What Minor Traffic Violation Drives You Crazy?

Photo: Murilee Martin

French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre is famous for the line, “L’enfer, c’est les autres,” in his play “No Exit” which translates to “hell is other people.” This is an astute take on the human condition as well as being undoubtedly true and I bet that ol’ JP never even spent time sitting in LA traffic!

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Given that driving is a key component of my job, you’d probably assume that I have a lot of opinions on other people’s driving and you’d be absolutely right. They’re all maniacs, but there are some things that drivers do in traffic that are not only illegal but also drive me totally bananas.

Let’s just say that if you could see swear words with a black light, if you shone one on the inside of my car, it would be visible from space.

So, feral commentariat, let us commiserate. What I want to know this week is what minor traffic violations make you utterly batshit crazy when other people do them?

For example, mine is people who change lanes in intersections. Some stuff is illegal for reasons that feel arcane or inscrutable, but this one — while not illegal per se — is a no-no for a really good reason: it’s dangerous as hell. What’s worse is that people here in LA do it ALL THE TIME and as someone who also rides a motorcycle, I’ve nearly gotten smoked by a Tesla doing this more times than I can count.

So, dig deep, unleash your hatred, and tell the world what they need to quit doing in traffic