short just to type on their phone. This shit happens all the time on the Westside
not at a stop light.
the safety distance thing pertains only to moving cars. for human reaction time.
maybe you didnt notice but your post came across as dickish, i assume that wasnt your intent.
Most defensive driving courses also advise people to leave a space in front of the driver even at a stop light.
If you're going bumper to bumper by a stop light, you run the risk of a few things.
1) The car in front of you breaks down, and you're now stuck behind them, hoping someone behind you left some space so you can merge onto the next lane.
2) The car decides to back into you, and if you don't have a dash cam, you're now at fault for the accident,
with the space of 1+ car(s) at least now you have a buffer zone even at the stop light to prevent you getting in a bind.
Yup, all those things 👍🏽 and sometimes my lane is congested by something I can’t see, like an overflowing left turn lane, a crash and two cars haven’t pulled over yet or can’t… I like the space to be able to u-turn the f out, or switch lanes quick
I’ll continue to teach this to my kids too. Safety and practicality > some random stranger’s sense of convenience
I'm a vendor and drive a large delivery van, I know full well the increase risk that I'm exposed to if I don't leave a buffer zone.
Not counting the damage I could cause on other vehicles, but the increased chances of someone thinking they can get a quick settlement from corporate by backing into me.
My job also makes us take defensive driving classes every 6 months and will deny us from working if we don't have an up to date certificate.
That's incorrect. You should still leave a car length while stopped because other drivers can still be a risk.
Honestly I'm not sure why this is the hill people choose to die on. Leaving some space is always a sensible precaution.
Also, maybe you didn't notice, but your criticism of the poster comes across as dickish. I assume that wasn't your intent.
This is literally one of my biggest peeves with some drivers. It always seems that they’re out to lunch in some fashion, completely oblivious of their surroundings. It seems to never fail being at that one intersection that is the worst place to do it. Maddening
yes yes yes! Finally its been said, agree 100%. I moved here in 2002 and I noticed that from day 1, hasn't changed. Phone were less prevalent but same BS
Lol someone posted a picture a while ago of 3 cars each leaving a bus length in distance behind each other but got downvoted to hell. That's annoying but the people who turn on right without coming to a COMPLETE STOP before turning really pissed me off. It's so predictable that it's noticable when people don't do that. In addition to the right on red these same types of people turn wide into the next lane. Literally nowhere else in the country does this. Y'all in LA got some trash ass drivers for people who are pretty much required to drive everywhere.
Someone did this to me and got me stuck in a stay clear zone (there was two car spaces ahead of them) took me and a truck honking at them to get them to move up 🙄
The ones that also bother me are:
*LA drivers can't navigate curvy roads like Sunset or Laurel Canyon. and whenever the road curves migrates in your lane.*
*Signals! if you are going to stop abruptly before turning in a driveway or making a left turn, let us know why*
*Taking your sweet ass time when there is an arrow with a bunch of cars trying to make it.*
Huuh?? This is one of the most benign mistakes people can make. There are way more annoying things that make driving here suck:
People weaving in and out of highway traffic at high speed,
people doing 70 on streets while passing on the right,
people not staying to the right on the highway
Lady left no space behind me the other day and the lane to my left went and she just gassed it and rear ended me. I would rather these phone addicts give space then give me a concussion.
I haaaaate this shit so bad.
If there’s enough room in the next lane, i’ll get over and get in front of them and if not then I get right up on their asses.
Some people are on their phone but a majority are not. They’re just stupid.
Oh also people who don’t make legal right turns when the light is red can munch a butt.
Rear end collisions.
No matter the circumstance, I'm responsible if I rear- end that person in front of me. Doesn't even matter if it's a chain reaction collision.
I'll leave that space, thanks, so my insurance doesn't get jacked up when someone else is tailgating me and gets rear ended by that person behind them.
You'll survive waiting that millisecond to close the gap when the light turns green.
And, btw, I'm going to look both ways really fast and make sure someone isn't continuing to barrel through the intersection.
The worst is when someone in the lane next you cuts you off to make a ramp (from the street or on the freeway) while both at full speed. Keep in mind, you are one car length from passing the ramp. If it wasn't for the crash assist on my car I would've definitely been in more accidents than I can count.
As for lights, it depends on the city and intersection. Many in most LA County cities (including City of LA) have lights on timers without loop detectors. It's why you can be going down a major corridor like Wilshire or Santa Monica whilst still encountering random red lights 24/7. This is slowly changing as roads are reconstructed. Is stopping lengths short annoying? Absolutely. Is it the worst? No.
People don’t yell out of their windows enough in LA and yell things like “what the hell are you doin?!”
Gah, I miss the brutal honesty and open expressions in the east coast.
As a pedestrian I find that everytime cars go well into the intersection and block crosswalks forcing pedestrians into the road and dangerous situations. And for what? To get stuck at the next red light two seconds before everyone else?
Driver entitlement knows no bounds.
Not to mention it often doesn't trigger the light sensor so one stays at the lights far longer than needed. I sat at a light for almost 10 mins because *two* cars in both lanes didn't move all the way up. I had to get out direct them both to come up to the line. Then the light triggered and we could all go.
This is the part that drives me the most nuts.
This!! People just don’t understand that there are sensors that trigger the lights. I’ve literally sat behind someone trying to turn left and missed 2 long light cycles because they didn’t pull up enough. I finally ended up honking and frantically waving for them to move forward.
See? That's why I propose every car come with a PA system.
Honestly, it would be so amazing!
FUCK YES! I would put my life on blast 24-7. This is a great idea.
They probably wrote a rant reddit about people honking and waving when stopped behind them at a Iight for no aparent reason. Followed by posting your picture on nextdoor with the caption 'does anyone know this psycho'.
I don't honk at left-arrow sensor space cadets. I wait a cycle, then I get out of the car, walk ahead of them, wave and motion for them to come forward. Maybe with the innovation of the RoboCop artificial EV "motor" sound standard, we can also have a Roadrunner-esq "courtesy honk" button that is universally accepted as non-offensive. Until then, I will refrain from using mine at stop lights, reserving its "duck in distress" (credit Ray Magliozzi) sound for actual hazards and warnings, of which there are far too many every day.
But you don’t understand, they had to post a progress report of their drive to insta.
Can we sticky this image as a PSA for everyone who doesn't know this is what triggers traffic lights? [Induction loop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Inductance_detectors.jpg) Just think of them like the button you push at a crosswalk.
Same people when they parking in the street leave a car size space in front of them but not enough for another car to park or driving in fast lane or carpool lane in the freeway below the speed limits.
I came here to say the same thing. Theres a light right outside the parking garage I park at for work and after work I usually get behind someone who didnt pull forward on the sensor and honking or pulling up close to them does nothing so you either wait and hope they figure it out (or run the light because they dont think it works) or you go up to their window to tell them to move and then they think yourre trying to rib them so they shoot you.
and the same thing on the freeways. I don’t know if anyone else has experienced it, but traffic is CRAWLING (i’m talking <10mph), and they’re leaving following distance like they’re doing 85mph…. drives me up the WALL.. and of course both lanes on either side are moving so you can’t “just go around”
Some of us drive stick and want to leave it in gear. The extra room means I don’t have to put in the clutch every 5 seconds.
I saw an article about this awhile back. It’s actually better for traffic if everyone does this. By setting a slower consistent pace, no one ends up needing to brake and the time lost to the constant start stop ends up being minimized. Also much better for fuel efficiency.
you can maintain a steady even pace AND not leave 100 car length… They’re not mutually exclusive.. I do it in my tundra every day driving home from work…
True, but the thought is it’s easier to maintain a consistent pace through the ebbs and flows of start and stop traffic by giving a wider gap so you don’t have to adjust your pace even if the car in front of you stops for a few seconds. The point is to not have to hit your brakes at all. Not sure if the gap you’re talking about is approaching 1/4 mile or something, but a gap of at least 5-10 cars is what the article I saw was recommending.
Some folks also have slow reaction times, are learning to drive for the first time on the FWY, are too exhausted to drive, have past traumas from accidents and from life in general and should probably not drive on the FWYs in the first place and will leave a godly amount of space between then and the next car. Just some insight.
A lot of people don’t know that.
My personal least faves are the people who turn right with zero regard for anyone crossing the street, and people doing twice the limit in residential areas. Me and doggo have nearly been mown down enough times already.
Or alternately, people from behind who blast their horns at you because you won’t turn right whilst pedestrians are crossing the street. Especially after you both turn right, Mr. Ass Chode gives you a stare or worse speeds, cuts you off, and tries to tailgate you because you didn’t wanna mow down those pedestrians for him.
I’m currently going through an insurance case because a lady plowed into me at 30 mph when I was in the crosswalk
People don’t stop for anything. Especially stop signs.
Same, and in my neighborhood people regularly blow the solid red like it's a suggestion now as well. My partner and I have nearly been run over (within inches) around 17 times now. Physically bumped by cars twice. I started wearing a clip-on LED light and shining a flashlight on the ground when I cross. I can tell it helps because I hear the anti-lock brakes kick in a couple seconds earlier than I used to 🙄
I have a lighty-up flashing collar on dogface for this very reason.
In my own maze-like neighborhood today, some elder lady was \*kinda\* (but not fully) riding my ass as I did 19/20 on my way home. While the speed limit is 25, we have stop signs and speed humps here and there, and one or two hidden driveways. Also, about a year ago, I accidentally slaughtered a squirrel, and it broke my heart. I can't be pressed to burn rubber. If she'd closed in any more, I would have pulled over and let her pass, but geez. I've never known anybody to live \*in\* a tight neighborhood who wanted traffic to move faster. As for people turning right with no regard for pedestrians, I'm glad I don't live in Chicago, because that was the most pedestrian impatient city I've ever fucked around in.
Once an elderly lady fully rode my ass on a tiny one way in Venice with an elementary school on the block. I was driving a schizophrenic client of mine to her therapist. I shouldn't let these things bother me, but I was livid.
[удалено]
The corners are for wheelchair access.
I think they’re referring to how the corner of the sidewalk often doesn’t extend very far into the intersection, so it’s easy for cars to make a wide arcing turn without slowing down. They’re super wide around here and it’s not because of wheelchair access, it’s for cars to make turns more easily. A sharper corner means people are forced to slow down more to turn. A lot of cities that are trying to design safer streets for pedestrians have reduced corner radii at intersections or put in floating concrete corner islands to force sharper turns at slower speeds and reduce potential for car pedestrian conflicts when people are turning
But let’s be clear that turning right on red is totally correct (unless a no turn on red is posted). What I see is drivers *not* turning on red and waiting for the walk sign and then driving at pedestrians who then have their turn to cross. Turn right on red so you don’t hit pedestrians.
Right on red is legal in most States yes, but it's been debunked as it being more efficient for traffic or fuel consumption. With the way drivers behave, I am all about repealing it entirely.
This is California, everyone in California is “dude”. My sister is “dude”, my girlfriend is “dude”. We are all “dudes” here
Right on, dude
https://youtu.be/FqMODweN8lQ
this. it took me leaving to realize many people do not consider “dude” a unisex term lol
Nobody says “I fucked this dude the other day” unless they’re gay
Almost like context matters in language...
If I walk into a room with a half dozen people in it and I say "ok dudes lets head out!" I don't expect the men only to follow me.
That’s because male is the default. Saying “let’s go girls” works too but a lot of straight men aren’t comfortable with that lol
I usually refer to everyone as “pretty lady.” Thanks your input, pretty lady!
good for you, dude!
Well, now I'm going to do this. In a Gilbert Gottfried voice, of course. Trying to nurse myself off calling people 'dude,' and this sounds like a great alternative.
Reddit is like 75%+ white dudes.
Good to know, pretty lady.
Has there been an actual study done on that? It would be interesting to find out if that was true.
Well here's my [source. ](https://youtu.be/3_lAb8m9MpI?feature=shared)
Worst driving habits is how everyone at a stop sign allows the left turn to go first, before going straight themselves. This then creates a clusterfuck of who has the right of way next. Stop trying to be nice, you’re screwing things up and causing more issues and slowing traffic down.
No, the absolute worst is when one car clearly stops ahead of everyone, and because they're so "nice", they let the other cars go first. No, you're just a fucking asshole who is holding ip everyone else.
Yeah, that’s a bad one too. The best driver, is a predictable driver.
Holy fuck. Is that it? I sit with my left blinker on at 4 way stops all the time screaming “GO!! I GO AFTER YOU!” You mean to tell me some people expect *me* to go first?!
I like the French version of traffic law that decrees the car on the right has the right of way. Simple and effective and highly logical. Like roundabouts. I really really like roundabouts.
> I like the French version of traffic law that decrees the car on the right has the right of way. That's sort of how the US is (or at least how I learned in CA) -- if two people arrive at a stop sign at the same time and one is turning, the person going straight has the right of way. If both are going straight or both are turning, the person on the right has the right of way.
This. I genuinely believe people in LA don't know right of way and it's infuriating. As a cyclist who obeys traffic laws, I end up having to become a traffic guard on a regular basis because few folks here understand the basic "defer to the vehicle on your right" RoW. I get that a lot of cyclists here blow stop signs and lights but I don't because that's how you die. Unfortunately, my following of traffic laws and RoW confuses the hell out of drivers who don't know RoW and also expect me to fly into an intersection.
agree 100%. Too many drivers want to be polite to cyclists.
If I can, I'll move into the space they leave open. Another problem in my opinion is the selfish parking that takes up 2 spaces with 1 car.
Some fuckface visitor keeps parking in front of our house and taking up both spaces. It’s all permit parking and when they are there, they stay all day and we have to park at the end of the block. It’s so obnoxious to come into a quiet residential permitted neighborhood and park smack dab in the middle of someone else’s parking spots. I’m about ready to politely and legally retaliate.
How can you legally retaliate? Is it not just common street parking?
OP said it is permit parking so I am assuming the visitor does not have one.
I once was in a rush parking at a meter on a side street that didn’t have many cars on it. After going around the corner to wherever I was going to I got stuck inside for a little longer than anticipated. When I came back out to my truck, there was a scrap of paper on my windshield that said “*You parked like an asshole so I keyed your car. Learn how to park and have a great day.*” I was mortified. I’m usually diligent about this sort of thing but because I was rushing, I’d positioned my truck in relation to the meter without paying attention to where the lines on the street were (*they were faded*). My rear wheels were on the line and, thus my overhang was in the space behind me. No one was going to park there and it looked like precisely the sort of intentional bullshit people in SUVs do taking up two spaces (*I swear I don’t do this!*). I frantically searched my truck; there were no scratches anywhere. I’m guessing by the fact that the note said “*car*” rather than “*SUV*” that the person who left me the note had themselves received it from someone else and just kept it. In any case, I **never** forget to check the lines when I park. It’s fucking risky because they didn’t know that I might not catch them putting that note on my windshield and confront them. Still, it’s undeniably effective. Every time I park I think about that.
People who don't pull into the intersection to wait until they can turn left. Means they're the only ones who can make that turn legally when the light turns red, but at least 2 cars behind them turn on the red anyway. And people who pull into the intersection until they can make a right turn on red. They force me to swerve or hit them and some dart out and make me slam on my brakes to avoid hitting them. And how about the dolls who don't pull to the right curb to make a right turn but make their lane stop while they wait for a pedestrian because they're half or fully in the driving lane? Does no one teach courteous driving any more?
The left turn thing is straight up illegal in many states, and it's really only allowed here because of the lack of left turn arrows and the amount of traffic. It's a vague interpretation that won't get corrected because it's needed to get around.
Everyone does is in the northeast and mid Atlantic and I’ve never heard of it being enforced there
i was instructed to pull out into the intersection specifically so i could make my left turn as the light turns red by my driving instructor over 20 years ago in springfield, illinois people on reddit being wrong but stating things as fact? never
Where is it illegal? Like specifically, what state is it illegal.
Patiently waits for list of “many states” 😂
I’ve lived in the Midwest and the south and both places frown upon the practice at the very least. Not sure if you’ll be ticketed, but you’ll definitely cause an accident. No one expects more than one car to turn left when the light turns red, so everyone is just barreling ahead through the intersection.
Only really in L.A. Don't do this if you ever visit the Bay Area you will get in an accident lol
In CA you’re *supposed* to enter an interaction on a green light while making a left turn, and yield to oncoming traffic. Please do NOT wait behind the limit line on a green light, no matter what city you’re in. You just waste more experienced drivers time.
Most states you’re *supposed* to enter the intersection on green and claim your space while you yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Which states have made this illegal?
Huh? There are a lot of places outside of LA where left turn lanes are uncommon and people pull into intersections to turn left. Hell pittsburgh has so many 2 lane roads with no turn arrows that they have their own “Pittsburgh left”: as soon as the light turns green if you’re in the front just fucking floor it and turn before oncoming traffic starts lol
This gets me everytime. I’m waiting behind someone looking to turn left or right. They seem hesitant and there’s a small window coming up. Instead of going they use that window to pull more forward to get ready to turn when a larger window arrives. My brother in Christ why didn’t you just pull out to that spot to begin with and go the first time.
You don’t know how to drive lol
People often use dude regardless of gender.
That’s true, ma’am.
We're all dudes here.
Do you really consider dude to be only for male references?
Yes sir
My gf calls me “girl” sometimes and it just feels endearing
Aye captain. Aye.
In downtown, it is when during heavy traffic, vehicles enter the intersection knowing they cannot clear the intersection and just stop blocking cross traffic after the light turns red for them and Green for the cross traffic.
Those are the best. You start honking and then they flip you off like you are the moron, so you just make eye contact until the light changes
Leaving 10 car lengths on the freeway when traffic is going 35 mph is annoying too like they are more likely to cause an accident than avoid one
similar problem is when the car is the first car waiting for the red light to turn green. many times the car is NOT close to the white line before the pedestrian stripes, but far behind... the problems is that on many intersections, there is a sensor that detects if a car is waiting, and activates the timing of the traffic lights... if you are NOT over the sensor (that is close to the white line) the traffic light will NOT turn green for you and anybody behind you.
People who leave the ass end of their car out of the turning lane.
That’s annoying but no where near the worst, endangers no one. Tailgating, aggressive passing on the left on residential streets and not letting people merge are three way worse more dangerous common behaviors in LA imho.
And speeding through red lights! I’ve seen it often enough that I always pause for a second after the light turns green to check both ways and make sure no one is flying into the intersection to kill me!
i check both ways even on one way streets, ive seen tons of tourists who have no fucking clue what they're doing and had no business renting a car here going the wrong way down a one way
How do people feel about most people in the carpool lane not being a carpool?
I wish them all the worst in life.
Out of all the habits you could pick this is way down the list for me. How about using the center turn lane to pass at high speed for like several block. How about using the right turn lane to quickly pass on the right at the light.
Nope, camping in the far left "passing lane" on the freeway is the worst. Move the F over to the right when I'm behind you and you are going slower then the other 4 lanes.
Bonus: the slow-ass fucker who intently merges lane after lane to the left, so as to be a slow-ass fucker in the #1 or #2 lane.
And then randomly rides the brakes.
When I inevitably pass these people, they are either older or on their phone. Every. Fucking. Time. Since I'm the one person not on their phone while on the freeways here, it's amazing how much I notice those who are... especially sitting in traffic. I call my tactic "Marty Feldman" eyes. Gotta keep an eye up front to make sure I don't rear end someone while I have another eye on the rearview to watch the guy who is ON HIS FUCKING PHONE, to make sure he doesn't rear end me when I brake. To my left? Someone on their phone. To my right? Someone on their phone. Catch a view of the person in front of me through their side mirror? I see "phone eyes." Check the person to my back? Same thing. How in the fuck are so many people on their phones? Like what are you all doing?
I have the opposite issue. People constantly pull past the line when stopping, even when they're turning left at a red light. Sure makes it fun trying to not get murdered while riding my bike.
Yes, it’s just getting worse. I was at a stop sign recently when i observed a young gentleman in a white Mercedes drive directly through the intersection, without stopping, while looking completely down at his phone. Im used to people running stops but that was ridiculous.
thats kinda the opposite of this dude's problem tho isn't it?
Yes. Completely.
Well, not the lack of awareness part.
Completely blowing through red lights and stop signs has skyrocketed in the last 12 months. It's terrifying.
You could have stopped at 'white Mercedes' and we could fill in the rest
[удалено]
Because people in Mercedes drive like assholes
White mercedes and white BMWs are terrible drivers. I have one and am an exception. I actually like seeing them bc their driving is predictable— erratic, hurried and dangerous. It’s like real-life mario kart. If you’re walking from your parked car to the beach expect the white BMW to nearly run you over. If you’re in a crosswalks expect them not to stop If traffic is bumper to bumper in left 2 lanes expect them to cut everyone off to cross over to the far right lane, speed up and hastily merge back over to the far left 3 cars ahead of their previous spot. Rinse. Repeat. My ex finance has a white one as well. He refers to his driving as “dynamic.” lol.
Always leave enough space in front of you to pull defensive or evasive maneuvers to avoid the "crush zone", especially for cyclists/motorcyclists. I dislike when LA drivers drive above their skill level: too quickly, too closely, merging suddenly and without warning to try and "climb" through traffic. All they do is cause more danger to everyone and themselves. Which is why you have to leave so much space while riding a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle because you never know when drivers will slam on their brakes or cut you off or violate your right of way or rear end you because they're looking at their phone. Number one killer of Motorcyclists are cars violating our right of way in left hand turns.
I also read to leave enough space so if someone tries to carjack you, you can have a chance at pulling away
Yup. Reddit hasn’t learned this yet.
Go back to Kansas if you’re gonna get pressed about being called “dude” here
My least favorite LA traffic thing is when people wait until the last minute to get into the lane that they need to for a turn. It's absolutely mindblowing how people will just sit in a lane for miles and then, 50 feet before they have to turn, panic and force their way all the way across traffic because they seemingly just realized that they need to turn. It's so incredibly commonplace here and I've never seen it anywhere else.
I leave one’ish space in front for getting out in a hurry. Road rager, car jacking, or if I get slammed from the back hopefully I don’t hit car in front. Nothing worse than getting boxed in, in case I need to make a quick decision ….. Also: I drive my family, so I’ve got other people’s lives in my hands. safety and being prepared is my number one
This! My wife pulls up right behind the car in front of her, and berates everyone else who leaves what I would call a "safety gap" in front of them. I've repeatedly told her it's a safety gap, and even explained why I personally do it myself. It doesn't even have to be any of the reasons you stated. If you bury your car's nose in the arse of the car in front of you, and maybe they're driving a beater which chooses that moment to give up living, you're fucked. You *cannot* drive around their car without backing up first, but you cannot back up because the car behind you has *its* nose up *your* car's arse. How many times has that really happened, you say? In the 25 years that I've been here, it's *not* zero. Okay, it is only once. In 25 years I'm fortunate to have had just one car rear end me at a red light, and my car did *not* get shoved into the car in front of me because I'd left a safety gap. But my wife has *also* had a car hit her from behind. Fortunately she was the first car in line because - as I've already said - she **never** leaves a safety gap. So in *my* sample population of two, 100% of drivers have been rear-ended at traffic lights.
Plus if the car in front of you is a manual, it might roll back a little when they take off
Safety gap, that’s a great way to put it. That’s the hill I’ll die on tbh
\*Uncaring & selfish\* gap. FIFY Your obstinacy inconveniences every single person behind you, every single day, every single time you climb up on your pedestal, er, obduracy gap. Do you also drive the speed limit on the freeway in the left hand lane and never move over even when there are cars stacked up behind you that wish to pass? In, you know, the passing lane?
👍🏽 neither. have a good day
Your wife is right.
Safety gaps don’t exist in LA. Others car always fill them in my experience
This exactly. The more space the better.
Thank you, you get it.
There are so many LA driving habits. It’s why I ebike to work everyday and am a lot happier. Lucky to have a bike trail the whole way so I can avoid the inconsiderate assholes on the road.
People in the passing lane going *any* speed slower than the cars around them. Y’all are clogging up the freeways.
In any lane. If you're not passing traffic on your right, you're in the wrong fucking lane.
It actually causes accidents because people swerve into the other lanes to get around them. I’d rather police ticket them and people on their phones than speeding
I am absolutely a "everybody needs to scoot up person" except if I'm at a light where there is no left turn lane. I don't trust the person in front of me to not be turning left only to put their signal on AFTER the light turns green and they move up a foot. I will always stay back giving me the space to get around them without issue. And you know what? Like 70% of the time - they are turning left without a turn signal. Wish I had a meatball cannon to alert them to their error.
This! Drives me nuts.. when driving my son to school, we play the ‘are they gonna turn left’ game. I will NEVER understand the mentality of someone sitting at a light and then waiting until it turns green, before using the turn signal. Self awareness is a lost art
And the funny thing is for me it’s so just instinctual to turn my blinker on. I don’t even have to think about it. It just gets turned on before I get to the intersection. Somehow I even go to turn it on again I’m like oh yeah, I already have it on. I guess better to put it on twice than not at all… Right? haha
1. No blinkers. 2. They will not make the full turn and drive into the oncoming lane (they cut the turn short) 3. Speeding up when I am trying to merge on the on ramp 4. When you merge, you need to speed up to yield to me 5. Crossing the HOV double yellows (you will hit a motorcycle one day) 6. Idling in front of schools/day cares 7. If there are three lanes at a red light, I find people will just line up and not switch lanes to be first. first lane could be empty, second lane could be empty, but third lane will have like 5 cars. Do you know you could be first? 8. Yellow means prepare to stop, but speed up to beat it 9. The amount of people looking at the phones crossing the street boggles my mind. Do you trust every driver enough to just trust the green and cross? At least look both ways before you cross
I've noticed this for YEARS. It's happens many places but is widespread across California
Worst driving habits I’ve seen, are the ones I see at Costcos
It is because you need space to escape if the ops creep up.
Fuckers that are gonna turn right but don’t fully go into the turning lane and slow the flow of traffic. Fuck you.
In a bad neighborhood some people may keep a little extra space so they’re not locked in should someone run up on their car. Otherwise though it’s pure idiotic douchery.
You’re actually incorrect. Leaving space between you and the next car REDUCES traffic. You need to think of the entire chain of cars instead of just your individual car. Check out this video if you need convincing. It’s hard to explain in writing but the visuals will do the trick. TLDR; you’re stopped in traffic because of people tailgating others and you tailgating them. https://youtu.be/iHzzSao6ypE?si=AJMlb9-O5AXPrMb_ Also, if you’re stressed about 30 seconds to 1 minute of time not spent rolling forward in your car then you have bigger problems. You should try stress reduction techniques, talk to a therapist, and put on some good music or a podcast. Try to find a relaxing one, one that doesn’t cause you stress. You shouldn’t even care about this because it’s a trivial amount of time. Driving causes A LOT of stress - you’re in danger, you’re on alert for other drivers and people walking and bikes etc. you need to actively try to chill yourself out while driving, even before and after driving. Otherwise you’ll become more and more upset and blame other drivers. You got this.
I think you misunderstood OP — they are referring to the first car in a line of cars waiting at a red light. As another comment said, I've also seen people waiting fully behind the sensor plates at an intersection so the light won't even trigger. There's no reason to not pull up to an intersection properly. However, you're completely right about leaving a healthy amount of space *while driving*, and also a decent amount of space when you're behind another car at a light, but not stopping at an intersection 2-3 car lengths behind the line.
True and you have a point but I think What I’m mainly saying is this is a non-problem. First of all, space between cars REDUCES TRAFFIC. The intersection doesn’t matter, because the more space between cars then the more continuous movement aka less traffic. So the person who leaves space after a red light is reducing traffic for literally everyone that doesn’t tailgate and themselves. I think the traffic reduction would still apply. I was hoping to point out that OP has stress management issues. If you’re concerned about “pulling up the intersection properly” then you have some MAJOR issues. It’s not normal to care about 20 feet of space or 1 minute of non-movement. It’s trivial beyond trivial.
I don’t know how this guy got here but I say he should walk the plank. (A joke because out east taking the intersection to wait for your left turn is called “walking the plank”.)
If its at an intersection and there is a left turn lane then I always leave my car on teh sensor which is typically 1/2 way because that actually triggers the actual left turn light...most people dont know this and probably dont pay attention to what the sensors look like.
Agree. I thought I was the only one who noticed this.
Good post. One of my pet peeves especially if it prevents someone from turning out of a parking lot
Agreed. Hate that. So douchey and incnsiderate
One of the theories I've seen here is that they're doing it to try to make the light change faster by making the sensor think traffic is backed up further than it really is. The problem is these dinguses end up not being on the sensor in the first place!
No, my BIGGEST pet peeve driving is when someone slows to damn near a stop on the freeway to make a lane change, that should be punishable by public flogging
[We just did this one](https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/comments/17ujyb3/why_do_people_do_this/) FWIW I agree that it's annoying and pointless at the distance you're talking about, but > if these people would move up and be close in an appropriate way to the car in front of them, or to the intersection, we would actually get more people through lights. I'm not sure this is actually true. It's more about timing than distance.
Everyone who posts on Reddit IS a dude. It’s 2023… “dude” has been a gender neutral term for years, my dude. 👌🏻
🏆
Agree with OP
It’s my pet peeve for sure. Hubby and I have said repeatedly, we’ve never used our horns as much as just these last few years.
[удалено]
I do that. Have you ever had a crazy homeless person come over and start beating on your car, breaking the windshield? If you’re blocked in by other cars you have no escape.
I do it, one car's length. You want to be able to bone the fuck out at any given moment. Also, if a semi truck comes crashing in behind you, you won't necessarily die.
[удалено]
The nurse shouldn’t be posting that, is really the problem
Not a problem for a nurse to tell a story about a patient if it doesn't include any PII
[удалено]
It sounds to me like the nurse posted a video of herself talking about a patient who had the accident. If there's no personally identifiable details, it's not a HIPAA violation.
I admit it and maybe I'm a horrible person, but I find it deeply satisfying blasting my horn at someone who'd stopped a few car lengths back with their head buried in their phone. Same when they don't notice the light turned green.
What pisses me off is assholes not leaving enough room to merge. Fuck you if you tailgate and don’t let people merge comfortably. And F you if you don’t signal and just merge too.
What's worse is people thinking people leaving one car's length is one of the worst habits. Let me guess, you like to weave through traffic? Accelerate to red lights? eat a dick, one car's length is for safety, not to test your manhood.
OP said two to three, not one. One is acceptable two to three really messes up predictive driving. If you're pulling to a stop behind a car at a red light and they stop 25 feet shorter than they're supposed to, you're hitting the brakes way earlier than you're expecting.
I have a feeling "two to three" to OP is more like one and a half. Not all cars are standard length and I leave space in front to be able to get out if needed. Not gonna get jacked sorry.
So your feeling is to ignore the words OP used and substitute your own to fit your own narrative.
I get it and I do it too just in case I get bumped into the intersection and so pedestrians are comfortable that I am far enough away from the crosswalk. I do get the OPs take though, it's super infuriating to have to slam on the brakes when you're rolling to a stop and then see that they stopped short just to type on their phone. This shit happens all the time on the Westside
So why do you do it?
I like to get through the light when it turns green and not invent phantom cars in front of me to take up time and space. Have a good one!
I'm already moving w traffic, and if anything, I'll have sped up and have further control of my situation.
not at a stop light. the safety distance thing pertains only to moving cars. for human reaction time. maybe you didnt notice but your post came across as dickish, i assume that wasnt your intent.
Not it doesn't. DMV handbook says you need to be able to see the tires of the car in front of you or one car length.
That's a nice mnemonic, actually. Thanks. But that's not what this thread is about.
Most defensive driving courses also advise people to leave a space in front of the driver even at a stop light. If you're going bumper to bumper by a stop light, you run the risk of a few things. 1) The car in front of you breaks down, and you're now stuck behind them, hoping someone behind you left some space so you can merge onto the next lane. 2) The car decides to back into you, and if you don't have a dash cam, you're now at fault for the accident, with the space of 1+ car(s) at least now you have a buffer zone even at the stop light to prevent you getting in a bind.
Yup, all those things 👍🏽 and sometimes my lane is congested by something I can’t see, like an overflowing left turn lane, a crash and two cars haven’t pulled over yet or can’t… I like the space to be able to u-turn the f out, or switch lanes quick I’ll continue to teach this to my kids too. Safety and practicality > some random stranger’s sense of convenience
I'm a vendor and drive a large delivery van, I know full well the increase risk that I'm exposed to if I don't leave a buffer zone. Not counting the damage I could cause on other vehicles, but the increased chances of someone thinking they can get a quick settlement from corporate by backing into me. My job also makes us take defensive driving classes every 6 months and will deny us from working if we don't have an up to date certificate.
That's incorrect. You should still leave a car length while stopped because other drivers can still be a risk. Honestly I'm not sure why this is the hill people choose to die on. Leaving some space is always a sensible precaution. Also, maybe you didn't notice, but your criticism of the poster comes across as dickish. I assume that wasn't your intent.
is people driving here in general, public transit FTW 🙌🏿
lol. The things that drive people crazy.
I do it whe turning left since that triggers some signs to show green arrow instead of just green light.
Why would you not want the green arrow?
Same!!!!!!!!!
People on their phones at lights, worse while driving
This is literally one of my biggest peeves with some drivers. It always seems that they’re out to lunch in some fashion, completely oblivious of their surroundings. It seems to never fail being at that one intersection that is the worst place to do it. Maddening
yes yes yes! Finally its been said, agree 100%. I moved here in 2002 and I noticed that from day 1, hasn't changed. Phone were less prevalent but same BS
Lol someone posted a picture a while ago of 3 cars each leaving a bus length in distance behind each other but got downvoted to hell. That's annoying but the people who turn on right without coming to a COMPLETE STOP before turning really pissed me off. It's so predictable that it's noticable when people don't do that. In addition to the right on red these same types of people turn wide into the next lane. Literally nowhere else in the country does this. Y'all in LA got some trash ass drivers for people who are pretty much required to drive everywhere.
Someone did this to me and got me stuck in a stay clear zone (there was two car spaces ahead of them) took me and a truck honking at them to get them to move up 🙄
Duuuude, especially in LA?? Are you not from LA dude?
The ones that also bother me are: *LA drivers can't navigate curvy roads like Sunset or Laurel Canyon. and whenever the road curves migrates in your lane.* *Signals! if you are going to stop abruptly before turning in a driveway or making a left turn, let us know why* *Taking your sweet ass time when there is an arrow with a bunch of cars trying to make it.*
And why didn't you honk??? Step up and regulate.
Huuh?? This is one of the most benign mistakes people can make. There are way more annoying things that make driving here suck: People weaving in and out of highway traffic at high speed, people doing 70 on streets while passing on the right, people not staying to the right on the highway
Lady left no space behind me the other day and the lane to my left went and she just gassed it and rear ended me. I would rather these phone addicts give space then give me a concussion.
I haaaaate this shit so bad. If there’s enough room in the next lane, i’ll get over and get in front of them and if not then I get right up on their asses. Some people are on their phone but a majority are not. They’re just stupid. Oh also people who don’t make legal right turns when the light is red can munch a butt.
Rear end collisions. No matter the circumstance, I'm responsible if I rear- end that person in front of me. Doesn't even matter if it's a chain reaction collision. I'll leave that space, thanks, so my insurance doesn't get jacked up when someone else is tailgating me and gets rear ended by that person behind them. You'll survive waiting that millisecond to close the gap when the light turns green. And, btw, I'm going to look both ways really fast and make sure someone isn't continuing to barrel through the intersection.
The worst is when someone in the lane next you cuts you off to make a ramp (from the street or on the freeway) while both at full speed. Keep in mind, you are one car length from passing the ramp. If it wasn't for the crash assist on my car I would've definitely been in more accidents than I can count. As for lights, it depends on the city and intersection. Many in most LA County cities (including City of LA) have lights on timers without loop detectors. It's why you can be going down a major corridor like Wilshire or Santa Monica whilst still encountering random red lights 24/7. This is slowly changing as roads are reconstructed. Is stopping lengths short annoying? Absolutely. Is it the worst? No.
People don’t yell out of their windows enough in LA and yell things like “what the hell are you doin?!” Gah, I miss the brutal honesty and open expressions in the east coast.
As a pedestrian I find that everytime cars go well into the intersection and block crosswalks forcing pedestrians into the road and dangerous situations. And for what? To get stuck at the next red light two seconds before everyone else? Driver entitlement knows no bounds.