I’ve been driving for a long time, but I’m still learning new tricks. There’s no substitute for experience. That’s why NYC cab drivers have so much skill (some call it crazy, but I call it skill when you could squeeze past between 2 cars on a 2-car road). Just 10 years ago, after showing off my racing license (SCCA) to my dad, he beat me on the streets of LA during traffic. Now that I’ve driven 8 hours/day for Lyft and Uber in LA traffic, I’m ready for a rematch. Maybe. But I’ve still observed a lot in the past year.
I’ve always heard people complain about LA drivers. A typical one is that when you signal to get into the right lane, they speed up and won’t let you in. But a lot of these complaints exist because you don’t understand the psyche of the LA driver. For example, you tried to get in his lane during traffic (which is 12 hours/day), and he’s speeding up, thinking, “you can get in behind me.” By speeding up, he created space behind him for you. However, the driver behind him is thinking the same thing and speeds up. Now you end up waiting 5 cars until you get the nice driver who will let you in.
So here’s a Guide to LA Driving (or just driving in general) to help out the experienced drivers. Not for beginners. (Beginners should just drive safe)
I grew up in LA, so I learned LA driving the easy way – organically. And then when I drove for 9 years in a city that follows all the rules (San Jose), I noticed the stark contrast. And yes, LA drivers can hang with the NYC boys (without the honking), whereas San Jose kids will get eaten up by sharks (pun intended).
I’ve always heard people complain about LA drivers. A typical one is that when you signal to get into the right lane, they speed up and won’t let you in. But a lot of these complaints exist because you don’t understand the psyche of the LA driver. For example, you tried to get in his lane during traffic (which is 12 hours/day), and he’s speeding up, thinking, “you can get in behind me.” By speeding up, he created space behind him for you. However, the driver behind him is thinking the same thing and speeds up. Now you end up waiting 5 cars until you get the nice driver who will let you in.
So here’s a Guide to LA Driving (or just driving in general) to help out the experienced drivers. Not for beginners. (Beginners should just drive safe)
I grew up in LA, so I learned LA driving the easy way – organically. And then when I drove for 9 years in a city that follows all the rules (San Jose), I noticed the stark contrast. And yes, LA drivers can hang with the NYC boys (without the honking), whereas San Jose kids will get eaten up by sharks (pun intended).
    leaning on his right side means he's going to cut you off   Don't be nervous like the white car.   Yellow means Go  Always 2 cars per Yellow    Waze app   White car is the "car on the right"  There's a reason for the sign |  Claim the lane by rolling on the line (no signaling)
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