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Driving through Southern California can feel like entering a different world. There are rules, yes, and you must learn them. The city, county, state and feds pass and enforce laws that govern our conduct on the road.<\/p>\n
But within the confines of these rules, drivers take all sorts of liberties: They rush through at the tail end of a green light, prevent their peers from merging and snake through neighborhoods slow enough to read every street sign. The variations are endless and endlessly annoying.<\/p>\n
Everywhere you turn, there\u2019s another study ranking California drivers as among the worst. In fact, there\u2019s just about only one thing California drivers all agree on: Everybody else on the roads has lost their minds.<\/p>\n
As the holidays approach, we want to do our part to help eliminate the scourge of bad and selfish driving across the state. We asked Essential California readers to send in their complaints about other drivers on the road, and boy did they deliver.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of emails later, we put together some tips for driving etiquette. We hope you\u2019ll use them, and submit more of your own by emailing us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n One surprising response wasn\u2019t a complaint at all, but a compliment to L.A. drivers. \u201cEvery time we visit Los Angeles from Connecticut, we notice how well people drive in Los Angeles,\u201d Wyn Lydecker wrote. \u201cPeople are polite. They follow the rules of the road and it\u2019s amazing to us.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s great, Wyn, but we have no idea what you\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\n We identified seven of the most frustrating things people do while driving, and we\u2019re here, with the California Driver\u2019s Handbook, to correct them. Please take note. <\/p>\n Turn signals were invented to be used (Liam Eisenberg \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n Improper signaling or failure to use signals at all was the most common complaint we heard from readers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems obvious to me that when approaching a turn, you first signal, THEN BRAKE!,\u201d Bill Pucciarelli wrote in. \u201cSo many drivers suddenly brake in front of you, for seemingly no reason. Then after we all come to a stop, turn on their signal. Why bother at this time?\u201d<\/p>\n Bill is right. In fact, you are supposed to signal<\/a> at least 100 feet before you turn; before every lane change; at least five seconds before you change lanes on a freeway; before pulling next to the curb or away from the curb; even when you do not see other vehicles around you; and when you are almost through the intersection if you plan to turn shortly after crossing the intersection.<\/p>\n Drivers, be more like Bill!<\/p>\n Please put your phone down. The light turned green and we\u2019re all waiting behind you (Liam Eisenberg \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n The second most complained about thing drivers are doing on the road? Looking at their phones.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the most frustrating things is when there is only one car in front of me at a red light, then when the light turns green, the driver waits for several seconds to go, more than likely because they are looking at their cellphone, not hands-free,\u201d Kim Sturmer wrote. \u201cThis happens at least once a day.\u201d<\/p>\n Maybe these drivers were looking at their navigation app for directions. Or they were answering some non-crucial Instagram DM. Both are illegal in California. A state appeals court ruled in June that the state law prohibiting drivers from texting or talking on a cellphone while driving<\/a> also makes it illegal to hold a phone to look at a map on the screen.<\/p>\n Whatever\u2019s going on on your phone, it\u2019s not worth the $158 fine for distracted driving (or worse).<\/p>\n Think before you merge (Liam Eisenberg \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n Our readers also really don\u2019t like when drivers improperly merge into lanes.<\/p>\n \u201cI strongly dislike drivers that commonly hit their brakes when attempting to merge into traffic rather than accelerating into an open spot,\u201d Scott E. wrote. \u201cAfter all, God gave them an accelerator pedal as well as a brake pedal.\u201d\u201cThe things that frustrate me the MOST are: rude and inconsiderate drivers\u2026drivers who drive on the shoulder of a freeway and create their own lane so they can CUT in front of you,\u201d Lillian Bailey wrote. \u201cDrivers who suddenly swerve across freeway lanes because they\u2019re about to miss their exit, another pet peeve!\u201d\u201cNothing annoys me more than drivers that cut in front of me on the freeway and then go slower than the speed limit,\u201d Lorraine Lawrence wrote.<\/p>\n Improper merging is also one of the most common reasons California Highway Patrol officers stop drivers on the road. \u201cWe stop people mostly for speed or unsafe lane changes,\u201d CHP Officer Katherine Hendry said. \u201cIn fact, probably both those reasons are also the No. 1 and No. 2 reasons why people get in accidents, which is why we focus on that so heavily.\u201d<\/p>\n In case you need a refresher, don\u2019t forget the SMOG method of changing lanes:<\/p>\n S is for Signal: Tell the world of your plans, please! M is for Mirror: Check your mirrors to check traffic behind and besides youO is for Over the shoulder: Turn your beautiful head and use your eyes to check your blind spots as best as possible. Don\u2019t drift while doing this. Make it a quick move. G is for Go. Merge. Do not stop or break or freak out. Move into your new lane. <\/p>\n (Scott, I hope you feel vindicated with this one!)<\/p>\n Say it with me: Red means stop (even if you are turning right) (Liam Eisenberg \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n This should be common sense, but at red lights and stop signs, you\u2019re supposed to stop. One of them even says STOP in large capitalized letters!<\/p>\n Disregarding both while on the road is frustrating for our readers.<\/p>\n \u201cHere in Fresno, there are many drivers for whom stopping at a red light is an option, not a requirement,\u201d Reilly Rix wrote in. \u201cI see cars blow through red lights at least once a week nowadays.\u201d Us too, Reilly. \u201cThere is a new trend of speeding up when a signal turns yellow,\u201d Cynthia Fletcher wrote to us. \u201cWorse yet, I see people simply not stopping at stop signs.\u201d <\/p>\n In case you don\u2019t know the rules, let me break it down for you:<\/p>\n When at a stop sign, drivers are supposed to make a full stop<\/a> before entering the crosswalk or at the limit line. If there is no limit line or crosswalk, stop before entering the intersection and check traffic in all directions before proceeding.<\/p>\n A red traffic signal also means stop. Even if you can legally turn right on red, which is not always the case, you are still expected to stop and look before making your turn, and to yield for pedestrians.<\/p>\n All this tailgating will be the end of us (Liam Eisenberg \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n Angelenos treat tailgating like an Olympic sport. You\u2019d think you could win gold by getting as close as possible to the car in front of you.<\/p>\n Well, play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Tailgating is dangerous and crazy. What\u2019s stopping the driver in front of you from making a mistake or doing something erratic? Keep your distance, so you have time to react.<\/p>\n Reader William J. McHale cited tailgaters as one of the driver types that annoys him the most.<\/p>\n I agree. Why are you following so closely in the middle lane? Get in the fast lane if you want to go faster!<\/p>\n In case you hate tailgaters too, or are a tailgater yourself, here\u2019s what to do:<\/p>\n If a vehicle merges in front of you too closely<\/a>, take your foot off the accelerator. This creates space between you and the vehicle ahead.If a tailgater is behind you, maintain your course and speed. Then, when safe to do so, merge right to change into another lane and allow the tailgater to pass.<\/p>\n This brings us to the next one:<\/p>\n If you insist on driving slow, get out of the left lane (Liam Eisenberg \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n No matter how much I\u2019ve poked fun at my grandfather for driving like a snail my entire life, he continues to drive slowly on streets and freeways. He\u2019s even gotten a ticket for driving too slow. I didn\u2019t know that was possible, but it is in many states, including California.<\/p>\n Of course, you must drive slower through heavy traffic or bad weather.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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