Driving in a big city like
L.A. can be so stressful. It sometimes feels like I'm doing battle
just to get to the grocery store, much less across town. What is it
about getting behind the wheel that brings out people's aggressive
side? The most mild-mannered mother of three turns into a race car
driver when she gets on the road.
In L.A., people rely on
the freeway to commute to their jobs or just to get around town. I think
driving on the freeway has it's good and bad. On the one hand, there are no stoplights
and the speed limit is over 55 miles per hour so you can get somewhere in
a flash. But, on the other hand, there are drawbacks, too. People
like to gun their engines and cut off other cars to get ahead.
The other day, I saw a guy in a Porsche get into the passing lane,
race ahead of the Honda that was in front of him, and cut that person
off. Then, the guy in the Honda tries to catch up to the Porsche.
They're both zipping in and out of traffic, almost causing an accident.
They were speeding and changing lanes without looking or signalling.
I was sure they were going to cause a big pile up.
As an alternate to
the freeway, I sometimes take surface streets. Of course, surface
streets have their drawbacks, too. If you have a long commute to work or
school, it can take you ages to get there. There are stop signs, stop
lights, and crosswalks to deal with. And, people sometimes tailgate
if they think you're not going fast enough. Now that I think about it, there's
sometimes even more congestion on surface streets than on the freeways!
There's no getting around
it living in L.A. We need better public transportation and more people to walk,
bike, or rollerblade to work. But as the famous song goes, "Nobody
Walks in L.A." [by the Missing Persons]
Script
by Dr. Lucy Tse
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