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Los Angeles is a city that is known for its abundance of traffic. At any given time of the day or night, both the freeways and the surface streets can be crammed with traffic. In this type of congestion where everyone has somewhere to be and no one can get to where they're going, it's only natural that the road rage that remains contained in other cities erupts in gunfire in L.A.

Here are some preventative measures you can take to keep from being shot on a Los Angeles freeway.

Don't Tailgate.

You're not going get where you're going any faster by riding the bumper of the car in front of you. What are you accomplishing, really? Especially if that person has a car directly in front of him. It's not like he can speed up. So stop crowding the poor guy. If you make him feel significantly trapped, he just pull out a gun and shoot you. His problem is solved. Unfortunately, you now have a bigger one.

Allow People to Pass.

On the occasions when you do have an open stretch of road, don't keep pace with cars on either side of you. If someone who wants to go faster comes up behind you, she can't get by because you and the other cars have formed a moving wall. This can be very aggravating to the driver because there's no possible way for her to get around any of you. Just be courteous and slide over a lane so she can get by. It costs you nothing and it may save your life depending on what kind of day she's having. Oh, and by the way, you're supposed to do this anyway according to the California Driver Handbook.

Don't Make Others Slow Down When You Change Lanes.

Few things are more irritating than to be cruising along minding your own business when another car cuts in front of you causing you to slam on your brakes to avoid a collision. So don't do it. In fact, you should take your lane changing skill to a whole new level and do it in such a way that the driver behind you not only doesn't have to tap his brakes, but he doesn't have to even ease up on his accelerator. That, my friend, is a skilled lane change. And it'll keep you invisible to any gun-toting nuts who've had a stressful day.

Don't Exit the Freeway On the Right From the Far Left Lane.

You gotta admit. This is just a dumb move all around. Not only have you just endangered your life, but you've just put three lanes worth of other lives in jeopardy as well. In a city where there's another exit probably within a of a mile, it's just not worth it. Get to the next exit and backtrack. Or better yet, plan your route better and pay attention. Otherwise, don't bother being surprised when that new mother with an infant in her arms sprays the side of your car with an Uzi.

Don't Engage With Other Boneheads.

Now that you've heeded all the advice listed above, there's one last thing that will keep you and your car bullet free while driving on L.A. highways. If you come across a driver who hasn't been as fortunate as you to have read this insightful article, don't engage him. Don't flash your high beams at him. Don't pull alongside him mouthing obscenities. And certainly don't follow him anywhere. In fact, the safest course of action is to back off and let him go on his merry way. Anything less and you may find yourself staring down the business end of a sawed off shotgun.

So there you have it. Following these few simple guidelines will help you have a safer, more pleasant drive through the Los Angeles area. And you'll live to drive another day.

Learn more about this author, Lori Crawford.
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