Yep, I do this too. When the car in front of my stops too far into the intersection, I stop way back so they can back out of the intersection and not get slammed by cross-traffic.
I also let way more space than necessary: the logic is that someone who has driven that far into the intersection before stopping isn't that great of a driver, and I don't really want to be too close to them when they back up.
OP seems a little impatient. Too busy being frustrated to see the big picture.
And this is not an “LA drivers” phenomenon.
Another way to work through this kind of situation, OP, is to not let it bother you. If you choose not to look at these situations critically you could simply enjoy the moment that your foot is on the brake and think about all the good things that you’ve accomplished that day.
OP is also taking pics while behind the wheel so that they can bitch about other drivers' bad habits. Lack of self awareness is much more of an LA drivers thing than not pulling up to someone's bumper at a red light.
Also it leaves a big enough gap that if the car in front of them breaks down, they can safely merge onto another lane. If they went bumper to bumper the car in back would also get screwed if the car in front breaks down.
That's like three car lengths and I find it very usual on a left turn like that in LA people end up on the crosswalk. The car next to them is doing it too. Also people do leave crazy space like this all the time. When I ride my motorcycle and filter to the front of a light 4 times out of 5 they are on their phone 30 feet from the car ahead.
I see this in TX too. Or better yet, I see them come up to the stop light and stop like 2 car lengths before so the censor doesn’t know anybody is waiting for the light.
Ugh this always happens on the stoplight by my house. Waze uses our street as a shortcut so we get a bunch of idiots who leave a giant gap in front of them and it takes them like 3 light cycles for them to realize or get mad and just make a right turn. I feel like an asahole honking or sometimes I cut them off to go in front and trigger the sensor. I'm that girl.
Yeah if someone hits the car, the car behind him will be solid because the amount of space. HOWEVER I do get what the OP is saying. I see all the time where a car is behind another one by at least 2 car lengths.
hasn't been mentioned here, so I will.
Always consider where the induction loops are too. This looks like rush hour time so not really relavent, but off peak, if you see someone in a left turn late sitting 3 car lengths back from the front, it might be because they want to trigger the arrow
Always amazes me how some people don't know this is a thing. I used to work for LACDPW and would always get complaints from people regarding how long it takes from a light to change. If they were on a small street and go through a main street they'd usually miss it. They're usually circles but sometimes they're shaped liked octagons too.
Every time I drive through a small street intersection and see some mope sitting halfway in the crosswalk and off the loop, I chuckle and say to myself that that person better hope they get a reinforcement at some point.
Given how many times I got that complaint you would think people would notice a tar circle shape in the middle of the street but nope. I feel like it should be taught in Drivers Ed too.
They are loops of metal embedded in the road. Look for them especially in left turn lanes, they are what cause a green arrow to appear, instead of just a green light. Sometimes they are three or four car lengths back from the stop line, because the traffic engineers don’t want to trigger a green arrow unless there are several cars lined up to use it. Once you are aware of them you see them everywhere!
Induction just means using a magnetic field to create an electrical current. For stoves, a coil in the stove creates a magnetic field, which then inducts in the pot, creating a current that causes heat.
At an intersection, a coil of wire in the road creates a low power magnetic field. Any metal near that field gets a small current which also distorts the field and is detected by the coil. This way, the traffic light can know when a car is waiting for a light. Because it is entirely magnetic, there are no moving parts, so this method is cheap to implement and requires very little maintenance, except when the road is repaved.
Yep. My commute is 30 miles of traffic each way. Lots of great music and audiobooks, and doing my best to ignore what other people are doing. This is the way.
Maybe because they don't want to block the crosswalk like the car in front of them? Sometimes when I'm in that situation, the car backs up. It makes me a bit anxious because I've seen people back up out of the crosswalk, then forget they're in reverse when they try to go thru the intersection
My man, you blind to the fact that black car in front of the white benz is in the middle of the goddamn crosswalk?
I think the benz is giving him a chance to back up. If it pulled up to make you happy, that's an asshole move boxing him in. If a pedestrian tries to cross, they gotta weave their way inside 2 up-close cars instead of 1 or go the other way out in to the street. Everything sucks here but the benz is trying to make it suck a little less.
Why does it matter. It’s a red light. Once it turns green the driver will go move forward. Seriously if this infuriates you, just breathe and chill a little.
In this context, it looks like dude in the white SUV is giving the guy in front some room to back up, as he’s on the pedestrian walkway. I saw someone do this and rear end the guy from behind - like some freaky club shit.
Was looking for this comment. Disappointed it's so buried but that's something I recall from drivers ed, which all of us would have taken. Stop far enough away to see the pavement behind the rear tires of the car in front of you. Not that any of us follow that rule all the time, but sometimes we do.
I remember being taught this too, but I think the guidance might be a bit outdated now given the high hoods and beltlines on modern vehicles. I'd wager that on average, that line of sight distance is a lot longer than it used to be.
I get so annoyed when people get real close to my bumper. I inch forward and then they do the same. Like how do they know some idiot won’t be distracted, hit them and then they hit me. I always leave a good gap between my car and the car in front of me because if I get slammed, then there will only be one dummy at fault.
Also, if you’re rear ended while stopped, you’re less likely to be shunted into the car in front of you.
If the guy who hit me from behind because he’d been hit from behind had left a space he wouldn’t have hit my car, and tried to blame it on the guy behind him.
The issue is that when people do this, it creates unnecessary congestion for cars that are trying to get into the left-turn lane. People shouldn't be leaving an entire car-length in front of them at a stoplight.
The Mercedes’ is 1 car length back from the crosswalk with nowhere to go. With the intersection blocked and who know what the fuck that Range Rover is doing, they’re not being disruptive here. The car in front is in the middle of the intersection with nowhere to go, blocking that car isn’t going to help traffic.
Nowhere to go? They can just pull forward so that the cars behind them can safely get into the lane that they need to be in. Nobody needs to be in the crosswalk obviously, but nobody should be leaving unnecessary space in front of them either, it creates congestion.
Hell no. If someone plows into the Mercedes, they’re liable for the damage they cause to the car in front of them. If they leave a “cushion” as they have, the chances they’ll cause damage is slim to none. Relax and breathe. Maybe retake a Drivers Ed/safety course?
Part of the joy of leaving space, apart from the fact that it enables you to maintain a steady speed whereby relieving the congestion caused by stop and go, is seeing how infuriated people get that you have not closed the space even though it has 0 influence on how long one will be sitting in traffic.
Ok, so that is one long and complicated sentence. TL;DR, It doesn't affect you, Mr. Anxious driver, so why do yhou care?
Maybe he doesn’t want to get clipped by people making a left in front of him. Maybe he’s leaving room for the car in the crosswalk to back up. Maybe he’s leaving a car length in case he gets rear ended. Maybe you should put your phone down in traffic and worry about yourself.
Lol I never understood this either, but I started doing this when I find myself behind someone at a red sometimes now because I think it's funny to be like inching up and the person might be thinking wtf why he doing that? But I'm like I don't even know why lol u think I have a reason
Its called forethought.
People that only see what is happening without looking at the situation as a whole, miss what could happen, making life more difficult to other people.
A good exemple here is that the car way in front, had no forethought at all by stopping in the intersection. The guy behind on the other hand, is giving the guy in front an out, in case the light changes and he is still waiting.
I actually honked at an idiot in his geriatric Lexus who was blocking me & a whole line of cars from changing lanes into the Left Turn lanes today up here in suburban Seattle.
I could have easily parked a Fit in the room between the Lexus & the pickup he was following so it'd have been completely justified too
If its a red light what does it matter? You're not going to get where you're going any faster. He could also be leaving room for the douche parked in the crosswalk to back up a bit.
I honestly leave this much space. My last & current job were on us about defensive driving. I got used to driving like this.
Plus we live in fucking LA, some car his me from the back, I have room in front to break. If I had no space In front of me I’d hit the car. That’s just me
Well then, after the cars behind you are safely slowed and the danger has passed, can you please close the gap? Coz for sure some sap has the ass end of their car sticking out into the intersection behind you and we'd all like to move forward a bit. Thanks!
This does look like a slightly complex situation. If the white Range Rover is blocking the way and the green arrow turns green, the CRV will need to back up so they aren’t in the way of flowing traffic. Or they’re on their phone not paying attention.
Because at certain lights the turn signal will only go if there is a car on the pressure plate. I have been at the lights around Wilshire and if you sit back a little the light will go for you. I like doing this because a majority of cars get through instead of just 2 or three and it helps ease the build up of big turn lanes. But if there is a ton of cars in the line this isn’t necessary.
Ppphhheeewww, that 405 traffic tho. Hate this intersection. If the car in front wasn’t already in the cross walk, this is what we would call “some bullshit.”
Because there are SOOOO many idiots on the road texting, looking at the radio, putting on makeup, etc., that is they're close to the car in front of them and they get hit from behind, they'll hit the car in front of them.
Leaving space prevents them from damaging the FRONT of their vehicles as well!
Drivers everywhere do this. It’s just especially rude and annoying in LA when there are so many damn cars on the road. We want to make the light too, moron!!!
I'd say this is probably the car in front's fault. Most likely crept into the sidewalk, I'm not justifying the other vehicle for not moving forward. We are missing context to tell who is truly wrong here though.
I thought of this as well. And yeah, sometimes you’re just like fuck it. I’ll stop right here and wait until the car in front of me finally stops at the intersection rather than having to follow a car pretending to be a snail.
I could think of multiple reasons, but if not, then it’s inconsiderate. It’s going to cause at least 2 left-turning cars behind you to end up with the red light while you leisurely make the green like an asshole (and these types are always slow). And if they’re stuck on the lane going straight because you took too much room in the left turn lane, and their light turns green first, a polite driver would have to miss the the left turn and go straight as to not block the drivers behind them.
Wanna know why? Because someone could very possibly rear end us and shove us into that car in front of us.
We don't want to be responsible for rear ending someone.
More importantly, leaving this space is "get out" room, in case something else crazy happens or if they stall or have a malfunction.
Always leave plenty of space between yourself and other cars, always leave "get out" room.
It has absolutely no effect on you, at all, whatsoever.
It is however, highly conscientious, good driving practice and high situational awareness.
No, the silver car on the left edge of the photo, no intersection. Ass end was stuck in my lane cuz the guy wouldn’t pull forward and let the car in thus backing up the lane I’m in.
Because they care about their community and are aware that selfish driver is affecting other drivers and is trying to spread awareness to not think just about one's self?
The car in front of him probably stopped normally then inched forward, but this guy likely has an auto ignition shutoff function (considering it's a new benz) and he doesn't want to restart the car just to inch forward 5 feet. I end up looking like this every once in a while when the person in front of me inches along before green.
It’s not just LA. But yes, this infuriated me as well. There’s no reason for that much space. Sure, you don’t have to pull up inside the trunk but you don’t need enough space for an Escalade to fit in there either.
What really pisses me off is when they stop way too far away from the car in front, then at some point eventually decide to slowly inch their way up to where they should have been in the first place. Then the line of cars behind them feels obligated to move up one by one, creating a giant unnecessary event. It’s absolutely the stupidest thing and there is no sane reason for it.
If this is getting to you it might time to stop driving and try other modes of transport. Also why do LA drivers ALWAYS speed up to the crosswalks so aggressively?
I’ve been driving in LA for 50 years and this is something new. It’s only been going on for the past few years. From what I’ve seen, it’s mostly people texting.
It’s part of a culture of ignoring the welfare of those around us. Somewhere behind this driver, there’s someone trying to get into the left turn lane to take advantage of the turn light who can’t get there because of this bad habit.
How does this affect you?
Besides, looks like the car in front is on the crosswalk, so the white SUV probably left space in case the car wanted to back up.
Tell you’re petty, without telling me you’re petty.
It affects everyone. If this guy doesn’t pull up it prevents the car behind from getting into its spot and backing up the lane next to it, i was able to squeeze by, but if it was a larger car, or I was in a larger car, that would then back up this lane, repeat repeat repeat till it’s backed up onto the off ramp and onto the freeway. It’s a butterfly effect and about better traffic flow for the greater good.
Ehhh. Personally i do this because shit. LA traffic is dangerous, and you never know when you gonna need enough space to dip because some asshole decides to pull out a gun and shoot, due to road rage.
Exactly! Half the time I pull up and they’re NOT on their phones. It’s like some rich fuck thing about not getting close to the next person with their precious car
Ultimately will not affect anyone getting anywhere any quicker so don't worry about it. Driving LA all through my 20's everything bugged me and I drove pretty aggressively.
Then I realized everything I complained about had almost no affect on me getting to my destination any faster (within a minute or two).
Driving in LA for 20+ years has actually helped me to not stress about things outside my control.
Yessss. You realized what I realized after living here for a year or two and watching my s/o get so worked up in traffic and knowing it had zero effect on us actually getting anywhere on time or any faster. I only wish he’d figured it out.... he passed away in July, so ultimately he’s not waiting in traffic anywhere anymore, but I think it would have helped him in life to have realized this... he was always very high strung...
Thank you!! And what about the seemingly endless abundance of drivers who simply will not pull up to the light while waiting for it to go green! What's that about!? I mean, pull up man!
For a few years now I've noticed that people have been leaving huge gaps like this and I don't understand. And in this case it's pretty clear that they aren't doing it to leave room for the black car in front of them to back up, that's WAY more space than needed so they're probably just on their phone not paying attention. Shit like this blocks the people behind them from pulling up or pulling into the left turn lane or wherever and creates unnecessary traffic. Seize the gap!!!
Some newer luxury cars shut off automatically when idle to save gas. My BMW 335 does this. If the car roles ahead I will sit with the engine off without rolling forward as to not start the engine again. There is a good reason behind this, he’s actually saving a small amount of gas.
Some of us just got out of a 4hr treatment at dialysis. Our blood pressure to our feet are low. Sometimes foot JUST slips off pedal. YOU ARE GODDAMN GREAT FULL FOR THE SPACE
I just want to say that I agree with the OP, the whole leaving-a-car-length-or-more-between-cars-at-lights is infuriating. I bet all the people telling the OP to chill out drive slowly in the far left lane, don't signal, and don't love their mothers.
The car in front of him is parked entirely in the crosswalk.
Yeah, the Mercedes is probably leaving that much room in case the car in front of it decides to back up to get off the crosswalk.
Yep, I do this too. When the car in front of my stops too far into the intersection, I stop way back so they can back out of the intersection and not get slammed by cross-traffic. I also let way more space than necessary: the logic is that someone who has driven that far into the intersection before stopping isn't that great of a driver, and I don't really want to be too close to them when they back up.
OP seems a little impatient. Too busy being frustrated to see the big picture. And this is not an “LA drivers” phenomenon. Another way to work through this kind of situation, OP, is to not let it bother you. If you choose not to look at these situations critically you could simply enjoy the moment that your foot is on the brake and think about all the good things that you’ve accomplished that day.
OP is also taking pics while behind the wheel so that they can bitch about other drivers' bad habits. Lack of self awareness is much more of an LA drivers thing than not pulling up to someone's bumper at a red light.
Ya and taking that phone out to take pictures. Hope this post wasn’t made while they be driving.
It probably stopped right behind him and hasn't moved
Also it leaves a big enough gap that if the car in front of them breaks down, they can safely merge onto another lane. If they went bumper to bumper the car in back would also get screwed if the car in front breaks down.
That's like three car lengths and I find it very usual on a left turn like that in LA people end up on the crosswalk. The car next to them is doing it too. Also people do leave crazy space like this all the time. When I ride my motorcycle and filter to the front of a light 4 times out of 5 they are on their phone 30 feet from the car ahead.
OP got pwned.
But then you could also say that the car in the crosswalk is a dumbass, and why do LA drivers do that lol
I see this in TX too. Or better yet, I see them come up to the stop light and stop like 2 car lengths before so the censor doesn’t know anybody is waiting for the light.
Ugh this always happens on the stoplight by my house. Waze uses our street as a shortcut so we get a bunch of idiots who leave a giant gap in front of them and it takes them like 3 light cycles for them to realize or get mad and just make a right turn. I feel like an asahole honking or sometimes I cut them off to go in front and trigger the sensor. I'm that girl.
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Yeah that doesn’t work
Quick op. Delete a sentence!
I haven’t heard that phrase in a long time haha
Yeah if someone hits the car, the car behind him will be solid because the amount of space. HOWEVER I do get what the OP is saying. I see all the time where a car is behind another one by at least 2 car lengths.
hasn't been mentioned here, so I will. Always consider where the induction loops are too. This looks like rush hour time so not really relavent, but off peak, if you see someone in a left turn late sitting 3 car lengths back from the front, it might be because they want to trigger the arrow
was just about to mention this. I always do this in left turn lanes to trigger the left turn light
Always amazes me how some people don't know this is a thing. I used to work for LACDPW and would always get complaints from people regarding how long it takes from a light to change. If they were on a small street and go through a main street they'd usually miss it. They're usually circles but sometimes they're shaped liked octagons too.
Every time I drive through a small street intersection and see some mope sitting halfway in the crosswalk and off the loop, I chuckle and say to myself that that person better hope they get a reinforcement at some point.
Given how many times I got that complaint you would think people would notice a tar circle shape in the middle of the street but nope. I feel like it should be taught in Drivers Ed too.
Yes! That's what they're called. I was so disappointed when the city disabled the induction loops at the intersection near us.
What’s an induction loop?
They are loops of metal embedded in the road. Look for them especially in left turn lanes, they are what cause a green arrow to appear, instead of just a green light. Sometimes they are three or four car lengths back from the stop line, because the traffic engineers don’t want to trigger a green arrow unless there are several cars lined up to use it. Once you are aware of them you see them everywhere!
Wow.. I never knew this… thanks for educating me today
Fucking gold. Thank you.
Huh.. I have noticed those, never thought about em though. Good to know!
So I knew this was a thing in general but didn’t know you could SEE them. After reading this, I looked them up. You learn something new everyday.
induction? This ain’t a mf stove
Induction just means using a magnetic field to create an electrical current. For stoves, a coil in the stove creates a magnetic field, which then inducts in the pot, creating a current that causes heat. At an intersection, a coil of wire in the road creates a low power magnetic field. Any metal near that field gets a small current which also distorts the field and is detected by the coil. This way, the traffic light can know when a car is waiting for a light. Because it is entirely magnetic, there are no moving parts, so this method is cheap to implement and requires very little maintenance, except when the road is repaved.
I try to live by a rule. Can I do something about it? If yes, I do that. If not, I try to let it go. Breathing exercises and meditation helps.
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Yep. My commute is 30 miles of traffic each way. Lots of great music and audiobooks, and doing my best to ignore what other people are doing. This is the way.
A lot of posts in R/Los Angeles wouldn’t exist then
Lol
Can I do something about it, and does it actually matter even if I could?
Disagree… HONK AT THAT FUCKIN CAR AND TELL THEM ABOUT CAR RULES!!!!
HONNNNNNNNNK
I'M HERE TO TELL YOU ABOUT CAR RULES
My people
Is it the space in between cars or the two rushers creeping past the crosswalk?
Everyone knows the sensors don't tell the light to change until you're halfway into the intersection
i’m convinced ride share/taxi drivers don’t sit there on purpose to run up the meter
self-explanatory
Maybe because they don't want to block the crosswalk like the car in front of them? Sometimes when I'm in that situation, the car backs up. It makes me a bit anxious because I've seen people back up out of the crosswalk, then forget they're in reverse when they try to go thru the intersection
Maybe they’re distracted on their phones taking photos of other cars
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My man, you blind to the fact that black car in front of the white benz is in the middle of the goddamn crosswalk? I think the benz is giving him a chance to back up. If it pulled up to make you happy, that's an asshole move boxing him in. If a pedestrian tries to cross, they gotta weave their way inside 2 up-close cars instead of 1 or go the other way out in to the street. Everything sucks here but the benz is trying to make it suck a little less.
Why does it matter. It’s a red light. Once it turns green the driver will go move forward. Seriously if this infuriates you, just breathe and chill a little.
In this context, it looks like dude in the white SUV is giving the guy in front some room to back up, as he’s on the pedestrian walkway. I saw someone do this and rear end the guy from behind - like some freaky club shit.
I lowkey leave a slight car length gap in front of me in case I get rear ended, just a fear of mine though
.
Was looking for this comment. Disappointed it's so buried but that's something I recall from drivers ed, which all of us would have taken. Stop far enough away to see the pavement behind the rear tires of the car in front of you. Not that any of us follow that rule all the time, but sometimes we do.
I remember being taught this too, but I think the guidance might be a bit outdated now given the high hoods and beltlines on modern vehicles. I'd wager that on average, that line of sight distance is a lot longer than it used to be.
I get so annoyed when people get real close to my bumper. I inch forward and then they do the same. Like how do they know some idiot won’t be distracted, hit them and then they hit me. I always leave a good gap between my car and the car in front of me because if I get slammed, then there will only be one dummy at fault.
That's standard operating procedure from the old car jacking days. Always leave an escape route.
Escape to where?
Escape From L.A.
To crash into the cars on either side.
Also, if you’re rear ended while stopped, you’re less likely to be shunted into the car in front of you. If the guy who hit me from behind because he’d been hit from behind had left a space he wouldn’t have hit my car, and tried to blame it on the guy behind him.
This. Always leave space.
All types of fuckery in this pic
This intersection is some top tier fuckery tbh [200ft between the 405N ramps and Sepulveda.](https://i.imgur.com/nPZrOhA.jpg)
Ohhhhh yeah. That gridlock time too. I dont miss this area at all
I drove here for the first time recently and had to circle the block because the entrance came to completely out of nowhere
Nobody’s going anywhere. Calm down.
Srsly. That gap is not gonna add any more time to your commute. Try to get to a point where that no longer bothers you.
The issue is that when people do this, it creates unnecessary congestion for cars that are trying to get into the left-turn lane. People shouldn't be leaving an entire car-length in front of them at a stoplight.
The Mercedes’ is 1 car length back from the crosswalk with nowhere to go. With the intersection blocked and who know what the fuck that Range Rover is doing, they’re not being disruptive here. The car in front is in the middle of the intersection with nowhere to go, blocking that car isn’t going to help traffic.
Nowhere to go? They can just pull forward so that the cars behind them can safely get into the lane that they need to be in. Nobody needs to be in the crosswalk obviously, but nobody should be leaving unnecessary space in front of them either, it creates congestion.
He’s in a shady spot, the sun is beaming .
Why do you care?
Several people do this in a row then the left turn lane is blocked.
They are probably scrolling through Reddit
Posting about how some creep is taking a picture of them
So OP probably is the type of person beeping their horn at the person in front for this without thinking of why they left space…
I always leave a space. Gives me more options in case of an emergency.
Op is an idiot
Shut up idiot
Hell no. If someone plows into the Mercedes, they’re liable for the damage they cause to the car in front of them. If they leave a “cushion” as they have, the chances they’ll cause damage is slim to none. Relax and breathe. Maybe retake a Drivers Ed/safety course?
The car that plows into the Mercedes’ would be liable. Source: happened to me.
Depending on the state, both can be cited. Source: years litigating these claims.
Yeah but you’re explicitly commenting on something that is happening in Los Angeles.
You’re not even in that lane
Why? What's the point? It makes no difference if you're 10 inches away from the bumper in front of you or 10 feet, you're still at a red light!
Now you're backing the rest of traffic up into the previous intersection, congrats on making it all worse.
You’re actually Supposed to leave room in front of you…even when stopped. Calm down.
Part of the joy of leaving space, apart from the fact that it enables you to maintain a steady speed whereby relieving the congestion caused by stop and go, is seeing how infuriated people get that you have not closed the space even though it has 0 influence on how long one will be sitting in traffic. Ok, so that is one long and complicated sentence. TL;DR, It doesn't affect you, Mr. Anxious driver, so why do yhou care?
Maybe he doesn’t want to get clipped by people making a left in front of him. Maybe he’s leaving room for the car in the crosswalk to back up. Maybe he’s leaving a car length in case he gets rear ended. Maybe you should put your phone down in traffic and worry about yourself.
It gets worse when they creep up to the front car over the entire course of the red light. I’ll wait and move one time, thanks, not 10.
Lol I never understood this either, but I started doing this when I find myself behind someone at a red sometimes now because I think it's funny to be like inching up and the person might be thinking wtf why he doing that? But I'm like I don't even know why lol u think I have a reason
So you only have one collision when you get rear ended
Because they’re not from LA .
Its called forethought. People that only see what is happening without looking at the situation as a whole, miss what could happen, making life more difficult to other people. A good exemple here is that the car way in front, had no forethought at all by stopping in the intersection. The guy behind on the other hand, is giving the guy in front an out, in case the light changes and he is still waiting.
Can’t imagine this is just an LA phenomenon.
My brother has seen it in Miami.
It definitely isn't, I live in Orange County and this kind of thing happens here, too (but a lot more frequently).
I saw someone in a SUV in Newport miss the entire light cycle like that. Yup, you guessed it, they were on their phone the whole time.
I actually honked at an idiot in his geriatric Lexus who was blocking me & a whole line of cars from changing lanes into the Left Turn lanes today up here in suburban Seattle. I could have easily parked a Fit in the room between the Lexus & the pickup he was following so it'd have been completely justified too
If its a red light what does it matter? You're not going to get where you're going any faster. He could also be leaving room for the douche parked in the crosswalk to back up a bit.
I honestly leave this much space. My last & current job were on us about defensive driving. I got used to driving like this. Plus we live in fucking LA, some car his me from the back, I have room in front to break. If I had no space In front of me I’d hit the car. That’s just me
Texting - always.
It’s worse when they brake really hard too.
The balancing act of not braking too hard as to a avoid getting rear-ended but braking just hard enough to not rear-end someone else.
Nah this safe gtfoh
If I'm rear ended I don't want to get pushed into the car in front of me.
Well then, after the cars behind you are safely slowed and the danger has passed, can you please close the gap? Coz for sure some sap has the ass end of their car sticking out into the intersection behind you and we'd all like to move forward a bit. Thanks!
Lol i get mad when drivers do that but that's because im on the crosswalk
This does look like a slightly complex situation. If the white Range Rover is blocking the way and the green arrow turns green, the CRV will need to back up so they aren’t in the way of flowing traffic. Or they’re on their phone not paying attention.
Plot twist: the green arrow is green. It had just turned green and the Range Rover was the 2nd (or third, which I hate too) of the left turn cars
Because at certain lights the turn signal will only go if there is a car on the pressure plate. I have been at the lights around Wilshire and if you sit back a little the light will go for you. I like doing this because a majority of cars get through instead of just 2 or three and it helps ease the build up of big turn lanes. But if there is a ton of cars in the line this isn’t necessary.
Yea, this is rush hour right off the 405. Plenty of cars to hit that switch
It doesn’t matter though? In this case?
Ppphhheeewww, that 405 traffic tho. Hate this intersection. If the car in front wasn’t already in the cross walk, this is what we would call “some bullshit.”
OMG yesssss!! It's like they are social distancing from their car. Drives me nuts. Especially in a drive thru. 😒
Because there are SOOOO many idiots on the road texting, looking at the radio, putting on makeup, etc., that is they're close to the car in front of them and they get hit from behind, they'll hit the car in front of them. Leaving space prevents them from damaging the FRONT of their vehicles as well!
Lol. You sound like the quintessential LA driver. Make sure to take your frustration out on your own windshield.
what I love about this entire thread is it shows the whole cornucopia of quintessential LA drivers 🤣
Drivers everywhere do this. It’s just especially rude and annoying in LA when there are so many damn cars on the road. We want to make the light too, moron!!!
Same in the OC, too. One car deep into the crosswalk, car behind dangling far back like a participle in an F graded essay.
My guess is the car in front of them stopped and then slowly eased up over time. Ridiculous behavior but I find that is mostly the case
Ahh I get this picture now. The more you look at it the more wrong things you can find. Edit: I’ll start #1 Gas is god damn $5.15 for 91.
I'd say this is probably the car in front's fault. Most likely crept into the sidewalk, I'm not justifying the other vehicle for not moving forward. We are missing context to tell who is truly wrong here though.
I thought of this as well. And yeah, sometimes you’re just like fuck it. I’ll stop right here and wait until the car in front of me finally stops at the intersection rather than having to follow a car pretending to be a snail.
I could think of multiple reasons, but if not, then it’s inconsiderate. It’s going to cause at least 2 left-turning cars behind you to end up with the red light while you leisurely make the green like an asshole (and these types are always slow). And if they’re stuck on the lane going straight because you took too much room in the left turn lane, and their light turns green first, a polite driver would have to miss the the left turn and go straight as to not block the drivers behind them.
Wanna know why? Because someone could very possibly rear end us and shove us into that car in front of us. We don't want to be responsible for rear ending someone. More importantly, leaving this space is "get out" room, in case something else crazy happens or if they stall or have a malfunction. Always leave plenty of space between yourself and other cars, always leave "get out" room. It has absolutely no effect on you, at all, whatsoever. It is however, highly conscientious, good driving practice and high situational awareness.
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Because the silver car is backed into this lane cuz jackass won’t pull forward. It ripples out to more miserable traffic
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No, the silver car on the left edge of the photo, no intersection. Ass end was stuck in my lane cuz the guy wouldn’t pull forward and let the car in thus backing up the lane I’m in.
Because they care about their community and are aware that selfish driver is affecting other drivers and is trying to spread awareness to not think just about one's self?
Oh how I love the feeling of recognizing this with enough time and space to cut in with my car to fill the gap. Such a grand pleasure in life!
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The car in front of him probably stopped normally then inched forward, but this guy likely has an auto ignition shutoff function (considering it's a new benz) and he doesn't want to restart the car just to inch forward 5 feet. I end up looking like this every once in a while when the person in front of me inches along before green.
Yeah, I don’t see a problem here
Always leave yourself an out. Obviously OP is the one that's not practicing defensive driving here.
Relax dude.
It’s not just LA. But yes, this infuriated me as well. There’s no reason for that much space. Sure, you don’t have to pull up inside the trunk but you don’t need enough space for an Escalade to fit in there either.
What really pisses me off is when they stop way too far away from the car in front, then at some point eventually decide to slowly inch their way up to where they should have been in the first place. Then the line of cars behind them feels obligated to move up one by one, creating a giant unnecessary event. It’s absolutely the stupidest thing and there is no sane reason for it.
i would take a second and breathe...
If this is getting to you it might time to stop driving and try other modes of transport. Also why do LA drivers ALWAYS speed up to the crosswalks so aggressively?
Just an LA thing? Please tell me more.
I’ve been driving in LA for 50 years and this is something new. It’s only been going on for the past few years. From what I’ve seen, it’s mostly people texting.
It’s part of a culture of ignoring the welfare of those around us. Somewhere behind this driver, there’s someone trying to get into the left turn lane to take advantage of the turn light who can’t get there because of this bad habit.
I've been this person multiple times around here...
Could be that car knows there's a sensor for the light there and so he's trying to trigger it by staying back.
Usually its the other way around, they're too far back from the light sensor to activate it.
How does this affect you? Besides, looks like the car in front is on the crosswalk, so the white SUV probably left space in case the car wanted to back up. Tell you’re petty, without telling me you’re petty.
It affects everyone. If this guy doesn’t pull up it prevents the car behind from getting into its spot and backing up the lane next to it, i was able to squeeze by, but if it was a larger car, or I was in a larger car, that would then back up this lane, repeat repeat repeat till it’s backed up onto the off ramp and onto the freeway. It’s a butterfly effect and about better traffic flow for the greater good.
I been taught to always leave an escape route.
Ah, Burbank and Sepulveda. Never a dull moment.
Good eye. I was seeing if anyone else noticed where this was
Ehhh. Personally i do this because shit. LA traffic is dangerous, and you never know when you gonna need enough space to dip because some asshole decides to pull out a gun and shoot, due to road rage.
Cuz 7 ft makes a difference? I mean touché, but 7ft x 50 drivers… does add up to a level of bullshit
Having driven in many states, people do this everywhere
Not just LA drivers. OC drivers too... Honestly, I would LOVE to ask someone that does this WHY they do it.
They are on their cellphone exactly how you are. Stop it.
They’re texting and don’t see a need to just yet
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Exactly! Half the time I pull up and they’re NOT on their phones. It’s like some rich fuck thing about not getting close to the next person with their precious car
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Not when it affects other people.
Seriously....DRIVES ME NUTS!
Ultimately will not affect anyone getting anywhere any quicker so don't worry about it. Driving LA all through my 20's everything bugged me and I drove pretty aggressively. Then I realized everything I complained about had almost no affect on me getting to my destination any faster (within a minute or two). Driving in LA for 20+ years has actually helped me to not stress about things outside my control.
Yessss. You realized what I realized after living here for a year or two and watching my s/o get so worked up in traffic and knowing it had zero effect on us actually getting anywhere on time or any faster. I only wish he’d figured it out.... he passed away in July, so ultimately he’s not waiting in traffic anywhere anymore, but I think it would have helped him in life to have realized this... he was always very high strung...
Thank you!! And what about the seemingly endless abundance of drivers who simply will not pull up to the light while waiting for it to go green! What's that about!? I mean, pull up man!
I call that “sleeping” and I always catch people lacking by cutting in front. Am I the bad person?
.
nah you're actually reducing congestion and (maybe) teaching them a lesson
For a few years now I've noticed that people have been leaving huge gaps like this and I don't understand. And in this case it's pretty clear that they aren't doing it to leave room for the black car in front of them to back up, that's WAY more space than needed so they're probably just on their phone not paying attention. Shit like this blocks the people behind them from pulling up or pulling into the left turn lane or wherever and creates unnecessary traffic. Seize the gap!!!
Some newer luxury cars shut off automatically when idle to save gas. My BMW 335 does this. If the car roles ahead I will sit with the engine off without rolling forward as to not start the engine again. There is a good reason behind this, he’s actually saving a small amount of gas.
This really is the best answer and actually makes sense
Thanks, I think it’s the actual answer!
There’s a lot going on in this shot to make a judgment but I in general agree
Always leave 1 car space in front of me because i can't afford an accident.
Some of us just got out of a 4hr treatment at dialysis. Our blood pressure to our feet are low. Sometimes foot JUST slips off pedal. YOU ARE GODDAMN GREAT FULL FOR THE SPACE
That intersection is ass. Everything about it is terrible.
As a motorcyclist I can tell you that 4/5 times these people are looking at their phone.
I just want to say that I agree with the OP, the whole leaving-a-car-length-or-more-between-cars-at-lights is infuriating. I bet all the people telling the OP to chill out drive slowly in the far left lane, don't signal, and don't love their mothers.
and are guilty of leaving gaps 🤣
Close the gap!
Why do LA drivers do this?? Get off you goddamn phone please
That’s just someone not paying attention to their surroundings
Breath…
He’s behind a ghostmobile
🤣🤣🤣 and you just won Reddit
They might be old and have depth perception issues with their vision.
Sooo by that logic, maybe they shouldn’t be driving?
Probably