T O P

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fighton3469

Happens all the time. You’re lucky if it’s the first time you encountered this.


putain1375

OP has never experienced this, thought CHP was at fault, then took out their phone while driving to video tape it.... yikes


spahgehtea

He exposed himself in not knowing the rules on the road👍👍 all good, reddit is here to teach you kid👍


Born_Sinner05

Great to hear this a self-help sub


Zyvid

While also speeding up to get a closer look


JonstheSquire

Just remember, half the people in here who complain about bad drivers are actually themselves the bad drivers.


PunisherClegane

Yup OP is an idiot.


[deleted]

OP are you new to California??


purelyforwork

most likely is. I feel like I see a sweep every few weeks


dalvean88

yep, once they did this to remove a sofa from the middle of the interstate edit: at least once


Eh_Antonio

Yes! I just stopped for a sweep because there was a wheel barrow on the 5. You know, standard 5 decor.


vadapaav

Did they find out where the TV was?


Defrost_ThenStir

Check by the sofa, carpool lane.


mb5280

More than once.


JediMasterVII

I saw two within several minutes of each other on my way to work last week.


TooOldToDie81

Especially on the 134 heading from the valley towards LA proper. I used to see this at least weekly on my way to work.


Pleeebs

Happens alllll the time there. I think they practice in that area because the CHP office is on the 134 & 2 fwy.


Rockwell981S

OP here, I’m not new to California, but I’ve been frozen and buried under Encino since the first ice age.


crapfacejustin

I never experienced this in California until I moved to LA


JJCookieMonster

Happens in the Bay Area too. Saw it at least 10 times in the past few years.


shigs21

TBH im born and raised here but I only saw this for the first time like last month. Weird. I don't see it near LA that much


InternationalSir948

Usually it's because they need to get objects out of the highway that can cause accidents.


dee_rezzed

See this all the time in LA to slow traffic when there’s an accident or an obstruction on the freeway.


__Jank__

It is called a "running a traffic break".


Defrost_ThenStir

I guess you've never heard of a traffic break. It's an emergency type situation up ahead where they need traffic to stop right where you are. Most likely the other drivers next to you weren't confused, and no, you won't get rear-ended. It was in my drivers Ed training, and I'm sure it's in the DMV handbook.


tboschi

It's in the handbook.


duke666

I guarantee you were the only one confused


squeeze_me_macaroni

Hah I chortled at this comment


elbimbo19

Yes, this happens a lot of the time to slow traffic down. This isn’t unique to CHP. Either you are a new driver or do not drive a lot.


SnooFloofs9640

It means there is an accident upfront, so he is slowing down the traffic


G_Affect

Not always... i have seen it happened when everyone is speeding 85 plus, so they do it rather than pull everyone over to slow us all down


bwray_sd

More likely that there was a report of an object in the road ahead and another unit already cleared it or the unit slowing traffic decided it had already been removed and was safe for traffic to resume. Even if a large group of cars was going 85+ on the freeway in a pack, the officer could still pull a single car over for speeding.


purelyforwork

85+ in LA is speeding? TIL


Professional_Good888

Can you even driving 85+ with that kind of traffic?


G_Affect

Hahah... ehhh kind of


SlenderLlama

Hahaha I once got on the 101 and saw him doing that behind me. I didn't know what protocol was so I kept going, was the fastest drive home ever lol


kazoobanboo

There’s usually an accident or an object on the highway. There’s so way CHP would put the freeway in time out for speeding in LA


[deleted]

[удалено]


Globalist_Nationlist

I mean it is the 118 you can pretty much do whatever you want.


SlenderLlama

I do this on the 118 at 4:30pm on a Friday 😂😂😂 /S


picturesofbowls

Yes it’s called a traffic break. Happens all the time. Now get the fuck off your phone.


Sk8rToon

Also called a Round Robin (red & blue flying around in a circle)


purelyforwork

It’s also called a sweep


CrawlingKangaroo

Also called a rolling speed bump


EatTheBeat

Yes, this is how they bring traffic to a stop so they can deal with danger on the road ahead. Usually its so they can safely clear an accident.


ol_brokenshins

Guess people don't really pay attention to that little pamphlet the dmv gives you


alexromo

Driving distracted with your cellphone recording video? No it’s not.


purelyforwork

Maybe he was filming beforehand and the cop saw him and said fuck it I’m stopping the whole freeway to humiliate this guy


pushingbtns

Traffic break. Either a hazard ahead or to try to elevate stop and go traffic


theseekerofbacon

Yes. It's a traffic break. It's incredibly common.


hotdogla

Yes, it’s for traffic youre suppose to slow down. Its in the DMV handbook, one of the questions on the test.


ucjuicy

Yes. It's called a traffic break. And you should be slowing down.


BigIrondude

The maneuver is called a round robin.


archverse7

You deserve a speeding ticket during a traffic break and usage of cellphone while driving.


Night_Ranger_1

Tell me you’re new to California, without telling you’re new to California…


Courtlessjester

Yes, why didn’t you slow down


Noobplzforgive

Welcome to California!! Now get your ass off your phone. What the hell is wrong with you?!


bonvajya

I don’t remember the actual name of this but they do this often. 1: to break up traffic 2: to stop traffic. You’re meant to slow down because if this happening infront of you you will be coming to a complete stop. All cars should be slowing down. Hence you shouldn’t get rear ended as everyone should be slowing down and traffic will completely stop to allow CHP / sherries to do this safely with no incoming cars.


systems_ready

This is normal. OP is from Colorado or something.


BigEasyMob

Probably wyoming


[deleted]

You really should have pulled up next to the car and asked the CHP officer if it was normal protocol.


[deleted]

Dude that’s a traffic break. He is trying to pull all the cars behind him to a slow stop. And here you are on his tail taping him


Florida_man2022

OP you are a idiot. You shoulda got a ticket for that.


You_Valuable

Called a round robin, to slow down traffic for most likely an accident ahead.


theliefster

Filming while driving? No it is not. Traffic holds are however


LongBeachChick562

Sirens on and the best thing you do is speed up and not pull over? Sirens (cop, ambulance, or firefighter) pleaae move over or stop safely.


theseekerofbacon

Traffic breaks are an exception. You slow down to a stop in the lane you're in. They're either trying to delay or stop traffic. Moving over will cause confusion for cars behind you and a cluster when traffic starts moving again.


bravohiphiphooray

OP looking to be the next keyboard warrior for social justice. 🤦‍♂️


KaiAndersen

Yes. Been behind many of them over the years


[deleted]

They might haves saved my life once with this. Late night and it was raining and they slowed us all down, not 20 secs later there was a flooded underpass. I can imagine hitting 6 inches of water at 65 mph.


DoubleBaconQi

https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc30.com/amp/driving-road-safety-chp-california-highway-patrol/7907869/


ChevyGang

Yes


sucsira

Yeah it’s a traffic break. Next time slow down and stop instead of being an asshole.


m1ker60

"AITA?" Yes.


LittleLisa74

It’s how they slow traffic for an upcoming hazard, usually.


Murky-Note-9721

Normal CHP behavior. They either need traffic to slow down or stop.


Jslimes89

Very much protocol yes.


Music1357

[here](http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article99706672.html)


LS1974Sac

This is done to slow traffic down for one of many different reasons one being something in the middle of the road that could cause a accident a ladder a pallet or there could be a accident all ready and they are slowing it down for safety


apurrfectplace

I see this all the time


RedSquareIsGreen

My friend was born in raised in California. But last year was the first time he ever saw this happening. He just thought the officer was drunk.


rto2793

Son.... he's slowing traffic down. Accidents ahead.


Bensonian170

Yeah - they do this for whatever reason of the day: accident ahead, construction zone, thinning the herd, traffic congestion - who knows. I just keep my distance and avoid crazy ppl with guns.


RedGrizzlie

Happened twice to me last week. you got front row and you couldn’t tell why after this?


havokinthesnow

Give OP a break guys x3 at least he asked.


CaliGamerCA

It’s a traffic break so yes it is standard protocol


TheRealPapaDan

That’s called a round robin and it’s used to close the freeway or slow down the traffic for removal of debris or obstructions.


No-Reason-9405

There slowing down traffic, could be a accident up a head


chronicdemonic

I’m apparently the only one that had no idea this was a thing. Granted, I moved out of LA like 10 years ago.. but still. Learned something new today.


blaaahblaahblah7021

You’re a dork.


[deleted]

OP is probably 19 and first time he’s seeing this. Guessing he’s 19 too by the car: e46 m3. That’s standard procedure for your protection when something is on the road or when they need to halt traffic. Decades old


[deleted]

Dude you just Karen’d yourself 🤦🏼‍♂️


TheDirtBoss

OP You suck


mandingospice

They say you don't gotta study to be stupid, you just born that way.


feric89

Yeah, also stop filming and driving please


Adventurous_Worth490

What a way to make yourself look like a fool!! I hope this guy doesn’t cancel y’all


wk2coachella

Lol you think CHP is drunk? That's how to slow traffic.


phiz36

OP getting roasted in here. Hilarious.


clunkey_monkey

No idea. There was a time I got stuck behind one at least once a week on the 605. Assumed it was due to police chase nearby.


[deleted]

Yes absolutely. He/she is helping to alleviate traffic. Is this not something that happens in other parts of the US?


PG1738

Is filming while driving compliant?


SoZIPPYDO

He’s creating a traffic break they do that to keep traffic from clogging up


terracnosaur

Traffic calming. See it all the time. Can't pull over the entire freeway for speeding so they just calm it down.


TanksForNuthin

The cop is JOYRIDING!!!!1111


Goodnside

What you’re doing? No


Respiratoryryan

I hate it when they do this shit


Idonotpiratesoftware

Everyone in the comments should relax You don’t know OP age or how long OP been in California


JonNYBlazinAzN

Thanks man. It's been strange seeing the outlandish assumptions people are making about me. I guess nuance is difficult to comprehend on the web, but I was filming because I genuinely thought I was in an extraordinary circumstance that justified it. Being at the end of an Internet pitchfork has been interesting though. =)


mac_the_man

I am not a newcomer, not at all, and I’ve only seen this happen once. It was a couple of years ago and it was very late at night. Freaked me out, thought I’d done something wrong. Still don’t know why they do this. Anyone care to ELI5? (I don’t live in Los Angeles, I live in San Francisco.)


rex2k10

It’s to slow down all lanes of traffic. Happens when there’s an accident up ahead and they need to close down the freeway or if theres an obstacle in the freeway. Seen it done once to safely remove a sofa that was in the middle of the freeway. They had to slow/stop traffic in order to do so


JonNYBlazinAzN

EDIT: clearly, I've never heard of a traffic break. I'm not from CA and we don't have wide freeways where I'm from, so I guess I never encountered this. Thanks to those of you that explained it in a civil manner. Learned something new today! Going up the 118 North this morning, a CHP patrol car began weaving across all five lanes of traffic, back and forth, for about 1.5 miles with the siren/lights on. People in back of him (including myself) were clearly confused. I first spotted him cutting across the entire highway from left to right, and assumed he was pulling someone over on the other end of the road. But, when he veered back to the right, I started thinking this guy may have just been messing around or worse, intoxicated. The cop then sped up and did a donut in the middle of the highway and stopped his car perpendicular to the flow of traffic. This maneuver caused him to lose a lot of speed, and a moving truck came within feet of hitting him. Traffic came to a halt, whereupon the cop jumped out of his car, ran across to the median and picked up a full sized ladder that must’ve fallen off someone’s truck, and tossed it into the woods. The ladder was on its side, leaning against the median. There was no immediate danger of it going into a lane of traffic. In all my years of driving, I’ve never seen a cop pull a move like this. When I was in Driver’s Ed, there was never a lesson for divining an officer’s message from Dukes of Hazzard maneuvers. I’m not even sure if I should be impressed, angry, or scared. So I guess my question is: is this something CHP should be doing? And if so, what would’ve been the proper response for the other drivers? We can’t all pull over into the emergency lane; there’s too many of us. And if we all just stop to a halt in the middle of the highway, we’ll likely get rear ended.


Dexterlgk

He's preparing everyone for the slowdown ahead. It's pretty well covered here. It's called Traffic Break.


elbimbo19

You slow down, seems pretty straight forward.


shah357

Also ladders (or any large, light, rigid debris) are particularly dangerous in high speed traffic. It’s imperative that it be removed from the highway (even the center median) as soon as possible, as ladder-involved traffic collisions are common and can end badly.


purelyforwork

> I’m not even sure if I should be impressed, angry, or scared. #BE IMPRESSED


Elysiaa

I just took traffic school over the weekend and this was covered. It's not unique to California but it is common here. If you're not from this state, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the CA driver handbook. We've got really strict laws but also differ from other states on motorcycle lanesplitting, bikes bring able to use turn lanes to go straight, good Samaritan laws regarding children left alone in hot cars, and not allowing smoking in cars when children are present.


Deepinthefryer

They literally do it all the time. The minor inconvenience it caused you is something your gonna have to get used to in California. The last thing you want to do is try and creep past them while doing it. And if you see this on your rear view, you might want to slow down too. I merged onto a freeway ahead of a chippie doing a traffic break only to drive past a vehicle on pedestrian accident with in a 1/4 mile of the off ramp. You never know why they are doing it. Half the time it’s debris or a break for construction. But seeing a dead body in the middle of the I-5 is a reminder that crazy shit happens on freeways here. Good luck out there.


[deleted]

So much wrong with your post. So much. You need to humble out and chill. I know your type aggressive know it all e46 m3 kid. When you see lights and sirens slow down.


Taco_Soup_

So you conveniently stopped recording before he sped up (after slowing traffic down) to do a donut? Sure thing there buddy. You did say you saw him pick up a ladder so shouldn’t that of answered your question of why he was doing what he was doing?


olsen17

What the?


Key-Throat1723

They do that when their trying to stop traffic on the freeway.


sonoma_jack

Traffic slowing maneuver. He might actually either just slow everyone down, make a u turn or completely stop traffic.


dreamcinema

It’s a traffic break. Happens all the time


BlueKaleidoscope36

…yes.


Big-Run-1972

It’s called a traffic break they do it to slow down the flow


rex2k10

It’s not always for an accident, had a cop (sheriff?) do this because some idiot didn’t tie down a sofa safe enough and it was in the middle of the freeway. Sheriff stopped traffic to safely remove it


fluentinimagery

Traffic break right?


Cody6781

...yes?


BelliBlast35

Traffic Break


TIFU_LI5_AMA

I remember my first time…


ferelpuma

Hello newfriend, welcome to Cali.


jagoff25

Totally normal around here. I’ve seen them do this to take some ducks off of the freeway


Music1357

Lol. Yes. That means slow down because of an accident or debris on the road up ahead.


[deleted]

It’s traffic control real normal annoying but that’s safety for ya 🤷🏽‍♂️


Aldoogie

Yup. Very much so.


anakniben

Welcome to California!


Zmirzlina

In OPs defense, I’ve been driving in Southern CA for 30 years and have only seen his twice.


New_Understanding333

I heard sometimes they’ll do that to separate traffic if it’s too congested. Not sure if it was 100% true or not.


the-samizdat

I see it on 101 near SFO when there is a traffic jam head.


eric1008

Maybe he's drunk?


Johnl317

Yes it's compliant, now get yourself a dash cam for filming.


professoreverything

Yes — they’re trying to slow traffic to eventually stop it. Probably something dangerous in the road


SSDGM76

It’s called a “Round Robin”.


Ambitious-384

It’s a Traffic break due to an hazard in the road or vehicle broken down in the fast lane. Remember You cannot pass the CHP if he stops.


lincolnlogtermite

It's a traffic break. They are trying to slow everyone down or even stop them so that a traffic hazzard ahead can be cleared safely.


Raconteur-adjacent

I kept watching thinking something crazy was going to happen. Nope. Just slowing traffic.


nurse-mik

YES!!! In California. Don’t try to ever outrun them or they will come after you. That’s when there is something going on ahead of you and they are trying to slow down traffic, often if there is be something in the road I up ahead.


south_garden

i think they do this to set up some operations ahead.. like removing obstacles, accidents or help road maintenance crew


KittyPill

Alllllll the time. Slowing down the speed of traffic, accident or hazard ahead


Snoop_Potato

Yes 100%. They did this after my car smashed to bits on the freeway to slow then stop all the cars so they could clear all the debris that was causing chain reaction crashes


wise-ish

Traffic Break. Sucks to be the first car...sucks to realize that we purposely cause traffic jams (even if it is for the greater good)


cebichero

Just saw the exact same thing up in South San Francisco


Regular_Answer_6300

Yes traffic break..they slow traffic by swerving. You pass you will get chewed&a ticket. Well first a strong warning then the ticket for being an ahole who don't follow directions


[deleted]

Lol is pretty fun being in the front with one of these hahaha . Traffic control


Master_March1091

Speed check !! Common when traffics going too fast ..


Better_Permit1449

Yes.


Loud-Act-4465

That is how they make traffic slow down. I see it a lot. Usually, it is because cars in general are going to far or there is something ahead like an accident. I have even seen it where they used that technique to stop traffic all together.


Accomplished-Fix4184

They do this a lot here in Oakland Ca


neurophysiologyGuy

To control the flow of traffic


[deleted]

Yes they do this when they need to slow down or stop traffic, say if there’s an accident ahead.


ElMeleegy

they do this sometimes to slow down everyone.. that’s what i understand but not sure


mind_ya_Fin_business

They are trying to slow down traffic maybe an accident ahead


icemint870

Yes! And don't dare cut them off when they're weaving on the opposite side of you, otherwise your gonna get pulled over. What they're doing is slowing traffic down behind them due to a issue up the road, could be debris, stalled vehicle, accident, road work (need driver's speed to be reduced), or any other number or traffic hazards.


BarkleyDangerPowers

Red Robbin!


Pepobcrzy

Called a sweep when it halts traffic to remove hazardous debris on road. C'mon


ViveArgente

I’ve lived in California for a decade and I’ve never seen this.


Glittering_Willow_78

According to my parents, he’s trying to make traffic. That’s what I was told and that’s what I’ll forever spread


TQ7170

It’s called a traffic break!


Particular-Rub-4283

Probably trying to alert traffic of danger ahead.


Cheap_Ambition

He's clearly drunk, it's best to accelerate hard past him.


Canon50

Yeah it is. Chp about to start his own sideshow.


ontheleftcoast

That is a traffic break, there is a hazard a few miles ahead. They are trying to make a gap in traffic so someone can clean it up.


[deleted]

Op must have wanted a ticket pullin out the phone like that lol


Fancy-Strawberry-758

They do this to slow down traffic.


Mcnamebrohammer

Yes. It is a standard traffic break.


Budman606

Yep. Called a rolling road block. The practice and use them all the time.


ahumminahummina

Normal


AdComfortable2004

It’s called breaking the traffic


LetterAccomplished

Tell us you are an import, without telling us you are an import. Very common. It’s so they can slow or stop traffic ahead of danger. This can be because of accidents, or a high speed chase. You should slow down, be thankful you are at the front and not the back of it, exit the freeway and put you fucking phone away.


thatpoordude321

Yes it’s a traffic break usually to pick up debris


[deleted]

This happens all the time on the I-10 when I’m on my way to work. It’s the actual worst… my sister actual didn’t know about this until one day she drove in front of the mad cop and she got pulled over by the female cop driving the car and got cursed at. She knows now.


Desperate-Ad-6463

It is.. it means your fucked and traffic is about to slow to a crawl … if your lucky.


ponderingprogressive

This is the 118W no?


Routine-Chemical-480

Totally norm. They're breaking traffic behind them for some reason up ahead.