Timing is everything.

I was driving with my mom to a typical Orange County suburban grocery store on Sunday night when I saw that the car a few blocks in front of me was driving in reverse.

I slowed down.

I slowed down to a stop actually because I had realized that a pretty serious accident had just occurred. There were three cars pretty banged up, but in the center of the mess, there was a mangled bicycle and a guy laying on the ground.

I was pretty shaken up seeing the blood and the victim on the ground. After I called 911, I thought to myself, if I had left my house 1 minute earlier, I might have been the one to kill that bicyclist.

I know probably better than most that people die in traffic accident all the time. But reporting it is different when you actually see the victim two feet away. The news suddenly becomes personal.

I've been noticing drivers in L.A. have been more and more erratic. Don't get me wrong, I drive like an insane woman. But I wonder, if everyone drives just a little bit more carefully, how many lives could we save?

I didn't mean for this to be a post on traffic. But as long as I'm on the topic, here is my expert advice.

• When traveling on the northbound 5 Freeway, it's usually a bad idea to go straight up the 5 because it always bottle necks somewhere around Buena Park. Take the 91 to the 605 instead.
• Also on the 5 North, right before you hit the Citadel, move to the far right lane. For some reason, traffic is always heavier in the two left lanes right before the 710.
• If you hop on the 101 North from the 5, it might be a good idea to get in the right lane of the two lanes merging onto the 101. It's faster 80 percent of the time.
• Don't ever take Western Avenue for anything. Take Wilton.
• Don't ever take Hollywood or Sunset either. Take Franklin.
• Always remember the nights when the Lakers are playing. And then don't go anywhere near downtown on those nights.