In article >,
John David Galt > wrote:
>Here's the chain of causation that leads to this situation.

That's assuming much more knowledge, skill, intent, and even willingness
to _knowingly_ take risks (of crashing) on the part of drivers than
actually exists in California.

>1. California law stupidly says that if someone cuts into your lane
>right in front of you, and you hit him anywhere behind the lights, it's
>a "rear ender" and YOU are blamed.

Name the section of the code. Even if it were true, most drivers are
not aware of such intricacies in the law.

>2. A large number of skillful but stupid drivers take advantage of that
>law by performing a maneuver known as the "LA lane change": jam your
>front fender into a 2-3 foot gap between cars in an adjacent lane, then
>just follow it in, thus forcing the driver behind the gap to slam on his
>brakes and let you in.

A more likely reason why someone tries such a thing: the vehicle
behind the too-small gap is in the "LA lane changer's" mirror blind
spot, and the "LA lane changer" doesn't check the blind spot before
changing lanes. Yes, mirrors on many cars can be adjusted to eliminate
car-size blind spots, but few drivers actually do that.

>3. Drivers who fall for the "LA lane change" get it done to them over
>and over again and become "rocks in the stream" of traffic, and are
>rightly regarded as complete idiots and assholes by everyone else.

It really only happens frequently if you drive in the right lane near
heavily used on-ramps and off-ramps.

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Timothy J. Lee
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