Most Southern Californians are more than willing to offer guidance to their fellow commuters. Try obeying the speed limit on any freeway, and you're likely to get more feedback than a heavy metal guitarist.

Many years ago when I first arrived in Los Angeles, I was driving south on the Hollywood Freeway when I came to the vicinity of the five-deck interchange. The big question was, which do I take? To Pasadena, Long Beach, Santa Ana, Santa Monica? In the uncertainty of which freeway to take, I attracted the attention of a CHP officer who gave me a ticket for erratic driving.

The simple solution is giant signs-and I mean giant-that picture the freeway splits. I have seen these giant pictorial signs on the Autobahn in Germany.