When I drove down to California for the first time at the age of 18, my dad gave me one tip. He told me, "Don't use your blinker, it's a sign of weakness." I think that a lot of us non-Cali residents/regulars, have this preconceived notion from things that we've heard throughout our life, or that we have witnessed in movies, that Californians are these crazy erratic drivers. After experiencing the NorCal region for three months, I can now only agree to a certain point.
Californians have a whole different attitude about life in general. Whether it is your driving, your career, your political beliefs, or your lifestyle in general, everything and everyone is excepted. Moral boundaries are somewhat a blur, and so are the rules of driving. If the posted speed is 60mph, 55mph is accepted, but so is 75mph. If you want to use your blinker, it is not necessarily a sign of weakness, but if you get cutoff by someone that is choosing not to use theirs, that is acceptable too.
One afternoon after taking our warehouse exit (which was complete chaos for about two months due to reconstructing the off/on ramps), I had a utility truck that decided it HAD to be in front of me. So, without using their blinker they rudely placed themselves a few feet from my front bumper. Once they were safely in front of me, the dude driving the truck proceeded to look at me in his rear view mirror, and instead of the friendly 'Thanks for letting me in,' wave, he blew me a kiss. Seriously!?! You cut me off, and now you are blowing me a kiss! If I was anywhere but California, this would not be acceptable.
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