Classic Legal L.A. Obstruction Behavior
Idiocy Meter
Asshole Meter
I can totally relate to this submission I got today. It’s a classic case of the Angeleno driver who is completely oblivious of everything around him because he’s too self-absorbed and lost in his own little world:
“I’m driving south on Hollywood Way. As I approach the light at Hollywood Way and Verdugo, this guy in a black Jeep pulls out of a parking lot and makes a right in front of me as the light already turned red. But he pulls out and just stops diagonally…that’s it, as if he owned the entire right lane, which is wide enough that most drivers treat it as both a through lane and a right turn on red lane. You can fit two city buses side by side in this one lane for God’s sake! So this white SUV came up behind him trying to make a right, but of course he couldn’t squeeze through the inch and a half this selfish jackhole left for right turning traffic.”
You can’t even fault this behavior to the stereotypical Angeleno habit of not checking one’s mirrors or blind spots. This guy just didn’t even give the slightest thought to fellow drivers on the road. Is what he did illegal? Technically no, but it’s certainly narrowminded and inconsiderate.
Filed under: clueless, observation
Normally I agree with your posts, but not this one. You yourself admitted it’s perfectly legal, and moreso, if a right lane is not marked as two lanes, then while you can go squeezing by if there’s room, if there’s not, the person in front of you is perfectly justified in taking up the whole lane if they so choose. I’ve had that happen on Olympic and Bundy occasionally – and I just wait for the light.
There are so many other nastier things to get pissed off about in this metro area… how about the idiots that turn right in front of you and then proceed to go 15 mph below the speed limit? Or the ones who are going to get into the exit lane on the freeway while you’re trying to merge off of it but just HAVE to do it in *front* of you?
Sorry dude. I like this site, but I’d suggest that you stick to the stuff that is *truly* reckless…
Hey Russell, thanks for the feedback. In short, I agree with the idea that this isn’t really reckless…just more inconsiderate (hence the lower meter ratings). It was a submission, and I try to post any submission I get. Readers want to vent, too, you know? I don’t disagree with you…the person is completely in their right to take up the breadth of the entire right lane if it’s unmarked. And yes, like you I also wait for the light rather than honk or wave angrily at the other driver. But I’m sure you can see how one could find it frustrating in this situation when a person darts out of a driveway in front of other drivers (who may or may not have been signaling for a right turn) and then stops diagonally to prevent any cars from making a legal right on red, which is customary and expected. Making rights on reds is something we all pretty much know about, so the more attentive and considerate drivers on the road do tend to veer to the left side in the rightmost lane if there’s room for a car to squeeze by and make a turn. Again, it isn’t illegal, nor is it reckless. But it certainly does highlight the typical obliviousness the average poor L.A. driver has with his/her other commuters. Such lack of awareness in other situations can actually turn into inadvertent reckless behavior.
I’ve got to agree with Russell here, especially when you consider that the person is at the restraining line. If they had pulled forward further to straighten out so the car could turn right, you would have posted “look at this jackass over the restraining line.”
Mike, that’s pretty funny. I’ve actually written in quite a few posts about drivers who’ve actually inched forward to make room for other drivers wishing to make right turns. The only time I’ve mentioned the limit line is when I’ve personally witnessed a driver speeding, trying to beat a light or something to that effect, and then screeching to a halt at the very last second when they change their mind. But, again, since I didn’t witness this incident, I only post what people send me and then comment about how I feel about similar situations.
In short, I personally don’t think it’s a big deal to move to the left of the rightmost through lane. I don’t even think about it…it’s not draining any brain power nor does it keep me up at night if I happen to forget to do it. It’s just a habit that I think is quite considerate, harmless, and eases traffic flow. Others might think I’m making too big of a stretch by associating this with oblivious behavior, which (like I said earlier) COULD lead to inadvertent dangerous behavior. If you think I am wrong on that front, then you’re completely entitled. I still welcome anyone to vent about whatever pet peeve bothers than most on this site.