LA drivers spend a lot of time sitting in their cars. It’s an unavoidable side effect of being an Angeleno. Those of us fortunate enough to own our own mechanical chariots will often find ourselves sitting stationary on the freeway several times a week. It’s why LA drivers share a rare bond with their cars you won’t find anywhere else. This brings us to a strange phenomenon distinct to our city. In any given neighborhood, you’re bound to find people casually sitting inside of those LA cars that line the roads. This isn’t something you catch occasionally. Rather, it’s a bizarrely regular occurrence. So, after spending hours a week in our cars, why would Angelenos wile away their freetime sitting in parked vehicles?
LA Cars and the People Who Sit in Them
If you’re not from LA, you’re probably unfamiliar with this quirk of local drivers. Yet, take your dog for a walk around any block and count the number of people you find simply sitting in parked cars.
There’s a guy sitting by himself blasting classic rock. Up the street a bit, a young woman is feverishly texting from the driver’s seat. A few cars down, a man is having a casual conversation on his phone. Across the street, a young woman stares blankly, mesmerized by her own thoughts.
These vignettes (with LA cars serving as the “stage”) provide windows into common scenes in the City of Angels. But there isn’t just a single method to these seeming bouts of automobile madness.
Finding Privacy in a Crowded City
For a metropolitan area, LA offers a wealth of parks, libraries, and community centers where all are welcome. But if you’re looking for some alone time, these public areas don’t quite fit the bill. Not like the promise of the rows and rows of parked LA cars around the city, anyway.
When you’re at the park, you’re still approachable. By comparison, a car isn’t exactly Fort Knox, but it creates a significant barrier between you and the surrounding city. And that can be immensely valuable in a place like Los Angeles.
Full House Syndrome
Building along that same idea, it’s difficult for many Angelenos to find peace and quiet in their own homes. Competitive living situations have coerced many residents into cohabitating with roommates. It’s also common to find homes providing shelter for multiple generations of family members. Sometimes, the easiest and most efficient way of getting some alone time in these situations is to hole up in your car for an hour.
Roadside Courtesy
At the wrong time of day, LA cars can seem like weapons of destruction hurtling down the freeways or weaving through traffic. But this city has its fair share of safe, courteous drivers as well. Chances are good that you’ve seen a few if you’ve noticed people parked along the side of the roads on their phones.
Some of these roadside idlers are actually courteous, yet busy motorists. When they get an emergency text or an urgent work call, they find a residential area, park their car, and handle their business.
The Private Breakroom
But when you see someone killing time in their car, you’re most likely seeing someone taking a break from their daily hustle. LA cars may not be breakrooms, but they serve the same purpose for workers needing time away from the grind.
Sometimes you’ll see orange-vested warehouse workers taking their mandatory 30 minute lunches in their cars. Other times, it’s an office worker recharging before facing the freeways. And often, it’s a rideshare worker biding their time until the next request.
A Metropolitan Refuge
The idea of motorists choosing to spend extra time in their cars may be alien to those outside of LA. But it’s not a new concept. In his 1979 hit single “Cars”, Gary Numan sang words that must seem familiar to those seeking privacy in LA cars along the roadsides. “Here in my car I feel safest of all. I can lock all my doors. It’s the only way to live.” And these Southern Californian isolation tanks seem to be making life more livable for the weary commuters of LA.
