L.A. Can't Drive » mirrors

Psst, Check Your Mirrors Before Pulling Away from the Curb

I-95, U-405 — Mon, 17 May 2010 01:43:28 +0000

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The likely native driving this old black Ford pickup truck (license plate 5X1) was cruising around with his driver’s side sideview mirror turned inwards. And since I don’t have a FAQ section yet, I will reiterate that I am aware that transplants to this state can buy used cars that have older license plates on them. As a result, not everyone driving an older vehicle with older CA plates is a native. (With that said, if you see new CA plates on an old vehicle, that’s a guarantee that you’re dealing with a recent transplant.) However, as a transplant myself and as someone who knows way more transplants than natives due to my profession, most of us brought our old cars with us. Do we purchase used cars? Duh…of course we do. But it would be naive to give the benefit of the doubt every single time we see an older vehicle with older CA plates doing something idiotic or assholish on the road. Transplant or not, the clueless/aggressive drivers on this blog live here now, and we all have to deal with that reality. Just this weekend, I got in another rear-ender with a Ford F150 whose driver wasn’t paying attention and thought his foot was on the brake. We were in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the I-5 South near the 10 and 60 interchanges. There was also a slew of pretty bad accidents on multiple freeways this past Saturday morning. That’s 3 rear-enders in 4 years (living here full-time) versus zero rear-enders in all the time I was driving in NY. Given the many hours that we spend behind the wheel in Los Angeles, we need to be that more vigilant about not losing our focus while driving. I’m sure the driver of this Ford pickup parked on a narrow street and didn’t want his sideview mirror knocked off by a passing vehicle. However, you’re supposed to check for traffic before you pull away from the curb….correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that involves looking at your blind spot and both the rearview and sideview mirrors.

Clueless Blind Nerd in Focus

I-95, U-405 — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:20:39 +0000

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You’ve heard me talk about the juvenile “gangsta lean” behind the steering wheel. Well, senior citizens also stereotypically have a lean or slant while driving: hunched forward, chin below the shoulders, elbows bent with forearms resting on the horn, and hands grabbing the wheel at 11 and 1. Oh, and let’s not forget the all important “senior squint”. However, the driver of this Ford Focus was not in fact a senior, but rather a kid in his 20′s driving with a “senior slant”. Apparently, he also had the vision of a blue hair since he nearly shaved off my front bumper as he casually drifted in front of me from my right on Moorpark in N. Hollywood when the #2 lane turns into a right-turn-only lane at Vineland. Sure, some people do try to pointlessly leapfrog over as many cars as possible using turn-only lanes as passing lanes, but this nerdy-looking kid with thick glasses probably just couldn’t see where he was going. Not only did he not signal, but he started changing lanes before his car cleared the front wheels of my vehicle–seriously, not OK. Check your mirrors and your blind spot, moron. If you’re too blind to drive, then get off the friggen road.

Poorly Kept SUV Blindly Drifting in Front of Traffic

I-95, U-405 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:04:34 +0000

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Here’s another moron in a Ford SUV. The short fat lady driving this red Ford arbitrarily pulled out of a parking space by the curb on Moorpark directly in front of my vehicle. The fact that she didn’t signal before merging is pretty common here, but pulling out into traffic without looking is just plain idiotic. Her stopped vehicle was also harder to see since she only has one working taillight (the rear right…she’s actually braking in this photo), which was obstructed by another parked vehicle. She beelined it for the center left turn lane, again without signaling, and made a left onto a side street about half a block later; apparently, she is of the mindset that one does not need to check for traffic or signal for any turns or lane changes if one only plans to travel on a given road for a short distance. What made this all the more infuriating was that she barely accelerated throughout this entire maneuver, essentially coasting diagonally from one stopped position to another directly in front of traffic. Some people just never get it. Well, let’s look at the bright side: if she ever becomes brain dead from serious head trauma in an auto accident that was completely her fault, it wouldn’t be like she’s missing anything in the end.

Inconsiderate Behavior During Rush Hour

I-95, U-405 — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:26:47 +0000

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This power-tripping lady in her late 40′s needs a serious wake-up call behind the wheel. I took this photo while stopped at a red light under the 405 Fwy overpass on Wilshire in Brentwood. This posturing, self-absorbed biznatch was too busy chatting away into the Blackberry she had in her hand to either notice or care that she was obstructing an entire through lane of traffic as she sat in two lanes at once. Her destination was the rightmost lane that takes you to the 405 Fwy N on-ramp. She was also stopped a good hearty distance behind the truck in front of her and could’ve easily moved up a bit to get the fat ass of her Ford Explorer out of the way. She’s probably always too absorbed in striking business deals while driving to even pay attention to her mirrors and traffic around her. 6 cars easily could have scooted by, which is no small number when you deal with heavy Friday afternoon rush hour traffic. When the traffic lights turned green, drivers who wanted to continue east on Wilshire had to patiently sit behind her while she took her sweet-ass time moving completely over to the rightmost lane. If not moving when a light turns green is an L.A. sin during rush hour, not moving and unnecessarily obstructing traffic will send you straight to commuter purgatory.

Another Lemon on Our Streets

I-95, U-405 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:26:30 +0000

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This is pretty benign as posts go on this site, but this transplant (or maybe he was just driving through) from Ohio was putting around Cahuenga in Hollywood in this beaten up old Saturn. The flap over his gas tank was dangling, along with the sideview mirror on the driver’s side. The mirror wasn’t good for much else than looking down at the pavement by his rear left tire, since it was haphazardly duct taped at a downward angle. Well, if this guy really did just move here, he’s doing a fine job contributing to the plethora of lemons we already have on our Los Angeles streets. If this guy wouldn’t fix his car in Ohio, I doubt he’ll make repairs with the higher cost of living in L.A.

Infinite Stupidity in Infiniti

I-95, U-405 — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 07:35:08 +0000

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Oh my god, is it just me or are dicks out in full force these last few days? It’s like a bloody sausage fest at the Berlin Love Parade, except without the trance, ecstasy, good friends, and awesome raves. There have been too many close encounters that we don’t have any pictures to show the worst of the offenders. I do have this photo of this toolbag in his early 50′s driving a merlot Infiniti Gx4 SUV on Sepulveda with a 4 license plate (again, likely longtime L.A. resident) in post rush hour traffic. You think this guy traveled this alternate route to the 405 Fwy enough times to know that at the point near the 405 overpass just south of Ventura, the #1 lane turns into a left turn only lane. Even if one did have a lapse of judgment, there are plenty of signs as well as fat, short lane markings that tell you that the lane is ending. It’s called paying attention while you’re driving–such a novel concept for the average Angeleno. What did jackass here do? He didn’t wake up until the very last second when his lane was about to end and started veering his wheel to his right into the #1 through lane…directly toward the front left quarter panel of my brand new car. Not only did this twatbag fail to signal like a typical L.A. native, but he failed to check his mirrors or blind spot. I honked and slammed my brakes to avoid dealing with his insurance company–I have way too much on my hands at the moment to deal with someone else’s stupid sh*t, not to mention I just finished dealing with someone denting our other brand new car just 1 day after we bought it. You would think he learned his lesson, right? Not so. He continued to drift aimlessly from both southbound lanes without signaling, cutting off other drivers and at times driving way too close to the car in front. When I managed to pass this accident waiting to happen near Wilshire, I looked over and saw this clueless pile of compost in a short-sleeved, striped polo shirt with a bland grin on his face that could only be a product of countless hours of playing golf without sunscreen. I wonder how many people in this town continue to repeat their mistakes, taking the reflexes and attentiveness of other drivers for granted.

Angelenos Need to Take Better Care of Their Cars

I-95, U-405 — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:19:42 +0000

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One of the things that boggled me most about L.A. when I first moved here is that you have so many poorly kept cars in what is stereotypically known as a “car culture” town. You know what’s a common sight? Broken sideview mirrors. You also frequently see broken or malfunctioning tail/brake lights, bumpers held up by duct tape or twine, and tires so worn down that the treads are almost non-existent. Hell, even on this site you’ve seen posts of drivers without any working brake or taillights on the freeways at night. We took this photo (SUV or minivan, I can’t remember) en route to a Dodger game a couple of years ago. The center rear taillight didn’t work whenever the driver braked, and to say that the rear left tire needed some air was a gross understatement. The right rear tire was inflated properly, so you would think this driver would have wondered at some point why his vehicle was rocking like a boat in choppy waters. For some Angelenos, proper upkeep of their vehicles isn’t a priority. For others, they’ve stopped caring when the warranty ran out. I’m sorry, but who in their right mind puts a price on one’s safety? It’s not surprising that people here don’t give a crap about the vehicles of others; I’ve already reported on a few occasions that the cars my wife and I own have had more dings and scrapes in L.A. in a few years than the entire time we’ve lived in NY. Still, this is your own property we’re talking about, people. Spend the couple hundred bucks and fix your damn cars…it may even save your life one day.