On The Day Dept. Of Transportation Sec’y Ray LaHood Announces A Study To Reduce Distracted Driving I Find Today’s King Of The Distracted Drivers & The MTA Bus That Clears His Way

Here’s the deal. This morning I’m stopped at Jefferson Boulevard, just west of the 405, kinda at the gateway to Playa Vista, which is Westide Spanish for Why Have The Ballona Wetlands When You Can Build All Sorts Of Shit All Over Them.

Anyway, the light on Jefferson turns red, the light for me turns green, but a westbound MTA bus, still not even in the intersection barrels through after tooting its horn, which from repeated personal experience is becoming pretty much an acceptable way of breaking that law.

Just tap your horn and come on through because that honk or beep is more than just an announcement of your awareness that you’re premeditatedly running the red, it’s a veritable shout-out that you care about those of us in the cross traffic. Seriously, it’s almost as conscientious as you can get, short of — call me crazy: STOPPING.

But nevermind the bus! Because after that monster had long fully cleared the intersection here comes today’s King Of Distracted Drivers — cellphone firmly plastered to right ear just moseying on through like red means go in his world while at the same time of course he’s on the phone, probably an important call like with the AARP trying to explain how he lost his membership card — again!

But enough of me narrating, let’s go to the half-speed no-sound clip taken from my sunglasses cam, beginning from the moment after the bus honks its horn and gets my attention. When the King promenades on by afterward you won’t be able to see his phone, but trust me it’s there. His cell number probably spells out BAS-TARD.