Los Angeles drivers vote for the absolute worst intersection in the city
SUGGESTED COVERAGE: LA's worst intersections
There were no intersections in the San Fernando Valley that made the LA Times’ top 14 "worst" in the city.
LOS ANGELES - Forget the Lakers or the Dodgers.
The most intense competition in Southern California right now involves a 6-way stop, a "Triangle of Death," and thousands of frustrated commuters – are you one of them?
Los Angeles drivers are turning their collective road rage into a digital competition, using a viral tournament bracket to crown the city's absolute worst intersection of 2026.
What we know:
The "One Bad Intersection After Another" bracket was launched by the popular Instagram account @AmericanaAtBrandMemes. The field of 64 began with notorious bottlenecks across the Southland, from the Westside to the San Fernando Valley.
Currently, the tournament is in the Regional Rounds.
According to community voting patterns, the Lankershim/Vineland/Camarillo intersection in North Hollywood is the frontrunner, with users claiming it takes "2-3 business days" to navigate.
Other high-seeded "teams" include the Virgil/Sunset/Hollywood "Triangle of Death" and the confusing 6-way stop in Beverly Hills.
What they're saying:
The discourse on the r/LosAngeles subreddit has transformed into a massive digital support group.
One user described the Fairfax/Olympic/San Vicente intersection as "a pentagram of poor planning," while another called it "5 to 10 minutes in the fiery pits of hell."
"I left the church, but Fairfax/Olympic/San Vicente made me believe in the devil again," another person commented.
"It's like the wild west, traffic laws are only a suggestion at this intersection," another driver shared.
Local perspective:
While the bracket is based on sentiment, the Los Angeles Times recently provided a statistical backdrop, noting that Highland and Sunset remains the city’s actual leader in collisions, with over 300 reported since 2010.
RELATED: These are LA's worst intersections: report
According to their analysis, Sepulveda and Lincoln boulevards near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), a known bottleneck for travelers attempting to bypass airport congestion, came in at second.
Timeline:
February 24, 2026: Bracket officially launched on Instagram.
February 25-26, 2026: The tournament goes viral on Reddit, garnering over 1,300 upvotes in 48 hours.
Late February 2026: Regional Rounds conclude as the "Elite Eight" are determined.
April 1, 2026: The "Worst of the Worst" winner is scheduled to be crowned.
The Source: This report is based on information from the @AmericanaAtBrandMemes Instagram tournament and the viral discussion thread on the r/LosAngeles subreddit. This was cross-referenced with historical traffic safety data recently published by the Los Angeles Times.