A few weekends ago, a few friends and I decided to venture off campus to get some dinner. We decided that instead of taking public transportation or getting an Uber, we would try out the ZipCar service located on campus (ZipCar allows anyone over 18 to rent a car by the hour). The person who ended up driving is from the east coast, so naturally, I asked them if they were familiar with California freeway driving. They assured me that, of course, they'd driven on the freeway at home plenty of times before and that driving the few short miles to our destination would be an easy task.
We eventually got to our destination unscathed, albeit shaken and 15 minutes late. Driving with someone who wasn't used to navigating the eight-lane behemoth that is the I-8 reminded me that driving in Southern California is a unique and often daunting task if you didn't learn how to drive here. So here are some friendly tips and reminders to make it seem a little less intimidating.
1. Allow time to get over.
Since lots of the freeways are huge and multiple lanes across, there are going to be times when you need to cross these lanes in order to get where you need to be. This takes some time to do. You will see people attempt to cross 5 lanes in 5 seconds, but that's definitely not safe and also it scares the crap out of everyone else trying to drive in their general vicinity. Even if you end up missing your exit because you couldn't get over fast enough, your GPS has your back and will recalculate and hook you up with an alternate route in just a few seconds.
2. Do not honk at other drivers.
Though I've never actually driven on the east coast, I've been there enough times to know that it's commonplace to honk at other drivers for pretty much anything. Here, this is definitely not the case. Honking should only be done if it will help to prevent an accident. Honking to express frustration or for any other reason will induce road rage pretty quickly, so just don't do it.
3. Watch out for potholes.
If we wanna get technical, potholes are usually caused when water seeps into the road and expands as it freezes. We rarely achieve sub-freezing temperatures here, but we still get some pretty gnarly potholes that can sneak up on you if you aren't expecting them.
4. If you miss your exit, you may end up in Mexico.
Okay, this is an exaggeration. Missing a single exit doesn't necessarily mean you're going to end up in Tijuana, but there are a select few where it might. If you happen to be driving close to the border, be wary. It's not a mystery when you're getting close to the border since there's plenty of signage, so if you pay attention to that, you should be fine. Just know that when there's an off-ramp labeled "last U.S. exit," you should probably take it.
5. No one wants you to merge.
Obviously, there are going to be times when you need to change lanes. But people are not gonna wanna let you over. Especially in traffic. It's highly frustrating.
6. Know what lane you need to be in.
Freeways down here can get pretty complicated. One second you're in the exact lane you need to be in, and the next your GPS tells you that you have a quarter of a mile to cross 5 lanes of traffic. With all the different freeways splitting off in different directions, it's in your best interest to know which lane you should be in and when.
7. Knowing how to parallel park is an advantage.
A surprising amount of people here are clueless when it comes to parallel parking. Either they can't do it at all, or they go about it all wrong and it takes them 10 minutes to get into a space. Lots of people just won't even try for curbside spaces. If you can parallel park on the first try, you've got a huge advantage when it comes to finding a spot.
8. We forget how to drive when it rains.
We don't get very much rain down here and that's not a secret. But what is surprising is that the people around here seem to suddenly lose all driving ability once water starts falling from the sky. Driving conditions get significantly more dangerous during rainstorms because of slippery roads and freaked out drivers.
Navigating the traffic and multi-lane freeways will seem daunting at first, but it'll get better with time. Soon you'll be able navigate the labyrinth of freeways without breaking a sweat. And hopefully you won't unwillingly end up in Mexico, either.
