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Tell me about the drive to LA

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by wigwam_salesman, Apr 7, 2015.

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  1. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    OK, so in 2010 I drove from Vegas to LA as a passenger. This time, I'm doing the driving (I have a full UK license and an international drivers permit).

    What's it like for speeding on the 15? Last time I went the flow of traffic was 85-90 and we just kept up with that.

    I'm going to be driving a white BMW with heavily tinted windows, large rims (stock BMW ones) and no front plate. Should I be more cautious? I could do without spending a few hundred bucks on tickets.

    Also, what's it like in LA for doing u-turns etc. Are the cops there particularly "vigilent"? As tourists we may get a bit lost going to Malibu, Santa Monica etc.
     
  2. VegasBJ

    VegasBJ VIP Whale

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    90 is still the usual flow of traffic as long as it is not too crowded (Sundays). Less than 90 you are getting passed with dirty looks on why you are blocking traffic as the big rigs are already slowing things down in the right hand lane.

    In L.A., it is posted on the traffic lights if a U-turn is permissible or not. Be careful making U-turns in the middle of the street (not at a signal) as that will get a ticket faster than speeding will (IMO). Just keep your eyes open for the cops and you will be OK.
     
  3. VegasBJ

    VegasBJ VIP Whale

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    just want to add on the 15 there will be very few CHP, but the ones that are there are usually hiding waiting for the speeders to blow by. Find another speeder and tag along behind them so they are the rabbit that gets caught as they will pop up on the radar first. If you see one CHP already pulled over ticketing someone, or helping a stranded motorist, you are usually clear for the next stretch.
     
  4. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    Great advice! Thanks. In the UK they legally have to maintain a database of all speed cameras and traps and that info is built into GPS systems. You get a warning half a mile before one.

    I'm used to driving in LV but not driven cross-country before. Much appreciated.
     
  5. VegasBJ

    VegasBJ VIP Whale

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    Man, if they had to tell the Calif. drivers where the speed traps were, the average speed would be much higher! I just did the R/T drive this past weekend, and on the 15 I did 100-105 most of the way to LV, way back on Sunday it was more crowded and averaged 85-90. BTW, I was not the fastest driver on the way there! I had a handful of people pass me (one of them was later passed as he got pulled over and was the rabbit that got caught, lol)
     
  6. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    Usually being the key word there. :evil laugh

    They seemed to be working in packs on Sunday. Did you guys see that coming down? We got a bit of a green light on the 166 when two were parked in New Cuyama for a lunch break. I figured there was no chance of another until the 101. And that is one fun bit of driving road through there.
     
  7. pleepleus

    pleepleus 2016 - The monkey is back

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    Do you use Waze? If not, I would recommend using it to use as your navigation system as other users will tell the system if they see cops, traffic, and other road hazards in real-ish time.
     
  8. VegasBJ

    VegasBJ VIP Whale

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    Yeah, for years it was only one CHP per side of the road. last few years it is now 2 CHP per side of the road. Often times one will be hiding, and radio ahead to his partner which car to nab. If you see the two on your side, it is green light all the way. Very seldom are they flowing with the traffic, they are either already pulled over after nailing someone, or pulled over and waiting for someone to blow by.
     
  9. VegasBJ

    VegasBJ VIP Whale

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    If my wife is with me, she is the Waze monitor. If driving solo, too hard to keep looking down as I weave in and out of traffic doing 90+, lol
     
  10. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    Wig, you're gonna fit right in with the kidz crowd in that ride!! :thumbsup:
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2015
  11. VegasBJ

    VegasBJ VIP Whale

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    Plee, where are you from in So Cal if you do not mind me asking?
     
  12. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    Haha. It's the girlfriends. She inherited it from her ex via a debt. Know anyone that wants to buy a highly tuned and pimped out late model E90 335i Ken? She's moving to England in 2 months. It needs to be gone. I'm gonna drive it like I stole it first.
     
  13. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    We are coming back on a Sunday. Somehow I'm driving from Hollywood to Malibu to Santa Monica and back to Vegas on my 35th birthday.

    I make that sound like a chore. As an Englishman, just getting to see the pacific coast is a bucket list item. I can't wait to drive highway 1 and stop for pictures.
     
  14. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    What is WAZE? (I know I could Google it but it's a conversation starter). We will be using BMW navigation system, whatever that contains on this point. Probably nothing.
     
  15. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    So, in summary, never be the lead car in the outside lane?

    The car used to have a radar detector and is still wired for one but the bird's ex took it with him.
     
  16. pleepleus

    pleepleus 2016 - The monkey is back

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    It's a satnav app that crowdsources user data from other Waze users and will alert you to traffic, road hazards, cops, etc.
     
  17. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    Aah! We have legit ones that do that in the UK. In fact, any GPS does that by law. It's a great thing.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_speed_limit_enforcement_in_the_United_Kingdom - it's not foolproof by any means though! Personally I have had to go on one speed awareness course to avoid getting 3 points on my license. Basically you sit in a room and get patronised for 2 hours by a guy with a combover. If you don't do that when you get caught you get 3 points and if you get 12 you get banned for a year from driving.
     
  18. VegasBJ

    VegasBJ VIP Whale

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    This^. Never be at the front of the pack in the outside lane. If no one is around to be the rabbit, stick to the right lane as much as possible and only move around the trucks when necessary.
     
  19. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    Wig, just get a 10-99 Foundation license plate frame.
     
  20. sindustry

    sindustry VIP Whale

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    My wife was using it on our last road trip to/from Vegas. I had never heard of it at that time, but it was pretty cool. She kept telling me to look out for anything that she could share. I was pointing out road kill...lol. Apparently, a lot of people on the 15 were using it because she would say there was a disabled vehicle on the shoulder, a mile or so ahead, and sure enough, there was a disabled vehicle on the shoulder when we reached that point. Some alerts were gone by the time we reached the point, but overall, it was pretty useful.
     
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