Leapfrogging Mercedes with Vanity Plate on Sunset
Idiocy Meter
Asshole Meter
Sometimes you see a dickhead maneuver happening before it actually happens. Case in point, the driver of this Mercedes with a vanity plate (already a good probability of assholish behavior) pulled up next to me at the light on westbound Sunset Blvd. just before the 405 Freeway on-ramps. I would put money down that this person knew exactly where he/she was going and still refused to merge earlier into the single lane that would feed you onto the 405 Fwy South. There are plenty of signs and lane markings that tell you where you need to go. And during rush hour, the rightmost lane on Sunset is always slower because of this bottleneck. Consequently, egocentric, impatient drivers like the one in this Mercedes who feel that their time is more valuable than anyone else’s opt to leapfrog pass as many commuters as possible on one of two westbound through lanes. The defensive driver in front of me slowed up to let this person through, though the Mercedes driver had to cross over a solid white painted median to do so. With that said, at least the Mercedes was signaling, which is more than what I can say for the majority of leapfroggers in this town.
Filed under: aggressive, leapfrog
I recall reading it’s illegal to change lanes once you’re in a turn only lane, but it’s ok if you want to change from the straight only to a turn only lane. Doesn’t make it any less rude feeling when you’re in that high-pressure traffic, though.
At any rate, my experience is solid lines mean nothing out here.
Scott, with some investigation, I found out that it is highly discouraged but not illegal to cross solid white lines. However, if an officer sees you involved in a near miss after you’ve crossed a solid white line, then that would be enough cause for the officer to pull you over. Though that scenario could apply for dotted white lines, an officer is more likely to pull you over if he/she sees you doing this over solid white lines. Specifically regarding turn lanes, I never heard of that rule before. However, given that turn lanes are bordered by solid white lines with adjacent through lanes, I assume that you can still turn out of a turn lane if you opt to go straight in the end, as long as you yield to oncoming traffic behind you.