Why Does Driving in Norcal Piss Me Off So Much?

Today I almost got hit by an idiot driver who changed lanes into me. The adrenaline pumped fast as I saw this old white Camry veering into me, and the blood in me boiled after I realized I had swerved to avoid hitting him. I glared at him as he and his companions looked back at me before cutting in front of me and moving into the next lane. This incident has been the catalyst in me posting this entry about why Norcal drivers suck so so so much. And I am not being an LA bitch. LA is known for having shoot-me-in-the-head traffic, but to me it's still more tolerable than driving in Norcal.

1. Speeding up when there are cars in front and then braking suddenly. Norcal drivers, do you get your brakes checked often? Because the way you're driving, you probably wear them out pretty fast. What's the point of speeding up only to have to stop all of a sudden? Then you make me have to do the same thing. Rolling stops are nice. Try it sometime!

2. Leaving a 300 foot gap with the car in front during rush hour. O.M.G. Everyone's going at 20, and you're so far back from the driver in front of you 5 cars can fit! OMG!!!! I want to punch you!

3. Mindlessly changing lanes way too close to the driver behind. Mindlessly pulling out of the parking lot and cutting me off. If I have to brake for you to get in front of me, you are TOO CLOSE.

4. Not understanding what a 4-way stop means. I got here first!! Hi, hello, see me? No, you don't, because you are now driving across the intersection...

5. Going 70 in the left hand lane. Who do you think you are, motherfreaking Queen Victoria? You own the fast lane? You're royalty so you can go as slow as you want and people have to change lanes to get in front of you? No. Move over please.

6. Just driving way too slow in general. I know Norcalers are not as rude and uptight and prickly as us Socalers (aren't we just lovable), but a little less chill and a bit more zoom zoom on the road would be nice. Chop chop, come on. Sitting in my car for longer than I have to is not a hobby of mine.

7. Pulling off shit like not looking at your blind spot and changing lanes into an angry Asian girl in a small car. Don't do this. She will become a hater and put you on her bad karma list. Trust me, I know.

When I listen to the radio, there's always an accident, somewhere, sometime. 2 car crash. 3 car crash. Blocking the right shoulder. Blocking the left lane. Stop braking so suddenly or changing lanes into other people and maybe there won't be so many accidents! Gees!

I have to get up in 7 hours to face this terror, so end rant here.

Why I Get Palpitations When I Drive in the 626

Have you seen her?



Have you seen him?




If you have, chances are you have been in the 626--what some Angelenos would informally refer to as the Asian-populated bloc of cities east of Los Angeles proper. It's close to where I grew up. Well, hopefully you don't drive around that area often, because it's enough to turn even the most patient competent driver into a ball of rage. I don't consider myself overly angry on the road, but driving around this area just seems to bring out a completely different side of me. I understand where the stereotype about Asians being bad drivers comes from. And of course I know the fault with all stereotypes is that they do not apply to many of the people they target. Well, don't be all huffy about it until you've had a trial run down Valley Blvd. Then we can reevaluate. And I'm not saying ALL Asians are bad drivers. It's a pretty select demography within the general population--typically the middle-aged, Darth Vader-visor donning (if it's a lady), Toyota/Mercedes-touting Asian that could very well be your mom or my dad. (Actually both my parents probably fall into this group, God bless them). Because of this frustration, I have to succinctly delineate in a blog post why driving in the 626 drives me up the wall. And I am probably not alone.

1. Driving at speeds turtles can probably beat
I will be driving behind said Asian driver where the speed limit is 35, but the perpetrator is going at 20. When I become exasperated and change lanes, I pass them to see a 10-car wide space between them and the car in front. Why must you go so slow?? No wonder there are always traffic jams during the day on weekends and it takes 15 minutes when the real time to get from Point A to Point B is 5 minutes. And when it comes time to make a right turn, they have to start braking about 1000 feet in advance in order to make a turn that is painfully slow.

2. Excessive braking
I hate it when people brake for no apparent reason. I not only feel bad for myself and the cars behind me which now have gotten caught up in the chain effect of having to brake, but I feel bad for the perpetrator's car as well. All that braking must really wear down the pads. Asian drivers seem to do this quite well. Traffic is smooth, there's a green light, and then...BRAKE! Few minutes later...BRAKE! Again! Wtf man. You don't NEED to worry about hitting the car in front of you when they're like a block away and traffic is flowing.

3. Stopping in the middle of the road/lane/parking lot without probable cause
Err. This one really annoys me. Go right. Go left. Go straight. Do not, for goodness sake, STOP in the middle of the road and become confused. Pull over if you are lost. Do not risk a traffic accident by stopping without signal. Do not stop in the middle of the parking lot trying to decide where to go. When a lane is coned off for construction purposes, do not stop in the lane next to it trying to get in. It will not happen!

4. Inconsiderate parking



What is this? Why do I see it so much in parking lots driving in the 626? When did marked spaces not mean anything anymore? This especially makes me want to have an aneurysm when it is the only open space left in the entire parking lot. And I can't park in it. Because someone decided to invade the space next to them.

I rarely experience this anywhere else I drive in LA. Sure, there are traffic jams--LA is one of the top dogs when it comes to ugly traffic--but that's because it's a legitimate jam. Too many cars, too many drivers. The traffic jams in the 626 are a whole different monster. They're totally preventable! Sure, there is a lack of parking. But that's because there is just more demand than supply. Not the case here.

I feel a lot better venting. Driving in the 626 will probably shorten my life span in the long run, but at least the awesome food there is worth the sacrifice.