Trifecta of Traffic Shorts…of Sorts
So, I have three quick incidents to report to keep the “Land of Entitlement” trophy deeply seeded within the “O.C.”:
The Lexus Lady and Her Horn
During a recent walk to Fat Burger with a few colleagues from work, we were treated to yet another display of “my time is more important than yours.” There is a particularly dicey crosswalk at the intersection of Jamboree and Michelson in Irvine. Crossing the main part of Michelson is protected by a standard cross walk and light. The dicey part is the last small island that frames the right-turn lane to Jamboree - it has no light to regulate the turning traffic… As we crossed Michelson and arrived at the right-turn island, we noticed an approaching van slow to a stop to allow us to cross - while in itself not an act of model citizenship (there is a crosswalk there), it was much appreciated. As we got to the middle of the crosswalk, we were suddenly startled by a sharp blast of a horn. Apparently, a lady in a Lexus (and I use lady lightly), determined that the van stopped in front of her was holding her up - despite 4 people crossing in front of it….
The Bummer in the Hummer
I will first admit that I do not drive the smallest of vehicles - a Dodge 2500 truck. I do, however pay special attention to how I drive it. For instance, I make sure I leave room for others to park, pass, etc. I DO NOT drive it like I am ENTITLED to whatever road-space I want. With this in mind - let us take a short journey to the front of Fred’s in Laguna Niguel. There is a one-way lane in front of the restaurant to allow traffic leaving the parking lot to exit easily (note the use of “lane”). After backing out of our parking space, I turned left and proceeded to turn to the exit lane. What do you think we found? A Hummer heading the wrong direction in an effort to take the spot I just left behind. Of course there is hardly enough room for one car let alone a Hummer and Dodge truck. As I round the corner, this GM genius drives CLOSER to me - making it nearly impossible for me to get around him. (All because he was ENTITLED to the parking space, right?). As I inched my way around him, I happily pointed out that he was going the wrong direction on a one-way lane. Of course, he didn’t even acknowledge….Truly a display of Not-So-Model Citizenship!
The Ultimate Entitlement Machine
Our final short story involves a four-point stop, a Dodge Truck and a new model 7-series BMW. As I approached the interesection of Teller and Dupont (traveling East on Teller), I noticed two cars heading North on Dupont roll the stop sign. Walking by this intersection, it is a common sight to see cars skip the stop part… Dangerous too, because there is a lot of pedestrian traffic, as well. Realizing the potential for another roll-through, I approached cautiously. While I slowed down to stop, I noticed two cars approaching from the right - the closer of the two was the 7-series. When I came to a stop, the two cars were still about a car length from the stop line - slowing down but still moving. As I inched forward, one car on the right stopped, the other rolled the stop - Guess which one!!! And guess which one also made a left turn in front of me - after I had already crossed the intersection line. I was forced to stop (A SECOND TIME) and allow this Entitled Citizen passage. As he inched by, he looked up and worded out “I HAVE THE RIGHT AWAY”….. I know we have covered this in a previous post, but here it is again:
4-Way Stop Sign Rules:
- Cars that stop first have the right-of-way
- When cars stop at the same time, the car to the right has the right-of-way
- If a car doesn’t stop, IT HAS NO RIGHT-OF-WAY!!!
Model Citizenship does not endorse nor condone the use of over-priced depreciating assets to bully through society on a self-imposed higher plane of social status….WHEW!
