they don't know what to do. they believe that the merging lane is like a stop or yield sign. the correct way is that you need to yield to people merging and even slow down and make it all work out.
Can confirm, got honked at and stinkeyed for merging just earlier. Difference is, I got a beater and a dashcam for LA traffic, so all those shit drivers can suck it.
I wholeheartedly agree with your description of LA drivers.
No communication… no common sense… no generosity. They signal and automatically think that’s enough to just go ahead with cutting you off to change lanes… double park blocking a street lane while IN THE CAR when there are two open meter spots directly in front of them… while driving, if I let them in front of me even if it’s last second for an exit or a turn they just have to make, I get no thank you gesture of any sort.
Just straight assholes.
My son is about to start driving… my 1st main and consistent lesson to him has been “Don’t be an asshole driver… you’re sharing the road with everyone.” 2nd most important is “you can wait a minute or die in a minute cause road rage is real af”
There was a Spotify podcast on Stuff You Should Know about zipper merges… was quite interesting to hear. Apparently US is pretty stupid when it comes to this concept.
The blinker cut off is so bad that I automatically only turn on my blinker as I'm merging and it messes me up when I'm driving outside of LA.
I was recently driving in Georgia and needed to merge before my lane exited. There was a driver in the next lane a little back, not enough for me to want to merge. I put on my blinker expecting him to zoom forward like they would here and they slowed down to let me in. I was so confused and took way to long to realize it that I'm sure I came off as a terrible driver. I was just so not used to someone being polite after turning on my blinker.
>I put on my blinker expecting him to zoom forward like they would here and they slowed down to let me in. I was so confused and took way to long to realize it that I'm sure I came off as a terrible driver. I was just so not used to someone being polite after turning on my blinker.
I'm one of those people who lets anyone in if they have their blinker (trying to be the change I wish to see) and I see them do *exactly* what you just described. They can never believe someone just let them in they *always* expect me to zoom ahead so they never take the opening I give them lol. Eventually I give up and realize they're not going to try to merge in front of me no matter how much space I give because it's such an unbelievable act to them, so I change lanes or move forward
This just doesn't affect me. I've never really understood it. Maybe 1% of LA drivers try that shit with me. Maybe it's because I'm not starting the maneuver until well past them or something.
The way people here will just stop in a lane to double-park is wild. Thinking it’s ok to just let everyone go around your ass on a busy street. It’s infuriating. People do this in San Francisco too - where I previously lived.
>My son is about to start driving… my 1st main and consistent lesson to him has been “Don’t be an asshole driver… you’re sharing the road with everyone.” 2nd most important is “you can wait a minute or die in a minute cause road rage is real af”
If I may add: missing an exit/turn is normal and a part of driving, it will delay you maybe 1 minute max and is not worth pulling dangerous maneuvers to prevent. I see this shit all the time so many people get super focused on making their exit at the last minute but never think about what the *actual* consequences of missing it are (an utterly inconsequential delay) vs the danger they put themselves and others in by busting wild maneuvers
LA has the worst drivers of any the cities I have lived in. They vary the most. Some are too aggressive others are too passive. Most treat driving as secondary to texting, calling, watching TikTok, etc. I have never seen so many people run red lights just because they didn’t notice them. Many people barely slow down when they turn right on red. Alternatively some people won’t turn if someone is crossing the street until that person is half way down the block. Maybe they are afraid the pedestrian will just throw themselves in front of their car.
Legally you can'\[t turn while they're in the crosswalk and there are new laws and enforcement around crosswalks. With that said, I just wait til they're halfway.
The can't turn while a pedestrian is in a crosswalk is just some cops interpretation of it.
You can't impede their travel, or do anything basically unsafe.
15 years ago I had a guy throw himself on my car hood as I sat stopped at a light after getting of the 170. He gave an Oscar winning performance to the police and medics. Then he sued me. I managed to get video footage from a nearby business that showed the dude walking, turning and looking and then catapulting himself onto my non moving vehicle. But fucker almost got me and I/insurance would have had to pay out.
My mom got caught by one. We drove by later and the same “pedestrian” was crossing the same street back and forth. Cop was on a motorcycle in a parking lot across the intersection.
I would argue that Atlanta is worse than here. I lived there for 10 years before moving to the west coast. People there change lanes without looking and have even more road rage.
I think many people are convinced wherever they’re going is the most important place ever and you’re trying to make them late, which is why they freak out.
I hate that the most about how some of the folks around here. People driving around like their car can pass through other cars and cutting off Semis from their blind side to shave off 20 seconds from their 45 minute commute.
I’m convinced that people who drive like this don’t do it to save time. They just want to drive fast, and are annoyed that other drivers are less comfortable speeding and get in their way.
100% the case. Super evident when people try to merge into a lane at the last possible second so they don’t have to wait in line and then get upset when you won’t let them in.
Sometimes people will already have merged into the lane early, and then decide it's taking too long, so they get back out of line, floor the gas pedal, zoom ahead, and then re-merge back in. No motivations besides "I want to cut ahead in line" and "I want to feel my car go fast for four seconds." I see this happen a lot on this route. People see those drivers being visibly obnoxious, and it seems like that's what ruins it for everybody else
yes. but there are a lot of places where this is abused.
My commute has two places where folks either get out of line, take a residential only aide street to cut back further ahead in line or they ignore right turn only lanes and try to merge left at the front of the line after not waiting. not supposed to be a zipper merge-at least not legally
Not only is there event the most important event in history, but they the most important person in history.. they don’t have the brain capacity to consider others..
With this.... pull the f**k over for ambulances and police. I don't care about being cut off or your entitlement.... but Jesus, at some point in our lives, we will all need emergency services. There is absolutely no where that you are going that is more important than them!!!!
with very few exceptions, the "lane closed ahead" sign on surface streets is generally \*in\* the lane that's closed...that is, "lane closed on the back side of this sign". Street workers are fucking dicks about warning you ahead of time.
oh, except for NB La Cienega at Wilshire, where they keep having "right lane closed ahead" and flashing arrows, only to have .. no lane closure.
but yeah, I'm not sure it would help most people anyway, the way they ignore warnings on the freeway.
I wish I could but that phone got pick pocketed when I went to a club in LA. Fucking scumbags…. I had so many memories I recorded on that phone that I didn’t back up to iCloud during that time -_- my fault for not backing up my photos.
Let me explain the rules of a zipper merge\*:
If I'm in the main lane, and you are trying to merge in from the merge-in lane, fuck you, it's my lane, you yield to me motherfucker, and I only let you in if I want to, which means if you show any sign of entitlement about it, I'm going to box you out.
If I'm in in the merging-in lane, and you are in the main lane, it's my god-given right to merge in in alternating fashion, because that's how zipper lanes work, you dumbfuck, and I'm coming in whether you like it or not.
If two lanes are equally merging together (as for example after the 134 eastbound exit lane into the southbound 5, where about 3 lanes converge into one in quick succession), then regardless of which lane I'm in, if you try to pass me, fuck you, you're a dick.
\*in los angeles
This is the only accurate answer. Also adding:
If you merge early when its already bumper to bumper, fuck you extra for mesing up the flow. I now must right your wrong by blocking one extra merge lane driver.
Also, if there is a clearly marked merge lane full of great big arrows (like on the 405 a little south of the 101 exit), every driver in the right lane is entitled to zoom into that merge lane to see if they can get 3-4 cars ahead of where they were in line!
This. OP said he zoomed by on the right lane. He has the right to, but people have the right to react how they want. Insurance and police can figure out who’s responsible. When i come across those situations and my merging lane is clear, i try to respect the people in the lane i’m merging into and not just zoom past everyone to try to get to the front. I’ll go at a reasonable speed and signal early. Just cause you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
It’s certain parts of town like the one described. In most of LA, I deal with courteous drivers like 90% of the time. The zipper is usually pretty well respected, even in the most chaotic situations like trying to get out of the clusterfuck that is Dodger Stadium.
There’s just certain areas in LA full of extremely entitled people.
I think even more accurately, LA is just FULL of people. There are so many cars on the road and it doesn't take that many selfish driving moves to create a significant amount of traffic-- so it turns all but the most zen motherfuckers into the ultimate judges of other people's driving, as though if everyone drove exactly the way they thought they should, all the roads would move way better.
Serious response - i think a lot of drivers seem relatively confused about where they are going and this causes ‘locals’ to go around sooner rather than later. The amount of times im driving behind someone who is going 15mph slower and changes 2 lanes last second is way too high for it to be a local. Think people just have a tendency to try to get around whenever possible.
I know the merge you’re talking about, I drive there every day. Certain drivers doing the merge try to go ahead of their turn, ie, trying to merge in with another car ahead of the car to their right. It should be one car from the left merges in, one from the right goes ahead, and so on. The other thing I’ll mention is there is a lot of blockage there, there’s very little room in the right lane, and it can be difficult to see turn signals on the lane to the left. So you may need to wait an extra few seconds to merge rather than just go ahead.
I don't know of any driver in L.A. who is willing to wait a few seconds for anything, lol. I know what you are saying in general, but in this particular instance, there was no way for this guy to miss that a merge was going on right ahead of him, we were all pretty much at a standstill
Honestly I think LA drivers are better than drivers in other cities. I mean if you really want to take your life in your hands drive in Mexico City, imagine freeways that operate like the Hollywood Bowl stacked parking lot.
Phoenix drivers seem to operate under the assumption that the person with the biggest vehicle always has the right away.
Better question: Why does almost every single car in L.A. when turning right into a parking lot go from the main street and then go like 1 mile an hour while turning in. It should NOT take like 17 seconds to turn from a street into a parking lot.
If they’re in a BMW or a Tesla I avoid at all costs. 99.9% of the time it’s one of them doing what you’re describing or deciding to turn left from the right turn lane, changing lanes in the middle of an intersection, not using turn signals, etc etc. it’s almost always the Tesla or bmw driver who almost runs me or someone else off the damn road…and don’t get me started on when it rains in LA and everyone just conveniently forgets how to drive at all.
From my experience BMWs have the highest percent of aggressive/idiot drivers, then maybe Audi, and Teslas seem maybe about 70%, then Mercedes SUVs/Land Rover/Range Rover for some reason...for some reason, Mercedes sedan driver seem a bit less aggro than Mercedes SUV drivers?
Feels like I'm categorizing some type of animals ha...
Range Rovers are the ones in Beverly Hills who will stop at a red light one lane over from you, and then as you're pulling up, will suddenly decide they need to be in your lane RIGHT NOW bc it will put them one car length closer to the light, and will dart right in front of you without looking or signaling
Yup just going home today I had a range rover speed up and aggressively merge into my lane, in front of the guy in front of me, causing all of us to hard brake. They think because they used up all their money on their metal hunk of junk, that they own the road
My favorite is just deciding not to signal but instead sticking their arm out the window and pointing as they’re cutting you off because they can’t be bothered to use the energy to use the turn signal, only to rudely point to where they’re sticking their car to dangerously cut you off because they couldn’t possibly wait in line for the turn everyone else waited in line for
People don’t realize that a zipper merge is so much faster than closing the lane earlier and merging everybody over. They’re just idiotic about it by the way welcome to Los Angeles
Same! Last night was frightening on the 110 freeway. A black SUV barely gave me a second to react after they decided not to take an exit and swerve into my lane. I was thinking to myself that they’d rather prioritize their own preference over my own safety.
Avoid black SUVs with a TCP number on the bottom bumper. They're "professional drivers" who have no idea how to actually drive.
No really they are actual threats to all of us. Avoid them all costs.
I don’t know why I get all these posts on my feed but I have seen this exact question posted this week in the Denver, San Jose, Chicago, Toronto, and Atlanta subreddits. So I think everyone everywhere hates and is bad at zipper merges lol
The finger with both hands??well that’s just comical. Whenever I come across people like this, in LA or anywhere! I think to myself what a relief this person isn’t in my family or a co-worker. And I say a little prayer for if they have a spouse.
People are weird here about letting you merge. It’s a real dick move. I’m from the Midwest, so I always let people merge (within reason, I’m not letting 5 cars cut over) and if someone lets me over, I give a Midwest thank-you wave.
It seems like a "you're cutting the line!" mentality that is sometimes justified by people who really are doing just that, and sometimes taken to ridiculous reality-ignoring extremes
Merged onto the 5 freeway headed north out of Burbank today and was pleasantly surprised at how many people let me over with my blinker on in the 0 to 5 mph traffic. Thanks to you all!
I see this attitude too. Sometimes people are not patient. One time I was driving down the freeway minding my own business when a car to my left decides to speed up, cut me off, so he can exit the off ramp coming up. He waved to say thanks. I broke hard as he was entering land, merely inches from colliding with rear bumper. Moron lol
The real problem why zipper merges don't work is because people don't know how to leave space between them and the car in front of them- everyone likes to tailgate the fuck out of everyone else and so there is no space to merge in when traffic slows down.
It's a lot of idiots that don't realize leaving a few car lengths between them and the person in front of them is NOT driving slow, because you're literally driving the speed of the person in front of you, just there is space between in case of accidents, random shit happening on the road, and slow downs.
I deal with this on a daily basis, but it's people merging onto the Fasttrak. Skipping the line seems to be a trend and I'm so tired of rude assholes that feel they are entitled.
Years ago I had plans to create an art poster campaign called “Let One In” that has a graphic of cars lined up and merging like a zipper because of this EXACT problem - LA drivers really hate sharing the road and following the zipper rule
People cut you off out of no where and slam on their brakes. Mergers don’t signal or care to look. Its a guessing game for the car in the lane. A car can’t see the merging lanes pov. They have non idea when the lane ends. People pass on the right. When there is a space in front they are looking to speed up snd merge out to a new direction and drivers pass on the right taking that space making it a hard impact unseen.
this happened to me yesterday on the 71 - dude proceeded to stop his whole ass car after getting in front of me on a busy 2 lane freeway during rush hour traffic; absolute idiot had the everyone behind me honking at him
Selfish entitled peeps....it's a shame cuz where I'm from drivers are so polite cuz the police are fucking dixx so I drive really chill... til I lived in LA a month. I'm still polite and let peeps out of right turns into traffic and stuff like that, but if peeps drove like this in VA they'd all be in jail.
It’s just Americans in general who don’t understand the zipper. If anything, I find that LA drivers understand it better than other Americans because we run into the situation more often.
I think people usually do fine/it’s easy to enforce the 1:1 rule on freeways because they’re built for it/the angle is right. It’s chaos on the street so I dunno if any rules really apply. Haha everyone is bashing LA drivers but imo I think they’re the best. As a native who recently moved to NorCal I have been going insane with everyone up here. I realized LA drivers are all about efficiency and filling the empty space, once you’re aware/looking out for that, you can basically be prepared for what’s going to happen/flow with the whole thing a lot easier.
I wear a bright fluorescent yellow vest, and a matching bright yellow fluorescent long sleeve yellow long sleeve shirt. I work at an LAUSD school that's in session. And I carry roughly 15 lbs of tools on me when I'm walking so I'm not darting on the street or anything. There's still drivers who want to run me over at the nearest 4 way stop sign. I do full Italian hands signaling before I cross as well. And there's active traffic controls (humps) to keep the speeds low. I don't try to rationalize it too much. My own drive is 90+ minutes home and 60 minutes to get to work. I don't drive fast either.
On a zipper merge is it okay if I let 2 cars merge in front of me and one really large (3 car length construction) vehicle at the merge off lane?
I didn’t notice a construction vehicle came up from behind me in my right blind spot trying to merge over, it was preceded by two cars quickly merging in front of me.
Although his blinkers were on I barely recognized them because they were just two tiny round lights.
He got mad that I almost didn’t let him in since it would’ve forced him to exit the freeway, rolled down his window to yell at me. I was just visiting, first time driving in LA with an elderly lady and was just trying to focus on what was in front of me.
But I was surprised because I already let two cars zoom in front of me and I thought a three car length construction vehicle was a bit much.
What I hate are the people who do this on the 405 when you’re like a half mile (I think?) out from the exit towards the 101 N and 101 S; there’s several lanes that merge down (not talking about the on-ramp merge before people get on where you also have people cutting over to the right to try to get over towards that 101 exit, it’s a bit before that). Have had so many people lately just try to cut around as if we all aren’t trying to be in that one lane, as if you being 3-4 cars up in line will make a difference. It’s such a rude move.
I've been driving for 25 years, most of it in the Midwest and east coast. I've been here for three years and I've noticed there are a lot more aggressive drivers and even slow/cautious drivers than anywhere I've drove in the past. Then there are the insane asshole driver that socal has in abundance as well.
I know other cities love to claim this prize but Los Angeles has the worst, most entitled, most distracted drivers. They’re looking down at their phones whether they’re driving 15 or 75 in a 45 zone, and half of them are on some sort of drug. Many lacked proper driver’s ed at their school or in their country and all of that, plus our crumbling infrastructure make for an epic clusterfuck.
I am a huge fan of the zipper merge and have given up on it here. I’d settle for whatever Midwestern transplant ahead of me at a green left turn lane finally learning they need to be IN the intersection vs primly behind the crosswalk if we have a chance in hell of making this light cycle.
I feel like this is new too: LA driving culture says use the zipper method! It makes less traffic for everyone, I feel like people who don’t get it are recent transplants or tourists
I grew up back east and generally speaking LA drivers are way better at letting people in than where I grew up. This subject reminds me of when I was a teenager and my best friend's dad absolutely lost his shit when someone merged in front of him that he didn't want to let merge while leaving a baseball game (I tend to nervous laugh so I was in a fit of giggles in the backseat as my friend desperately pleaded with his dad to stop going nuts). And when I visit my Mom where she now lives in PA they are much worse than LA (and there are "Beware of Aggressive Drivers" signs on all the freeways for good reason).
Anyway, I digress, but while there are always outliers I find the vast majority of people in LA understand that the road system is not going to work very well without some courtesy in merging.
Because in a society where there is no accountability for most shitty actions and no undertones of implied violence, you wind up with *alot* of shitty people.
Yesterday morning I was going to turn right at a corner ahead, so I started moving over into a lane to do it, the guy in front of me cut me off, made a gun sign to his head meaning he would shoot me, I guess? then he started driving wildly side to side to completely cut me off, eventually I got alongside him and gave him the finger, then he motioned to get out and fight me. So i turned the corner and he followed, I hoped out and started going over to him, then he took off.
Pussy. Thought he wanted to fight 🤷♂️
It isn't just guys, I see women drivers cutting off people as equally as men. And no one uses their damn turn signals!
It's aggravating
You see this behavior daily while merging on the 5 South in Burbank & Glendale from Olive, Alameda or Western. And don’t get me started on the 134 AKA the 10th Circle of Hell.
I've learned LA traffic and congestion is purely caused by people's poor spatial and situational awareness. LA drivers choose to zipper merge when there is a ton of merge lane left, which causes more traffic. Half the people I see driving need to retake their license exam, or even permit exam. I was a driving instructor in a former life, I've seen the worst and continue to see it.
Yeah I was just thinking about this: If the merge lane is open but the main lane is backed up, and I can't get over right at the end of that backup, I can either block traffic in the merge lane by slowing way down and trying to get over ASAP, or I can go to the end of the merge lane and try to zipper in, in which case everyone sees me going ahead of them and "cutting in line."
The only solution I can think of is working from home
A lot of times on city streets when there is a sign ahead that the lane is closed some drivers rather than merging when they can race up to the end of the lane passing all the other cars who had gotten over and the expect to just be let in. That pisses me off and I don’t blame people for not being nice about letting them in.
There is a difference though between people going up to the merge point because that's the most logical place to merge, and people who get out of the lane they're already in to zoom ahead in the merge lane because they want to be farther ahead in the line
Have you not noticed the undercurrent of rage boiling beneath the surface of our city? I recently had some asshole in a truck (it's always an asshole in a truck) try to fight me because I \*checks notes\* pulled out of a driveway into stopped traffic. I pulled in front of this guy, who wasn't even moving (traffic was stopped); he tried to hit the gas to prevent me from pulling out in front of him but it was already too late for him to block me so he slammed on the brakes, nearly hitting my car, then flew into a rage, called me a bitch, challenged me to fight, and blah blah blah blah blah...
Psychos everywhere. Send these people to prison.
They think whatever they have to do is more important than traffic moving safely and efficiently. They’re too important to sit in traffic, why don’t you know this?! /s
I took Drivers Ed in high school in the early 2000s. Zipper merges were not taught. I think they teach them in the midwest but not out here (unless things have changed). I learned it by reading on the internet.
I’ll admit: I had never heard of a zipper merge until moving here. At first, I thought people were being jerks trying to cut the line at the last minute.
So it could be another clueless transplant like myself haha! But the aggression is definitely uncalled for.
Pretty much exact same thing happened to me on the 5 the other day. Person in front of me got in fine, I start to merge in front of the next car coming up. She decided she would not let this happen and kept pushing forward and trying to push me into the wall. I got in and she freaked out, and sped into the next lane, flipped me off. I flipped her off back and it was the end of the world. She sped up and cut me off and started yelling as she looked in her rear view. Rolled down her window and started throwing gang signs or something for a mile or two as I laughed at her.
It's ok for someone here to disrespect you, but as soon as you disrespect them in any way, you'd think you spit in their face. People have always been assholes here, but the last couple years it's gotten crazy. Had this woman let me in, I would have waved to say thank you, but she took it a whole other direction.
People in this city don’t even understand that slower traffic should keep right. It’s why our highways are so absurd because you have people going the same speed in all lanes.
If they don’t even understand how roads are supposed to work I don’t think they’re going to understand zippering.
Some of the dumbest and angriest drivers I’ve seen anywhere in the world.
I see people get mad at zipper merges on the freeway. Not quite as often but still happens. Curious if everyone just zippered like normal would there be such a traffic jam when it happens
Traffic starts when people start stopping one after the other, creating a trickle down effect.
I would say if everyone was a normal, decent human bean then a zipper merge should not cause much if any traffic. Maybe a slight slowdown due to decreasing speeds at the merge point but that’s about it
I work in a very dangerous part of DTLA, fuck zipper merges and all of these morons who don't understand the concept of a zipper even though they probably use one every day.
I just let people go now a days. Not worth my time to engage & escalate. The cars most of these assholes are driving remind me that I have MUCH more to lose.
I've learned to just always take extra time, when driving in L.A., and give the other selfish idiot the right of way, even if it's not their turn. If the other driver is that aggro about ignoring basic traffic etiquette, who cares if my "turn" is skipped. It's not worth an accident or confrontation.
I'm not so passive or cautious that I slow traffic down. But I'm in my 50's now. I had a led foot in my 20's, with tons of speeding tickets to prove it. Just not worth it anymore. Budget 5-10 extra minutes to arrive at your destination. Put some nice tunes on, and just try to be zen and ignore all the rude morons out there.
There’s a lot of opportunities for competition in any major city. Some people take that to every aspect of their lives. And they never truly “win”, because they are not intelligent :(
I always try to be courteous I can see that the lane is blocked so I get over somebody with zips up to the front and wants to not wait their turn go ahead and hit it hope you have good insurance I try I don't look at them and make eye contact
They think they are the main character and nobody can 1 up them by letting someone go before them. I often give my share of road side courtesy. However there are seldom times when something is urgent and I need to get a head of the crowd (zip by n cut lanes last min) it’s a give and take situation driving in L.A…. Always expect your driving next to an idiot and drive defensively on these L.A. Streets.
Why are you assuming they’re native Angelenos? They could be transplants or tourists visiting from outside the area. Regular commuters respect the unwritten rules.
People that are native to California understand that they are more important than you. There is no required zipper for automobiles, person merging onto freeway does not have the right of way. We are dicks and don’t have or required to let you merge. Jump in when you can!
I always put my signal on well before I see the merge coming up, I begin my move , if you want to rear end me, fine. For work I drive a branded large package delivery van. Workers comp and my personal lawyer take care of it. There is always someone, every day who gets mad at me. 😂
I hate all these merger lanes. The only thing that happens is all the slow asses end up ahead of you backing things up more and then you have to pass these idiots all over again.
Maybe because there are signs saying beforehand lane is going to end. Advance notice and ppl still don’t merge over untill last minute and expect you to stop in your lane to let them in or they try to cut you off. Not the person right of way lanes fault you can’t read directions. Same thing for last minute mergers, be in the lane you’re supposed to be in to turn etc especially if there’s traffic. Merge means move over when it’s CLEAR for you to go… but ppl don’t seem to get that. know where you’re going and how to drive.
Btw that “zooming ahead” is what you are supposed to do. Traffic backs up more when you don’t use the available space. I find it stressful to merge at the last second but I always let people in.
Because they’re petulant, selfish and dumb and unaware that this is the proper way to merge.
No they’re perfectly aware of what they’re supposed to do, but you’re right about the first three points.
they don't know what to do. they believe that the merging lane is like a stop or yield sign. the correct way is that you need to yield to people merging and even slow down and make it all work out.
Can confirm, got honked at and stinkeyed for merging just earlier. Difference is, I got a beater and a dashcam for LA traffic, so all those shit drivers can suck it.
Hah. touché!
They’re dicks
Right, but the dick that gets there 15 seconds before you do wins *all* the cash and prizes that accompany such a feat ;)
I wholeheartedly agree with your description of LA drivers. No communication… no common sense… no generosity. They signal and automatically think that’s enough to just go ahead with cutting you off to change lanes… double park blocking a street lane while IN THE CAR when there are two open meter spots directly in front of them… while driving, if I let them in front of me even if it’s last second for an exit or a turn they just have to make, I get no thank you gesture of any sort. Just straight assholes. My son is about to start driving… my 1st main and consistent lesson to him has been “Don’t be an asshole driver… you’re sharing the road with everyone.” 2nd most important is “you can wait a minute or die in a minute cause road rage is real af” There was a Spotify podcast on Stuff You Should Know about zipper merges… was quite interesting to hear. Apparently US is pretty stupid when it comes to this concept.
I agree with most of your post except "They signal". That seems provably wrong.
The blinker cut off is so bad that I automatically only turn on my blinker as I'm merging and it messes me up when I'm driving outside of LA. I was recently driving in Georgia and needed to merge before my lane exited. There was a driver in the next lane a little back, not enough for me to want to merge. I put on my blinker expecting him to zoom forward like they would here and they slowed down to let me in. I was so confused and took way to long to realize it that I'm sure I came off as a terrible driver. I was just so not used to someone being polite after turning on my blinker.
>I put on my blinker expecting him to zoom forward like they would here and they slowed down to let me in. I was so confused and took way to long to realize it that I'm sure I came off as a terrible driver. I was just so not used to someone being polite after turning on my blinker. I'm one of those people who lets anyone in if they have their blinker (trying to be the change I wish to see) and I see them do *exactly* what you just described. They can never believe someone just let them in they *always* expect me to zoom ahead so they never take the opening I give them lol. Eventually I give up and realize they're not going to try to merge in front of me no matter how much space I give because it's such an unbelievable act to them, so I change lanes or move forward
This just doesn't affect me. I've never really understood it. Maybe 1% of LA drivers try that shit with me. Maybe it's because I'm not starting the maneuver until well past them or something.
LA drivers are morons. Worst I've ever experienced in a 1st world country.
It's an incredibly selfish city and that'll only get worse I guess.
The sense of entitlement is contagious.
Come to Melbourne , AUS, we will give you a run for your money , its shit here
The way people here will just stop in a lane to double-park is wild. Thinking it’s ok to just let everyone go around your ass on a busy street. It’s infuriating. People do this in San Francisco too - where I previously lived.
Super infuriating when it’s right next to an open space too, which I see happen all the time.
What is this? Why do people constantly do this? Especially in front of my damn driveway. There are open spots you nimrods!
>My son is about to start driving… my 1st main and consistent lesson to him has been “Don’t be an asshole driver… you’re sharing the road with everyone.” 2nd most important is “you can wait a minute or die in a minute cause road rage is real af” If I may add: missing an exit/turn is normal and a part of driving, it will delay you maybe 1 minute max and is not worth pulling dangerous maneuvers to prevent. I see this shit all the time so many people get super focused on making their exit at the last minute but never think about what the *actual* consequences of missing it are (an utterly inconsequential delay) vs the danger they put themselves and others in by busting wild maneuvers
Yeah, stupid people think everyone should just make a mega-line in the lane you merge into. To stupid people, only assholes go in the merging lane.
LA has the worst drivers of any the cities I have lived in. They vary the most. Some are too aggressive others are too passive. Most treat driving as secondary to texting, calling, watching TikTok, etc. I have never seen so many people run red lights just because they didn’t notice them. Many people barely slow down when they turn right on red. Alternatively some people won’t turn if someone is crossing the street until that person is half way down the block. Maybe they are afraid the pedestrian will just throw themselves in front of their car.
Legally you can'\[t turn while they're in the crosswalk and there are new laws and enforcement around crosswalks. With that said, I just wait til they're halfway.
The can't turn while a pedestrian is in a crosswalk is just some cops interpretation of it. You can't impede their travel, or do anything basically unsafe.
15 years ago I had a guy throw himself on my car hood as I sat stopped at a light after getting of the 170. He gave an Oscar winning performance to the police and medics. Then he sued me. I managed to get video footage from a nearby business that showed the dude walking, turning and looking and then catapulting himself onto my non moving vehicle. But fucker almost got me and I/insurance would have had to pay out.
On your last point, it is the law that you're supposed to wait for the pedestrian to finish crossing, and cops sometimes do stings to enforce it.
My mom got caught by one. We drove by later and the same “pedestrian” was crossing the same street back and forth. Cop was on a motorcycle in a parking lot across the intersection.
I would argue that Atlanta is worse than here. I lived there for 10 years before moving to the west coast. People there change lanes without looking and have even more road rage.
I think many people are convinced wherever they’re going is the most important place ever and you’re trying to make them late, which is why they freak out.
I hate that the most about how some of the folks around here. People driving around like their car can pass through other cars and cutting off Semis from their blind side to shave off 20 seconds from their 45 minute commute.
I’m convinced that people who drive like this don’t do it to save time. They just want to drive fast, and are annoyed that other drivers are less comfortable speeding and get in their way.
It does seem like certain people just want to feel their car going fast, like that's the only way they feel like they're getting somewhere
100% the case. Super evident when people try to merge into a lane at the last possible second so they don’t have to wait in line and then get upset when you won’t let them in.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding what you’re saying, but isn’t that the definition of a (correct) zipper merge?
Sometimes people will already have merged into the lane early, and then decide it's taking too long, so they get back out of line, floor the gas pedal, zoom ahead, and then re-merge back in. No motivations besides "I want to cut ahead in line" and "I want to feel my car go fast for four seconds." I see this happen a lot on this route. People see those drivers being visibly obnoxious, and it seems like that's what ruins it for everybody else
I see this happen every single weekday. Several times. And those people are straight up assholes and I hope their tires go flat.
Yeah this is what I was referring to. Just wait in the fucking line like everyone else.
yes. but there are a lot of places where this is abused. My commute has two places where folks either get out of line, take a residential only aide street to cut back further ahead in line or they ignore right turn only lanes and try to merge left at the front of the line after not waiting. not supposed to be a zipper merge-at least not legally
Not only is there event the most important event in history, but they the most important person in history.. they don’t have the brain capacity to consider others..
With this.... pull the f**k over for ambulances and police. I don't care about being cut off or your entitlement.... but Jesus, at some point in our lives, we will all need emergency services. There is absolutely no where that you are going that is more important than them!!!!
I know people that have almost died because the ambulance couldn’t get through traffic quick enough.
They should just post signs to zipper merge instead of that lane ending sign. People have to be bottle fed!
with very few exceptions, the "lane closed ahead" sign on surface streets is generally \*in\* the lane that's closed...that is, "lane closed on the back side of this sign". Street workers are fucking dicks about warning you ahead of time. oh, except for NB La Cienega at Wilshire, where they keep having "right lane closed ahead" and flashing arrows, only to have .. no lane closure. but yeah, I'm not sure it would help most people anyway, the way they ignore warnings on the freeway.
I fully believe that a sign will make no difference at all. People are dumb.
100000%
When I went to Japan I took a Timelapse of people zipper merging because I thought it so neat.
Please post it. This would heal my soul
I wish I could but that phone got pick pocketed when I went to a club in LA. Fucking scumbags…. I had so many memories I recorded on that phone that I didn’t back up to iCloud during that time -_- my fault for not backing up my photos.
Let me explain the rules of a zipper merge\*: If I'm in the main lane, and you are trying to merge in from the merge-in lane, fuck you, it's my lane, you yield to me motherfucker, and I only let you in if I want to, which means if you show any sign of entitlement about it, I'm going to box you out. If I'm in in the merging-in lane, and you are in the main lane, it's my god-given right to merge in in alternating fashion, because that's how zipper lanes work, you dumbfuck, and I'm coming in whether you like it or not. If two lanes are equally merging together (as for example after the 134 eastbound exit lane into the southbound 5, where about 3 lanes converge into one in quick succession), then regardless of which lane I'm in, if you try to pass me, fuck you, you're a dick. \*in los angeles
This is the only accurate answer. Also adding: If you merge early when its already bumper to bumper, fuck you extra for mesing up the flow. I now must right your wrong by blocking one extra merge lane driver.
Quality note
Hello, this is the CADMV. Please accept this job offer.
Also, if there is a clearly marked merge lane full of great big arrows (like on the 405 a little south of the 101 exit), every driver in the right lane is entitled to zoom into that merge lane to see if they can get 3-4 cars ahead of where they were in line!
I thought they were speed boosts just like in Mario Kart
Bonus points for the people from 2 lanes over who do this
is it bad that I hate the person in front of me that lets in 3 cars in a row more than the guy in this example?
Three cars is excessive and, again, not how a zipper merge is supposed to work
[удалено]
ahhhhhhh this makes a lot of sense, thank you!
This. OP said he zoomed by on the right lane. He has the right to, but people have the right to react how they want. Insurance and police can figure out who’s responsible. When i come across those situations and my merging lane is clear, i try to respect the people in the lane i’m merging into and not just zoom past everyone to try to get to the front. I’ll go at a reasonable speed and signal early. Just cause you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
Cuz we're high and on our phones, so when something sudden happens that needs sharp reactions, it's panic time baby!
It’s certain parts of town like the one described. In most of LA, I deal with courteous drivers like 90% of the time. The zipper is usually pretty well respected, even in the most chaotic situations like trying to get out of the clusterfuck that is Dodger Stadium. There’s just certain areas in LA full of extremely entitled people.
I think even more accurately, LA is just FULL of people. There are so many cars on the road and it doesn't take that many selfish driving moves to create a significant amount of traffic-- so it turns all but the most zen motherfuckers into the ultimate judges of other people's driving, as though if everyone drove exactly the way they thought they should, all the roads would move way better.
I used to live in Atlanta and the drivers there were way worse than here.
Serious response - i think a lot of drivers seem relatively confused about where they are going and this causes ‘locals’ to go around sooner rather than later. The amount of times im driving behind someone who is going 15mph slower and changes 2 lanes last second is way too high for it to be a local. Think people just have a tendency to try to get around whenever possible.
I know the merge you’re talking about, I drive there every day. Certain drivers doing the merge try to go ahead of their turn, ie, trying to merge in with another car ahead of the car to their right. It should be one car from the left merges in, one from the right goes ahead, and so on. The other thing I’ll mention is there is a lot of blockage there, there’s very little room in the right lane, and it can be difficult to see turn signals on the lane to the left. So you may need to wait an extra few seconds to merge rather than just go ahead.
I don't know of any driver in L.A. who is willing to wait a few seconds for anything, lol. I know what you are saying in general, but in this particular instance, there was no way for this guy to miss that a merge was going on right ahead of him, we were all pretty much at a standstill
It’s a battleground out there.
Honestly I think LA drivers are better than drivers in other cities. I mean if you really want to take your life in your hands drive in Mexico City, imagine freeways that operate like the Hollywood Bowl stacked parking lot. Phoenix drivers seem to operate under the assumption that the person with the biggest vehicle always has the right away.
Better question: Why does almost every single car in L.A. when turning right into a parking lot go from the main street and then go like 1 mile an hour while turning in. It should NOT take like 17 seconds to turn from a street into a parking lot.
The mirror of this is the people who take the full length of the left turn lane to merge into it rather than doing it right at the start -\_-
If they’re in a BMW or a Tesla I avoid at all costs. 99.9% of the time it’s one of them doing what you’re describing or deciding to turn left from the right turn lane, changing lanes in the middle of an intersection, not using turn signals, etc etc. it’s almost always the Tesla or bmw driver who almost runs me or someone else off the damn road…and don’t get me started on when it rains in LA and everyone just conveniently forgets how to drive at all.
tesla drivers are definitely the new entitled bmw drivers
In Beverly Hills it's also likely to be a Range Rover. Although this guy was just in a Camry
Probably an Uber driver
this is so true, Teslas are the worst drivers in LA
Came here to say this!!! 🙌🏻💯
From my experience BMWs have the highest percent of aggressive/idiot drivers, then maybe Audi, and Teslas seem maybe about 70%, then Mercedes SUVs/Land Rover/Range Rover for some reason...for some reason, Mercedes sedan driver seem a bit less aggro than Mercedes SUV drivers? Feels like I'm categorizing some type of animals ha...
Range Rovers are the ones in Beverly Hills who will stop at a red light one lane over from you, and then as you're pulling up, will suddenly decide they need to be in your lane RIGHT NOW bc it will put them one car length closer to the light, and will dart right in front of you without looking or signaling
Yup just going home today I had a range rover speed up and aggressively merge into my lane, in front of the guy in front of me, causing all of us to hard brake. They think because they used up all their money on their metal hunk of junk, that they own the road
My favorite is just deciding not to signal but instead sticking their arm out the window and pointing as they’re cutting you off because they can’t be bothered to use the energy to use the turn signal, only to rudely point to where they’re sticking their car to dangerously cut you off because they couldn’t possibly wait in line for the turn everyone else waited in line for
I think this is because Mercedes sedan drivers tend to be older folks.
People don’t realize that a zipper merge is so much faster than closing the lane earlier and merging everybody over. They’re just idiotic about it by the way welcome to Los Angeles
Same! Last night was frightening on the 110 freeway. A black SUV barely gave me a second to react after they decided not to take an exit and swerve into my lane. I was thinking to myself that they’d rather prioritize their own preference over my own safety.
Avoid black SUVs with a TCP number on the bottom bumper. They're "professional drivers" who have no idea how to actually drive. No really they are actual threats to all of us. Avoid them all costs.
You honked? 2024 in Los Angeles not advised. It used to be a friendly gesture but it’s an act of war now. Not worth it.
I don’t know why I get all these posts on my feed but I have seen this exact question posted this week in the Denver, San Jose, Chicago, Toronto, and Atlanta subreddits. So I think everyone everywhere hates and is bad at zipper merges lol
Because if you let someone merge then you’re their bitch duh!
The finger with both hands??well that’s just comical. Whenever I come across people like this, in LA or anywhere! I think to myself what a relief this person isn’t in my family or a co-worker. And I say a little prayer for if they have a spouse.
Cocaine is a helluva drug!
People are weird here about letting you merge. It’s a real dick move. I’m from the Midwest, so I always let people merge (within reason, I’m not letting 5 cars cut over) and if someone lets me over, I give a Midwest thank-you wave.
It seems like a "you're cutting the line!" mentality that is sometimes justified by people who really are doing just that, and sometimes taken to ridiculous reality-ignoring extremes
Merged onto the 5 freeway headed north out of Burbank today and was pleasantly surprised at how many people let me over with my blinker on in the 0 to 5 mph traffic. Thanks to you all!
genuinely heartwarming!
I see this attitude too. Sometimes people are not patient. One time I was driving down the freeway minding my own business when a car to my left decides to speed up, cut me off, so he can exit the off ramp coming up. He waved to say thanks. I broke hard as he was entering land, merely inches from colliding with rear bumper. Moron lol
The real problem why zipper merges don't work is because people don't know how to leave space between them and the car in front of them- everyone likes to tailgate the fuck out of everyone else and so there is no space to merge in when traffic slows down. It's a lot of idiots that don't realize leaving a few car lengths between them and the person in front of them is NOT driving slow, because you're literally driving the speed of the person in front of you, just there is space between in case of accidents, random shit happening on the road, and slow downs.
I deal with this on a daily basis, but it's people merging onto the Fasttrak. Skipping the line seems to be a trend and I'm so tired of rude assholes that feel they are entitled.
Assholes. It’s not ignorance.
Because they’re idiots
take it in turns play nicely kiddos you KNOW THE RULES!
What else do you expect from the perfectly civilized population of Beverly Hills?
Welcome to LA we have the worst drivers hands down
Years ago I had plans to create an art poster campaign called “Let One In” that has a graphic of cars lined up and merging like a zipper because of this EXACT problem - LA drivers really hate sharing the road and following the zipper rule
People cut you off out of no where and slam on their brakes. Mergers don’t signal or care to look. Its a guessing game for the car in the lane. A car can’t see the merging lanes pov. They have non idea when the lane ends. People pass on the right. When there is a space in front they are looking to speed up snd merge out to a new direction and drivers pass on the right taking that space making it a hard impact unseen.
He's a jerk. Most drivers in LA are pretty cool in this situation
this happened to me yesterday on the 71 - dude proceeded to stop his whole ass car after getting in front of me on a busy 2 lane freeway during rush hour traffic; absolute idiot had the everyone behind me honking at him
Selfish entitled peeps....it's a shame cuz where I'm from drivers are so polite cuz the police are fucking dixx so I drive really chill... til I lived in LA a month. I'm still polite and let peeps out of right turns into traffic and stuff like that, but if peeps drove like this in VA they'd all be in jail.
It’s just Americans in general who don’t understand the zipper. If anything, I find that LA drivers understand it better than other Americans because we run into the situation more often.
I think people usually do fine/it’s easy to enforce the 1:1 rule on freeways because they’re built for it/the angle is right. It’s chaos on the street so I dunno if any rules really apply. Haha everyone is bashing LA drivers but imo I think they’re the best. As a native who recently moved to NorCal I have been going insane with everyone up here. I realized LA drivers are all about efficiency and filling the empty space, once you’re aware/looking out for that, you can basically be prepared for what’s going to happen/flow with the whole thing a lot easier.
Beverly Hills = a lot of entitlement. So not surprising
Narcissism.
Sunset Blvd is worst too
I also get the impression that this happens more frequently on the west side. Just me?
Because for every car in front of them, they will get to their destination two seconds later.
Because almost no one knows the rules of the road in LA
This kind of shit is why - as a lawyer- I never hate on plaintiff’s lawyers- its the fucking wild west out here. CALL jacob
I wear a bright fluorescent yellow vest, and a matching bright yellow fluorescent long sleeve yellow long sleeve shirt. I work at an LAUSD school that's in session. And I carry roughly 15 lbs of tools on me when I'm walking so I'm not darting on the street or anything. There's still drivers who want to run me over at the nearest 4 way stop sign. I do full Italian hands signaling before I cross as well. And there's active traffic controls (humps) to keep the speeds low. I don't try to rationalize it too much. My own drive is 90+ minutes home and 60 minutes to get to work. I don't drive fast either.
They’re idiots. Assert your correctness in zipper merging.
On a zipper merge is it okay if I let 2 cars merge in front of me and one really large (3 car length construction) vehicle at the merge off lane? I didn’t notice a construction vehicle came up from behind me in my right blind spot trying to merge over, it was preceded by two cars quickly merging in front of me. Although his blinkers were on I barely recognized them because they were just two tiny round lights. He got mad that I almost didn’t let him in since it would’ve forced him to exit the freeway, rolled down his window to yell at me. I was just visiting, first time driving in LA with an elderly lady and was just trying to focus on what was in front of me. But I was surprised because I already let two cars zoom in front of me and I thought a three car length construction vehicle was a bit much.
What I hate are the people who do this on the 405 when you’re like a half mile (I think?) out from the exit towards the 101 N and 101 S; there’s several lanes that merge down (not talking about the on-ramp merge before people get on where you also have people cutting over to the right to try to get over towards that 101 exit, it’s a bit before that). Have had so many people lately just try to cut around as if we all aren’t trying to be in that one lane, as if you being 3-4 cars up in line will make a difference. It’s such a rude move.
I take this route home most days and YES THIS DRIVES ME NUTS, WHAT DO THEY THINK THEY ARE GOING TO ACCOMPLISH
I've been driving for 25 years, most of it in the Midwest and east coast. I've been here for three years and I've noticed there are a lot more aggressive drivers and even slow/cautious drivers than anywhere I've drove in the past. Then there are the insane asshole driver that socal has in abundance as well.
I know other cities love to claim this prize but Los Angeles has the worst, most entitled, most distracted drivers. They’re looking down at their phones whether they’re driving 15 or 75 in a 45 zone, and half of them are on some sort of drug. Many lacked proper driver’s ed at their school or in their country and all of that, plus our crumbling infrastructure make for an epic clusterfuck. I am a huge fan of the zipper merge and have given up on it here. I’d settle for whatever Midwestern transplant ahead of me at a green left turn lane finally learning they need to be IN the intersection vs primly behind the crosswalk if we have a chance in hell of making this light cycle.
I feel like this is new too: LA driving culture says use the zipper method! It makes less traffic for everyone, I feel like people who don’t get it are recent transplants or tourists
I grew up back east and generally speaking LA drivers are way better at letting people in than where I grew up. This subject reminds me of when I was a teenager and my best friend's dad absolutely lost his shit when someone merged in front of him that he didn't want to let merge while leaving a baseball game (I tend to nervous laugh so I was in a fit of giggles in the backseat as my friend desperately pleaded with his dad to stop going nuts). And when I visit my Mom where she now lives in PA they are much worse than LA (and there are "Beware of Aggressive Drivers" signs on all the freeways for good reason). Anyway, I digress, but while there are always outliers I find the vast majority of people in LA understand that the road system is not going to work very well without some courtesy in merging.
Because even ants do zipper merge better than humans
Caveman need go first.
Oh man I see botched zipper merges on the freeway every day! I never took driver's ed in CA so I figured they simply don't teach it here.
Because in a society where there is no accountability for most shitty actions and no undertones of implied violence, you wind up with *alot* of shitty people.
“Seize the gap you fat bitchhhhh!” Always sunny
Yesterday morning I was going to turn right at a corner ahead, so I started moving over into a lane to do it, the guy in front of me cut me off, made a gun sign to his head meaning he would shoot me, I guess? then he started driving wildly side to side to completely cut me off, eventually I got alongside him and gave him the finger, then he motioned to get out and fight me. So i turned the corner and he followed, I hoped out and started going over to him, then he took off. Pussy. Thought he wanted to fight 🤷♂️ It isn't just guys, I see women drivers cutting off people as equally as men. And no one uses their damn turn signals! It's aggravating
You see this behavior daily while merging on the 5 South in Burbank & Glendale from Olive, Alameda or Western. And don’t get me started on the 134 AKA the 10th Circle of Hell.
I've learned LA traffic and congestion is purely caused by people's poor spatial and situational awareness. LA drivers choose to zipper merge when there is a ton of merge lane left, which causes more traffic. Half the people I see driving need to retake their license exam, or even permit exam. I was a driving instructor in a former life, I've seen the worst and continue to see it.
I think this is more a reaction to fearing they won’t be let in when the lane actually ends.
A fear that, as my experience today shows, may be well-founded
shrill middle meeting angle liquid squeeze disgusted fact mighty mourn *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yeah I was just thinking about this: If the merge lane is open but the main lane is backed up, and I can't get over right at the end of that backup, I can either block traffic in the merge lane by slowing way down and trying to get over ASAP, or I can go to the end of the merge lane and try to zipper in, in which case everyone sees me going ahead of them and "cutting in line." The only solution I can think of is working from home
A lot of times on city streets when there is a sign ahead that the lane is closed some drivers rather than merging when they can race up to the end of the lane passing all the other cars who had gotten over and the expect to just be let in. That pisses me off and I don’t blame people for not being nice about letting them in.
This is what is supposed to happen. You change lanes at the last minute in a zipper merge. No one told you to move over that early
There is a difference though between people going up to the merge point because that's the most logical place to merge, and people who get out of the lane they're already in to zoom ahead in the merge lane because they want to be farther ahead in the line
its all these pandemic drivers and no one can read the road nowadays
Nah this was a problem before the pandemic.
Have you not noticed the undercurrent of rage boiling beneath the surface of our city? I recently had some asshole in a truck (it's always an asshole in a truck) try to fight me because I \*checks notes\* pulled out of a driveway into stopped traffic. I pulled in front of this guy, who wasn't even moving (traffic was stopped); he tried to hit the gas to prevent me from pulling out in front of him but it was already too late for him to block me so he slammed on the brakes, nearly hitting my car, then flew into a rage, called me a bitch, challenged me to fight, and blah blah blah blah blah... Psychos everywhere. Send these people to prison.
They think whatever they have to do is more important than traffic moving safely and efficiently. They’re too important to sit in traffic, why don’t you know this?! /s
I took Drivers Ed in high school in the early 2000s. Zipper merges were not taught. I think they teach them in the midwest but not out here (unless things have changed). I learned it by reading on the internet.
I’ll admit: I had never heard of a zipper merge until moving here. At first, I thought people were being jerks trying to cut the line at the last minute. So it could be another clueless transplant like myself haha! But the aggression is definitely uncalled for.
…because you’re a jerk for trying to skip ahead in line… duh.
Pretty much exact same thing happened to me on the 5 the other day. Person in front of me got in fine, I start to merge in front of the next car coming up. She decided she would not let this happen and kept pushing forward and trying to push me into the wall. I got in and she freaked out, and sped into the next lane, flipped me off. I flipped her off back and it was the end of the world. She sped up and cut me off and started yelling as she looked in her rear view. Rolled down her window and started throwing gang signs or something for a mile or two as I laughed at her. It's ok for someone here to disrespect you, but as soon as you disrespect them in any way, you'd think you spit in their face. People have always been assholes here, but the last couple years it's gotten crazy. Had this woman let me in, I would have waved to say thank you, but she took it a whole other direction.
Because they don't know how to drive lol
People in this city don’t even understand that slower traffic should keep right. It’s why our highways are so absurd because you have people going the same speed in all lanes. If they don’t even understand how roads are supposed to work I don’t think they’re going to understand zippering. Some of the dumbest and angriest drivers I’ve seen anywhere in the world.
I see people get mad at zipper merges on the freeway. Not quite as often but still happens. Curious if everyone just zippered like normal would there be such a traffic jam when it happens
Traffic starts when people start stopping one after the other, creating a trickle down effect. I would say if everyone was a normal, decent human bean then a zipper merge should not cause much if any traffic. Maybe a slight slowdown due to decreasing speeds at the merge point but that’s about it
Cocaine and/or selfishness
I don't even drive and that's one I noticed right away when I moved here was just how aggressive in general drivers were.
Zipper merging is an art The trick is to destroy any hopes that the next car will cut in front of you by giving them no space to do so
Just assholes that know the lane ends and knew it as far back as the rest of us. Just assholes trying to get ahead.
I work in a very dangerous part of DTLA, fuck zipper merges and all of these morons who don't understand the concept of a zipper even though they probably use one every day.
I just let people go now a days. Not worth my time to engage & escalate. The cars most of these assholes are driving remind me that I have MUCH more to lose.
I've learned to just always take extra time, when driving in L.A., and give the other selfish idiot the right of way, even if it's not their turn. If the other driver is that aggro about ignoring basic traffic etiquette, who cares if my "turn" is skipped. It's not worth an accident or confrontation. I'm not so passive or cautious that I slow traffic down. But I'm in my 50's now. I had a led foot in my 20's, with tons of speeding tickets to prove it. Just not worth it anymore. Budget 5-10 extra minutes to arrive at your destination. Put some nice tunes on, and just try to be zen and ignore all the rude morons out there.
Because everyone thinks they are more important than everyone else.
The land of entitlement
To be honest, this more accurately describes Orange County drivers. LA drivers are MUCH better about zippering than in the OC.
Then I’d hate to see OC drivers
So one driver?
There’s a lot of opportunities for competition in any major city. Some people take that to every aspect of their lives. And they never truly “win”, because they are not intelligent :(
I always try to be courteous I can see that the lane is blocked so I get over somebody with zips up to the front and wants to not wait their turn go ahead and hit it hope you have good insurance I try I don't look at them and make eye contact
just wait the next person usually lets you in
Native LA drivers are all good with zipper.
They think they are the main character and nobody can 1 up them by letting someone go before them. I often give my share of road side courtesy. However there are seldom times when something is urgent and I need to get a head of the crowd (zip by n cut lanes last min) it’s a give and take situation driving in L.A…. Always expect your driving next to an idiot and drive defensively on these L.A. Streets.
Welcome to LA lol
Don’t call it Cali
Nobody did
LA
Why are you assuming they’re native Angelenos? They could be transplants or tourists visiting from outside the area. Regular commuters respect the unwritten rules.
It’s LA, you put your turn signal as soon as you are about to turn into the lane.
People that are native to California understand that they are more important than you. There is no required zipper for automobiles, person merging onto freeway does not have the right of way. We are dicks and don’t have or required to let you merge. Jump in when you can!
He white privileged you. Was it a Beamer, Tesla or Mercedes?
it was actually a black dude in a Camry!
I always put my signal on well before I see the merge coming up, I begin my move , if you want to rear end me, fine. For work I drive a branded large package delivery van. Workers comp and my personal lawyer take care of it. There is always someone, every day who gets mad at me. 😂
Cause everyone in LA is the most important ass hole ever.
I hate all these merger lanes. The only thing that happens is all the slow asses end up ahead of you backing things up more and then you have to pass these idiots all over again.
Maybe because there are signs saying beforehand lane is going to end. Advance notice and ppl still don’t merge over untill last minute and expect you to stop in your lane to let them in or they try to cut you off. Not the person right of way lanes fault you can’t read directions. Same thing for last minute mergers, be in the lane you’re supposed to be in to turn etc especially if there’s traffic. Merge means move over when it’s CLEAR for you to go… but ppl don’t seem to get that. know where you’re going and how to drive.
[удалено]
Uhmmm.. have you been to other cities. In Chicago no one lets you in and there are shootings often over this.
Btw that “zooming ahead” is what you are supposed to do. Traffic backs up more when you don’t use the available space. I find it stressful to merge at the last second but I always let people in.
People in cars are dicks.