L.A. Can't Drive

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Idiocy Meter

Asshole Meter

You know what?  All too often, this “laid back” bull crap that’s spouted by lovers of Southern California is just a pathetic excuse for negligence, apathy, laziness, lack of ambition, or lack of self-control.  I’m not just talking about driving; I see this lack of discipline exhibited by all different people in many different career fields.  We may not all be pot smokers, but a vast number of us still act like reefer junkies.  Take Exhibit A, for example, a suit in a Toyota traveling on Little Santa Monica in Beverly Hills.  When the hands-free cell phone law first came into effect, most people breaking the law were at least discreet about it.  But guess what happens several months after “the hype”, coupled with lackluster law enforcement?  You have dicks like this guy (blocking intersections, not signaling, etc.) blatantly ignoring the law because using an earpiece is “too expensive”, “too uncomfortable”, “hard to hear”, or maybe it’s a case of, “I forgot to charge it, and it ran out of batteries.”  How about I don’t give a rat’s ass?  It’s the friggen law, and chatting in the phone (hands free or not) is clearly affecting how you drive.  So either hang up or use some hands-free cell phone equipment, but don’t start parading around with your window down and your “signaling elbow” out in the open.  Aberrant behavior becomes infectious when it goes unchecked, especially when we’re trying to change an entire culture of conditioned vehicular cell phone use.  And though I certainly think it’s correct for me to feel that law enforcement isn’t doing its part to enforce this aspect of the law, we are equally to blame.  Often, it’s the “laid back” qualities in ourselves that we all take so much pride in that causes us not to enforce this law–and many more important ones–with our friends.  It’s ridiculous how on a daily basis, I see vehicles with more than one occupant in it where the driver is holding a cell phone in his hand, asking for directions, chatting away, etc.  Dude, if you’re a passenger in the car, either you speak to the person on the other line or say that the driver will call back.  Period.  Are you being uncool for telling someone not to talk on their cell phone?  Would you feel the same way if you were telling that person to buckle their seat belt?

And how about Exhibit B in the Honda Ridgeline pickup on Coldwater?  Secure your bloody cargo, man.  What happened?  Did you hit a 2 foot high speed bump that just happened to propel several yards of rope out of your truck?  Sure, some of you might say what’s the big deal with a little rope on the ground or some dude holding a cell phone to his ear in traffic.  It’s against the law.  Traffic laws and regulations were not written merely to cramp our chill lifestyles.  They are meant for our safety and, quite frankly, to keep society sane and functioning.  Lord knows we have way too many laws and gray areas that are already being structured and defined by the government, so it’s up to us to use our intelligence and extrapolate some common sense for ourselves.  In the end, sometimes we all need to make little sacrifices that’ll reap large dividends for society on the whole.  You’re stuck in slow traffic and need to make a phone call?  Don’t split hairs.  Just use your headset…and by the looks of this guy, it’s not like he can’t afford one.  There’s no California vehicle code about dragging a bungee cord along the asphalt?  Dude, just take the extra 30 seconds to secure your cargo in the back of your truck.  It might just be a piece of rope at first, but then it could very well be an axe insecurely stuck into a stump of wood (a post submission from last year).

Bottom line is this.  Being nonchalant about driver safety isn’t down-to-earth or cool–it’s just plain stupid.  We all stress out and need ways to decompress.  But when we start trying to cut corners by taking things lightly in areas where we in fact need to be more diligent, we end up making matters worse for everyone, including ourselves.  Call it the butterfly effect for l.a. driving.  Conversely, I truly believe that considerate, law-abiding behavior is contagious.  Let’s try to be good examples for our neighbors, even if it’s just a friendly reminder to get someone to signal…or buckle their seatbelt.

Filed under: car lights, cell phone, clueless, observation