L.A. Can't Drive

Idiocy Meter

Asshole Meter

Someone recently wrote a comment: “One would think Los Angeles would have more good drivers, seeing as everyone basically drives everywhere…”  Here’s the thing: the adage practice makes perfect doesn’t apply in this scenario because the main issue is the average Angeleno’s inability to properly communicate or socialize with his or her neighbor, not the average Angeleno’s lack of skill behind the wheel.  Let’s face it–people know how to drive.  We may not know or adhere to all the rules or fine print, but the average person knows how to drive safely.  And that’s the primary function of our traffic laws and regulations–to keep people safe on the roads.

What we have in this town is a serious deficiency with regards to social interaction.  People are spread out; our day-to-day social activities for the most part stay in the same localities and we rarely branch out or explore; we are isolated in our homes, place of work or schooling, or in our cars.  In fact, we spend more time stuck in our cars, stuck in traffic, than any other citizen in the United States.  What happens as a result?  We subconsciously forget that other people exist and the ego becomes the priority.  Random social interaction with strangers becomes an anomaly, not a general given as in the case with most metropolises.  Outside our immediate family, coworkers, and friends, conversations are often pained, artificial, scripted, disingenuous.  True, some of this can’t be helped.  How often can we keep promises to “keep in touch”, “hang out soon”, “meet up for drinks”, etc. when it takes an hour to travel a few miles and we barely have the time to see those who already play important parts in our lives?  In Chicago, SF, NYC, Boston…it’s not uncommon to hit a few social gatherings in one night–it’s downright doable.  In L.A.?  You often have to plan weeks in advance, and if you manage to make two birthday parties in one night, well, you’re considered a wunderkind.

What happens as a result is that those outside the immediate periphery of our social circles become either obstacles that prevent us from accomplishing our daily tasks or become resources for us to use, manipulate, or strategize against.  Though the intensity of what I’m about to say seems to dissipates as you branch out to the outer townships that make up L.A., this county is disproportionately a me-first driven society, not helped of course by its reputation as a one-industry Hollywood town.  It seems to be more about short-cuts and “what can you do for me” attitudes rather than the community and paying one’s dues.

Are there exceptions to this?  Of course.  But stereotypes exist for a reason, and those of us who have fierce L.A. pride have to honestly ask if we make excuses for the problems we experience in this town or are we partially responsible for adding to the chaos?

Here’s someone who’s at least been driving in California (and most likely L.A.) for many years in a Jaguar convertible.  It’s a nice car, and you know what?  He knows it.  If smugness and arrogance emitted a poisonous green glow, this guy would look radioactive.  It should come as no surprise that there is an over-abundance of economic elitists like this fellow who feel that their wealth puts them above laws and common courtesy.  Aside from consistently jabbering away into his cell phone that he was holding in his hand, he kept switching lanes without signaling and was only half-paying attention to stop sign etiquette during rush hour.  In this particular case, his flagrant dismissal of the hands-free cell phone law (top down, convertible, frequently patrolled Beverly Hills) annoyed me more than his lack of attention behind the wheel.

Now some of you might feel that I’m blowing things out of proportion.  But I truly believe that one’s environment truly affects one’s behavior in all aspects of that person’s life.  Was this guy raised cocky and arrogant in L.A.?  Or did he move here with that attitude?  It’s true that most of the nicer, real people I’ve met here are actually born and raised Angelenos.  However, it’s also true that many of them are pretty horrific drivers, and there have been plenty examples on this blog of so-called native Angelenos who pretty much throw traffic rules and etiquette out the window.  There are certain fundamentals, like the sprawling geography and mind-blowing traffic, that we can’t change about this town.  The question is do we allow these factors to dictate our behavior or do we strive to practice what we all inherently know is right?  A little effort is both contagious and goes a long way.

Filed under: car lights, cell phone, observation