It is Not Cool to Mentally Check Out at Intersections
Idiocy Meter
Asshole Meter
I honestly have no idea what’s going on through the heads of some drivers in Los Angeles. So many of them seriously tune out at the least opportune times. Case in point, let’s talk about this clueless couple in this Ford Fusion (license plate 6NBL). We were traveling in North Hollywood during rush hour on Magnolia Blvd. going west. When we reached Cahuenga, we were stopped at a green light for bumper-to-bumper traffic ahead of us. Though technically all drivers are supposed to keep the intersection clear until they can safely traverse, almost all of us never do this–myself included. The more conscientious drivers will at least make educated guesses as to whether they have enough time to clear the intersection before the light turns red. But what happens if we actually get stuck in the middle when the lights start changing? Well, again, the more considerate drivers will do their best to clear the path for oncoming cars. Not these idiots. This guy and his passenger felt completely content to sit smack in the middle of the intersection. We even backed up a bit to at least enable them to clear part of the crosswalk if they wanted to. Alas, to no avail. The light turned red for us and green for perpendicular traffic, and these fools continued sitting there like ducks in a barrel. It took cars on Cahuenga to honk at them for them to grow some brain cells and start backing up. We snapped this photo when they stopped, and as you can clearly see, they are still way over the farthest limit line for westbound Magnolia traffic. Seriously, folks, I know we spend so much time in our cars, but we certainly have an obligation to both others and our own safety to make a concerted effort not to mentally check out, particularly in these scenarios.
Filed under: clueless, observation
Magnolia is a magnet for this behavior. Mag/Lankershim around 5pm can turn into a parking lot in a second due to people not paying attention. It’s amazing. Add in pedestrians, and I’m always shocked that there’s not an ambulance there every night.
I agree with the driver being an idiot, but did the passenger have anything to do with it?
Potentially. I know I’ve definitely reminded the driver that the light has changed to green when I’ve been the passenger. But the bottom line is the driver has the sole responsibility regarding where the vehicle goes. Naturally, the passenger probably should be aware of what’s going on so that he/she doesn’t get T-boned by oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, these mental vacations happen all the time in L.A., though nowadays the problem tends to reside with drivers browsing and texting away on their smart phones at red lights.