On the Road: Crazy Drivers

Hollywood Freeway, USA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Crazy drivers are everywhere. When taking a long trip or when traveling in an unfamiliar area, drivers tend to notice when others are operating their vehicles in an unsafe manner. When I travel across the United States, I have few problems with other travelers for the first 2,300 miles. That situation changes as I get close to Los Angeles. Interstate 40 joins Interstate 15 in Barstow and that is where driving challenges increase. Almost every driver is speeding while he has the opportunity. After they descend the Cajon Pass those motorists will be stuck in traffic. I have to be vigilant because at any moment traffic can come to a sudden halt on the interstate. Sometimes the reason for the slowdown is hard to determine. A traffic accident is often a major cause of slowdowns, but sometimes they can occur because motorists are slowing down to view an accident on the other side of the road.

In the Los Angeles area, travelers can encounter some unique driving situations. Sometimes when I am waiting patiently in traffic, I will be startled by the noise of a motorcycle traveling between me and the car next to me. I will be stopped in bumper-to-bumper traffic and a motorcyclist will be riding down the white line that divides the lanes. This is legal. This action also occurs at times when traffic is not stopped. Motorists have to be careful to look for motorcyclists before they change lanes. Normally drivers look for other cars and for people in their lanes. These motorcyclists can come out of nowhere.

Drivers in LA like to frequently change lanes just to get ahead a small distance. A motorist will move from Lane A to Lane B to Lane C and back to Lane A again just to advance a couple car lengths in traffic. As one can expect, this type of driver is easily prone to road rage when he is not able to accomplish his objective.

With millions of cars and hundreds of crazy drivers, tourists are bound to get into accidents. Many times police cannot or will not come to the scene of an accident. Drivers would be wise to remember the camera in their cell phones and take as many photos as possible from as many angles as possible. People who drive in a crazy manner would probably be quick to accuse others of causing an accident. Photos will not lie.