The number one thing I heard before I moved to Los Angeles (NUMBER ONE!) was "You're going to live with LA traffic?" Yes, yes I am. Now, having been here for over a month, I can accurately speak out on the traffic here and what it's like to live with.

First off, I got ridiculously lucky. Where I'm living sends me against traffic to work, and as you'd expect, against traffic going home. As I take the on ramp to I-10, I merge at a solid speed, grinning like a weirdo at everyone stopped on the highway headed to the coast. Should I feel bad for those stuck behind the bumper of a non-moving car? Nope. You made your bed.

However, what I have noticed as I attempt to blissfully cruise to work is that Angelenos don't seem to understand what to do when there isn't any traffic. They lollygag, driving like it's Sunday and they're just out to see the sun and sit in their car. If the speed limit says 65, why in the world are you going 40? I can see there is no one in front of you for at least a mile, so what do you think is going to happen should you speed up? I fully understand going slower because you're afraid traffic is going to pop up at any second, but the good news about highways is that you can see ahead of you and see when it's slowing down. Does your fear mean you're not paying attention to the road and perhaps texting, or listening to the soothing voice of an audio book?

On the flip side, when prevented from selecting their own speed, inhabitants of this city will fly around cars in traffic, hitting the gas the second there's an opening in a lane that appears to be going faster than theirs. Why can you not drive with that speed when the open road is all yours? Is it simply because you want to call the shots?

Here are a few new sayings I've incorporated into my driving life that allows me to express my annoyance without it physically manifesting.


Feel free to incorporate any of the above into your driving life to alleviate any annoyances you may have with those around you. Safe driving, friends!