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[outunderthestars]

I didn't want to come flat out and say it.. but its dangerous. Considering the lack of mental healthcare in the nation, and the attitude of LA Drivers. Its going to be a shooting, or a fight. Either is bad for most adults.

Yep. I had a guy pull a gun on me in LA for driving the speed limit in the far right lane On Venice BLVD. It was surreal. He was seethingly mad about something, but I just floored it and tried to escape as quickly as possible. Thank God i moved far, far away from that hellhole of a city.

Laying on the horn behind someone is a good way to have that person get of their car and cause you serious harm.

 

[Askani]

Sounds like who you are really mad at is the person who manages the stop lights in the area or the people who approve stop lights in the first place. If there's enough need and light timing is wrong or nonexistent since there's no light, try refocusing your rage into getting something useful done and getting one approved.

 

[Akuun]

Yep. I had a guy pull a gun on me in LA for driving the speed limit in the far right lane On Venice BLVD.

Holy shit. What the fuck is wrong with that place.

 

[studyguy]

All this tells me is we need more roundabouts in the US.
Who is with me? I mean look at this, easy right?

 

[Jack Remington]

You guys misunderstand me. I don't honk and flip people off because I have to because rage. I'm doing it to send a signal about the acceptability of their behavior. Think of it as a public awareness campaign.

 

[commedieu]

How about this new trend where 2 or 3 people turn left after the advance left turn ends, thus holding up the oncoming traffic. Seems like it's getting worse each year.

The only time I get fed up with people in your scenario is if they don't put on the turn signal until last minute (or at all) to give people time to make a lane change, that's fucked and selfish but I get it, most people are too busy looking at their crotches to give a damn about anyone else.

This one is mainly because the first car is baby-shitting it in the intersection and isn't allowing more cars behind it to make the turn.. shit, rage bubbled up a gain for a second...

calm.. calm....calm..

Yep. I had a guy pull a gun on me in LA for driving the speed limit in the far right lane On Venice BLVD. It was surreal. He was seethingly mad about something, but I just floored it and tried to escape as quickly as possible. Thank God i moved far, far away from that hellhole of a city.

Laying on the horn behind someone is a good way to have that person get of their car and cause you serious harm.

This isn't the first story I've heard like this, the other was in downtown. Friends were talking shit to a dude in a miata. Guy in the miata pulled a gun on them.. hahaha joke was on him because he still drove a miata but...

Thank your lucky stars man. People confuse their sense of self worth with their vehicle interactions. people aren't paying attention, no one cares. No one is out to piss you off by not turning on time ( have to repeat that to myself..).

My city isn't a hellhole! Just.. a lot..of..parts..

#NotAllCities

 

[Anoregon]

Today on gaf I learned that people who drive the speed limit and people who make legal left turns are total assholes, and that it is appropriate to get frothing mad at them.

 

[BertramCooper]

You guys misunderstand me. I don't honk and flip people off because I have to because rage. I'm doing it to send a signal about the acceptability of their behavior. Think of it as a public awareness campaign.

So you act like an asshole because they're doing something that's perfectly legal.

Okay, got it. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[thecouncil]

The absolute worst is when the person making a left was just previously going the speed limit. Makes me so mad I could cry.

 

[Grym]

You guys misunderstand me. I don't honk and flip people off because I have to because rage. I'm doing it to send a signal about the acceptability of their behavior. Think of it as a public awareness campaign.

but it is acceptable behavior. Yours isn't. A better use of your time would be to draft a letter to your transportation department or road commission or whatever to get a no left turn sign installed rather than upping the tension during rush hour traffic.

 

[pigeon]

You guys misunderstand me. I don't honk and flip people off because I have to because rage. I'm doing it to send a signal about the acceptability of their behavior. Think of it as a public awareness campaign.

You are disturbingly cray.

People who happen to live on the left side of the street are likely to turn left. It's a pretty normal decision-making process.

If you're on a street that has no left turn lanes, and you have no expectation of needing to turn left, drive in the right lane.

 

[Thug Waffle]

Having driven LA's streets a fair bit, I think you're just being a baby back b. People have a right to take left turns, dude. You serious? It's not the people's fault that virtually none of their streets have left turn lanes or even signals. That was one of the biggest "wtf?" revelations I had when I moved out to LA.

If there is no sign that says no left turn, or if there is and someone takes that turn when the rule isn't in effect, you should just frickin' deal with it.

I can't believe there are people in LA who blame each other for the shitty traffic instead of blaming the city. Wow.

 

[Cyan]

Austin is starting to have this problem, presumably because city planners didn't think the city would ever get larger. Some of the busiest streets have no left turn lanes and there is no room to add them.

So, I just get used to cruising in the right lane or recognizing spots where people usually turn left and switch lanes beforehand.

Yeah, um... this is pretty normal. It's frustrating as hell to get stuck behind someone trying to make a left when there's tons of traffic, but it's just one of those things that happens. Stay in the right lane in places where this is likely to happen. There's a stretch of road on my way home where this can happen in three different places, and usually does every other day or so. I just stay on the right, and if it's a little slower, it's made up for the times when the left lane gets stopped like this.

 

[Zeeman]

Sounds to me like you should be honking your horn and flipping the bird at bad municipal planning

 

[commedieu]

You guys misunderstand me. I don't honk and flip people off because I have to because rage. I'm doing it to send a signal about the acceptability of their behavior. Think of it as a public awareness campaign.

Jack, i think this thread has been a good eye opener. Come on man, let it go. Let these idiots be idiots, they aren't going to learn. Hopefully they just collide into eachother in one big dumbass accident that gets them all off the road -- no injuries of course --.

You can't be mad at others for your expectations. And you cant let yourself get out of sorts either because of your expectations of others behavior.

Hug me now.

 

[StopMakingSense]

You guys misunderstand me. I don't honk and flip people off because I have to because rage. I'm doing it to send a signal about the acceptability of their behavior. Think of it as a public awareness campaign.

You misunderstand us, we don't think its bad because you are being too ragey, we think its bad because it's a shitty thing to do, no matter the reason.

 

[thecouncil]

You guys misunderstand me. I don't honk and flip people off because I have to because rage. I'm doing it to send a signal about the acceptability of their behavior. Think of it as a public awareness campaign.

Does someone behind you then immediately honk and flip you off to send a signal about the acceptability of your behavior?

 

[studyguy]

Having driven LA's streets a fair bit, I think you're just being a baby back b. People have a right to take left turns, dude. You serious? It's not the people's fault that virtually none of their streets have left turn lanes or even signals. That was one of the biggest "wtf?" revelations I had when I moved out to LA.

If there is no sign that says no left turn, or if there is and someone takes that turn when the rule isn't in effect, you should just frickin' deal with it.

I can't believe there are people in LA who blame each other for the shitty traffic instead of blaming the city. Wow.

Bruh, driving down the 405, it's your fault I'm held up. That's always the universal truth out here. On the real though, I just drive chill. I hate speeding personally, my girlfriend drives like it's a race, aggressive as fuck and it pisses me off. If you live in LA, traffic is simply a fact of life.

 

[Mupod]

Where I'm originally from you often don't have much choice but to hold up traffic.

Although it's still annoying. That stretch of road was always moving like a snail from 5pm-7pm just because of that gas station.I personally never used it and just drove 10mins to the one with a left turn lane, but I guess not everyone can do that since there was ALWAYS someone turning in there. You could pull onto the shoulder and wait for traffic I guess but that doesn't work in the winter and only a couple people ever bothered to be that courteous.

I personally hate turning left in general and go to great lengths to avoid it, unless it's at a stop light with a left turn arrow. Which is annoyingly rare in Toronto from my experience, for some reason.

 

[J-Rod]

That sounds ridiculous even to me, and just about everything pisses me off when driving. If that's where they need to turn then that's where they should turn. Nobody in their right mind is going drive around the world just to turn down a street. What the hell?

 

[commedieu]

Bruh, driving down the 405, it's your fault I'm held up. That's always the universal truth out here. On the real though, I just drive chill. I hate speeding personally, my girlfriend drives like it's a race, aggressive as fuck and it pisses me off. If you live in LA, traffic is simply a fact of life.

Right? Its irritating because I don't want to have to fight/get into an escalation because you're blaring the horn at some suspect ass van. We are on the way to get fucking Froyo. Be cool.

 

[Akuun]

You guys misunderstand me. I don't honk and flip people off because I have to because rage. I'm doing it to send a signal about the acceptability of their behavior. Think of it as a public awareness campaign.

So because you think a totally legal action is unacceptable, you react to it with... unacceptable behavior?

 

[outunderthestars]

This isn't the first story I've heard like this, the other was in downtown. Friends were talking shit to a dude in a miata. Guy in the miata pulled a gun on them.. hahaha joke was on him because he still drove a miata but...

Thank your lucky stars man. People confuse their sense of self worth with their vehicle interactions. people aren't paying attention, no one cares. No one is out to piss you off by not turning on time ( have to repeat that to myself..).

My city isn't a hellhole! Just.. a lot..of..parts..

#NotAllCities

Yep. Thankfully I have a lovely walk to and from my job now.

 

[Novocaine]

Simple fix, stay in the outer lane.

 

[danm999]

I'm from the UK and can't comprehend this.

Paint pls?

It's the equivalent of how a right turn slows traffic up in countries that drive on the left (since the turner has to deal with oncoming traffic).

It honestly seems a really petty thing to get worked up about, but some people have zero patience when they get behind the wheel.

 

[Jonm1010]

Left hand turners are inconsiderate assholes. I don't know how anyone is defending that behavior.

It's no different then the recliners on airplanes or people that pay with checks for small items at convenience stores or talkers in movies or people who pull into the intersection knowing your light is about to turn red and will block other drivers or people that occupy tables at a restaurant after they've closed and know they are the last people in the establishment and everyone is waiting on them.

It is actions by individuals who lack any empathy, courtesy, or respect for strangers and are operating under a selfish me-first mentality.

Google cars can't become mainstream soon enough. Too many people are just too ignorant, hot headed, selfish and stupid to be driving.

 

[Acerac]

You guys misunderstand me. I don't honk and flip people off because I have to because rage. I'm doing it to send a signal about the acceptability of their behavior. Think of it as a public awareness campaign.

*Honks incessantly and flips OP off*

Just trying to help.

 

[KHarvey16]

Left hand turners are inconsiderate assholes. I don't know how anyone is defending that behavior.

It's no different then the recliners on airplanes or people that pay with checks for small items at convenience stores or talkers in movies or people who pull into the intersection knowing your light is about to turn red and will block other drivers or people that occupy tables at a restaurant after they've closed and know they are the last people in the establishment and everyone is waiting on them.

It is actions by individuals who lack any empathy, courtesy, or respect for strangers and are operating under a selfish me-first mentality.

It's terrible that it's hard to tell you're joking.

 

[Thug Waffle]

Bruh, driving down the 405, it's your fault I'm held up. That's always the universal truth out here. On the real though, I just drive chill. I hate speeding personally, my girlfriend drives like it's a race, aggressive as fuck and it pisses me off.

hahaha the interstates are different.

I mean, not really. People can't help it that they have like two options going valley->town and vice versa haha. I definitely sympathize with hating everyone on the road when you're stuck on the 405 or the 101 (or the fucking 10 sometimes holy shit), but deep down we know that it's not their fault the city's so poorly designed. I was spoiled with Chicago's grid and public transportation system. Didn't realize it til I got to LA. I have the same approach as you. Drive chill, because you never know when some dude in a Ferrari is gonna try to play James Bond and swerve into you. More likely that'll be an issue if you drive aggressively.

Another thing I just thought of, and I want the OP to answer this.

So what happens if you're going to a gas station or Ralph's or LA Fitness and it's on your left? What if there's no turn lane? Do you derp around and take three rights every single time or do you just take the left you have every right as a driver to take?

 

[Enco]

It's the equivalent of how a right turn slows traffic up in countries that drive on the left (since the turner has to deal with oncoming traffic).

It honestly seems a really petty thing to get worked up about, but some people have zero patience when they get behind the wheel.

I don't get how that delays anyone for more than 2 seconds.

Turning doesn't take that long. What am I missing?

 

[Mr-Joker]

I've made it my policy to honk incessantly if I'm immediately behind the driver doing this. If I manage to get into the next lane to go around the driver, I make sure to flip the bird as I go past. More people need to flip the bird for this shit. People need to know that it's not okay.

Two wrong don't make a right.

I'm from the UK and can't comprehend this.

Paint pls?

Same.

You guys misunderstand me. I don't honk and flip people off because I have to because rage. I'm doing it to send a signal about the acceptability of their behavior. Think of it as a public awareness campaign.

No you're just being an asshole because you were inconvenience by the driver in front and quite frankly driver like you are the worse on the road.

 

[commedieu]

I don't get how that delays anyone for more than 2 seconds.

Turning doesn't take that long. What am I missing?

People need to GO GO GO when they are on the road. Theres no time for even 1 second loss.

 

[Grimm Fandango]

So get into the other lane/shoulder? If he can legally turn left, let him.

 

[NoRéN]

I've made it my policy to honk incessantly if I'm immediately behind the driver doing this. If I manage to get into the next lane to go around the driver, I make sure to flip the bird as I go past. More people need to flip the bird for this shit. People need to know that it's not okay.

Thankfully, LA has started putting in no left turn signs at a lot of intersections where there are no left turn lanes, but those restrictions are usually only in effect from like 4 to 6pm. They should really be in effect from 8am until at least 8pm.

Your thoughts or experiences with this?

I enjoy when posters out themselves as suffering from some sever issues. It's easy to act tough, honk and flip the bird from the safety of your car as you drive off. You're going to fuck with the wrong person someday.

 

[Stinkles]

I'm from the UK and can't comprehend this.

Paint pls?

Most Americans are quite bad at driving. Nightmares ensue.

We're so bad at driving, in fact, that most places make it illegal to park facing the opposite direction of the closest lane, because people will think stationary cars are heading straight at them. I am not kidding.

One of our few high points is the ability to make a right turn against a red light, if it is safe to do so.

Here is a complete guide to American driving I made for foreigners:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=479765&highlight=stinkles+weakness+vacuum+bitch+signals

 

[Cyan]

I don't get how that delays anyone for more than 2 seconds.

Turning doesn't take that long. What am I missing?

Turning with oncoming traffic. So they have to wait for a gap in the traffic, or for the light to turn yellow and oncoming traffic to stop. It can definitely take a long time.

We're so bad at driving, in fact, that most places make it illegal to park facing the opposite direction of the closest lane, because people will think stationary cars are heading straight at them. I am not kidding.

Interesting. I got a ticket for that once; always wondered why it was a thing.

 

[Two Words]

I honk when there is a left turn lane ahead where the driver can u-turn.

 

[lsslave]

You guys misunderstand me. I don't honk and flip people off because I have to because rage. I'm doing it to send a signal about the acceptability of their behavior. Think of it as a public awareness campaign.

You seriously should go seek therapy.

Now.

You are ignoring the fact that everyone here is telling you that the other drives aren't wrong. The people telling you that you are wrong.

You are literally just ignoring everyone else and focusing on yourself and how right you are. No one has, without sarcasm, even attempted to validate you.

You are acting like a sociopath.

People are worried about you getting hurt but based on your interactions with this thread and the original post I am more worried that you'd be the person to hurt someone.

Edit:

Most Americans are quite bad at driving. Nightmares ensue.

We're so bad at driving, in fact, that most places make it illegal to park facing the opposite direction of the closest lane, because people will think stationary cars are heading straight at them. I am not kidding.

One of our few high points is the ability to make a right turn against a red light, if it is safe to do so.

Here is a complete guide to American driving I made for foreigners:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=479765&highlight=stinkles+weakness+vacuum+bitch+signals

It isn't that stationary cars are heading towards them. It is when people pull out and pull into oncoming traffic. I've seen those accidents happen. Someone parked on the wrong side of the road just pulls into oncoming traffic and results in a head on collision.

 

[Archaix]

I don't get how that delays anyone for more than 2 seconds.

Turning doesn't take that long. What am I missing?

LA traffic makes it pretty much impossible to get an opening to turn left. I'm assuming in the scenario the OP so calmly paints, it's either a one lane road or two lanes with no dedicated turning lane. So the person who needs to turn through traffic has to wait until there's a spot to sneak through. This is known to take days in LA, months if it is rush hour.


If that still doesn't help, assume every driver is out to inconvenience you personally and then imagine they all want to prevent you from turning left. Because that's pretty much what driving in a heavy traffic city is like.

 

[Jonm1010]

It's terrible that it's hard to tell you're joking.

I'm dead serious. No joke.

Their is a rampant lack of common courtesy for strangers by far too many people.

 

[danm999]

I don't get how that delays anyone for more than 2 seconds.

Turning doesn't take that long. What am I missing?

Well, if there's only one lane on the road, or if there's two lanes but the non congested lane is moving too quickly for people wanting to go straight to join it, the people waiting behind the turner may have to wait for the turner to turn right (ie for all incoming traffic to disappear).

Again, I think it's a silly thing to get mad about if the turn is legal.

 

[StopMakingSense]

I don't get how that delays anyone for more than 2 seconds.

Turning doesn't take that long. What am I missing?

In areas of heavy traffic, it can take quite a while to make an unprotected turn against traffic because of the amount of oncoming traffic. Sometimes, a car need to wait till the light turns yellow and the oncoming traffic stops to be able to make their turn.

LA in particular has this happen a lot during higher traffic periods as most left hand turns are unprotected. This is just a fact of life about driving in LA, though, and not something to be a complete dick to your fellow driver about.

 

[Fularu]

OP would have a heart attack if he was to drive in Paris.

Stay in your land of "protected turns", it looks like kindergarden driving is all you can handle

 

[Grym]

I don't get how that delays anyone for more than 2 seconds.

Turning doesn't take that long. What am I missing?

If the oncoming traffic is very busy (wall to wall cars) you can't turn through their lanes until there is a break in traffic (usually a traffic light turning yellow -> red or whatever to stop the oncoming traffic). It can take a long time in busy locations.

 

[spookyfish]

If you have to get into a driveway that's only accessible from the street you're on, you can make a u-turn further down the road and turn into the driveway from the right. In short, there's very rarely a reason for anyone to screw over dozens of people for such selfishness.

I've made it my policy to honk incessantly if I'm immediately behind the driver doing this. If I manage to get into the next lane to go around the driver, I make sure to flip the bird as I go past. More people need to flip the bird for this shit. People need to know that it's not okay.

What the hell ...? Really? Is there a Right Turn Only crusade I've never heard of?

How do I deal with it? I stay in the right damn lane if there's no left turn lane. It's not hard.

And how would I deal with your policy? Make you wait longer.

 

[lsslave]

I'm dead serious. No joke.

Their is a rampant lack of common courtesy for strangers by far too many people.

Being upset about someone turning left is a lack of courtesy for yourself. You literally are neglecting the fact that they are going to their destination because it inconveniences you. So you'd rather they be inconvenienced.

Here is an example of courtesy "You have one item, go ahead of me" (people do this all the time at a store). An example of you being an impatient dolt? You deciding how OTHER people pay for things. You don't get to choose how they make a payment (based on your previous comment I used this reference).

 

[Halcyon]

Turning with oncoming traffic. So they have to wait for a gap in the traffic, or for the light to turn yellow and oncoming traffic to stop. It can definitely take a long time.

Yea there's an intersection that I used to try to take home that is almost never has a gap long enough to actually make the left turn. You just have to hope you get there 1st or 2nd in line at the green so that you can make it through on the yellow.

Otherwise it can take like 3+ rounds of red lights to get through the damn intersection. I say 3+ because there will ALWAYS be some asshole who doesn't pull into the intersection and turn on the yellow. They just sit there waiting to find a hole that never appears.

 

[Jack Remington]

You seriously should go seek therapy.

Now.

You are ignoring the fact that everyone here is telling you that the other drives aren't wrong. The people telling you that you are wrong.

You are literally just ignoring everyone else and focusing on yourself and how right you are. No one has, without sarcasm, even attempted to validate you.

I wouldn't say that. It's about 40/60 in this thread so far. Just shows that the public awareness campaign still has a ways to go.

 

[joelseph]

LA traffic makes it pretty much impossible to get an opening to turn left.

I find this impossible. The only possible scenario would be if the traffic has filled the intersection by the time the light goes yellow and cannot clear. At this point the people turning left should be completely in intersection because cross traffic is impeded and are given the first right of way as the upcoming green clears the intersection.

 

[studyguy]

In areas of heavy traffic, it can take quite a while to make an unprotected turn against traffic because of the amount of oncoming traffic. Sometimes, a car need to wait till the light turns yellow and the oncoming traffic stops to be able to make their turn.

That's not even a sure thing either. I've seen dudes get Tboned on a yellow depending on where you're driving. People are shady as fuck about keeping to the lights. If it's even a question I just jump on red or the moment I get a gap, because fuck taking chances on yellow, unprotected lefts suck in LA and they're everywhere.