-Moto commuting is a great car alternative and traffic congestion reliever.
-Between the #1 and 2 lanes
-At a reasonable speed
-Not a too high differential speed to surrounding traffic
For large metro areas like L.A. or Dallas, it makes sense. For medium sized areas like where I live, traffic is not that bad, and only a small minority of the driving public actually ride motorcycles.
For those of us outside the US it seems nuts that you can't lane split (aka filtering in the UK).
It actually took me a while to understand what people meant by lane splitting, just because its prohibition really is that alien. It's on par with hearing people debate abortion law in the 21st century - it's just not something that computes. I'd guess in London it's probably one of the main reasons for riding a bike or scooter.
I do understand that in the US where you can undertake as well as overtake on freeways there may be a increased risk than say in the UK where undertaking is prohibited. But if anything I assume you guys are better at checking blind spots than us. Still all the lanes I've seen in the US have been massive compared to European roads so there is plenty of room.
We tend to follow a 20/20 rule - traffic travelling at <20mph and riding past at <20mph faster than the traffic (ie 40mph max).... and I'm pretty sure most of our bike accidents are caused by cars turning right across/into us (left turns for those driving on the otherside).
two things to remember about the U.S. and motorcycles. 1. For a lot of towns/cities, it is just not needed. 2. motorcycles over here are considered weekend toys, not transportation. We have a bigger increase in scooter riders than motorcycles, and scooter riders do not get on our expressways.
I've lived in California since the 40's and have ridden most of my adult life. The accidents I have seen due to lane splitting seemed to be of two types. (1) The motorcyclist was splitting lanes with a large bagger and just did not judge how much room he needed in case the other vehicle crowded him a little and (2) The motorcyclist was riding like an idiot and splitting lanes at speeds that he probably should not have been. It is immature and unrealistic to always blame the other guy. We put ourselves out there at risk. We need to take the responsibility. A lot of times they really cannot see us coming. They have to be watching where they are going as well. Whether I am for or against lane splitting is not the issue. It is a fact of life. I do it if I need to. But I try not to put myself in harms way unnecessarily. I think lots of time bikers are just in too big of a hurry. ...J.D.
They have split lanes out here in California for many years. I can tell the out of state folks, they get pissed off when you do it.
I remember when we were one of the few states with a right turn on a red light.
Massachusetts, when I learn to drive in that state, they had a law that 3 cars could proceed through a stop sign. SO the first would make the stop, and the next two cars could follow that car without making the stop. They got rid of that law.
Connecticut had a law at that time, no passing on the right side. They only gave that ticket to people from Massachusetts. I don't know if they still use that law or not. I think or was told that came from the days when cars only had one mirror on the drivers side and the right side was considered a blind maneuver. So the law did have some validity.
I don't think I'd mind it in principle, knowing full well I'd likely never do it even if it were legal.
One of my basic tenets of riding is to stay as far from other vehicles as possible given the premise that I'm more likely to be hit by someone that's close to me. The closer they are, and the longer I put myself in that position, the more likely I am to be hit.
Putting myself between two vehicles with inches to spare on each side goes against the grain for me.
A big problem in the US is the refusal of motorists to keep right as appropriate to their speed. People pass on the left and on the right, and would pass over and under if they could. If we could learn to discipline ourselves to stay more to the right lanes, everything would flow smoother and safer.
46 minutes, I'm a product of the modern age, attention span of about 10 minutes!
Truth be told, filtering, as we invented it...................is as safe as the guy on two wheels, sometimes. I tend to think that every car I'm going to pass is going to do exactly not what they should do. Still standing, but you never know fella.
BTW, I listened all the way through, thanks for posting.
Biggsy
In theory, I am in favor or lane splitting. However, it would take a massive retraining or riders and cagers before I would actually dare to do it. Here in central Florida people have a very hard time staying in their lanes, slow moving or stopped traffic means you get on your cell and tell the world why you are going to be late for whatever. I just don't trust drivers enough to intentionally get within inches of them.
That's my thoughts as well. I see too many idiots in cars who flick across lanes without indicating or who just don't pay attention. I'd prefer to get where I'm going a few minutes slower but in one piece. Plus the t'bird is not a good bike to weave around in traffic. Maybe in a street triple but ????
I only made it 11 mins. and had to bail. The interviewer is horrendous. The guy should only talk about subjects that he is familiar with. He is obviously not familiar with motorcycles. That said, I do not have a problem with lane splitting. I just do not have a need for it where I live. And I can't see some state governments devoting a lot of time to a subject that would only affect at most 10% of the driving population. That is the percentage of people who own a motorcycle in the U.S.
As for passing on the right, it's is actually legal on some roads in Virginia. It's not good form usually, but legal. We also have a number of left hand exits. If traffic is heavy you have to get the left lane early to make your exit. As bad as that might upset a speed demon behind you, it's his problem, not yours as long as you are keeping up with the folks in front of you. And that is where a pass on the right is legal. As for lane splitting, in principle, yes, I support it...in practice, I would rarely do it.
Seems like a lot of concerns about lane-splitting is about what cagers do or don't do. In reality, when lane-splitting, I don't want them to do anything different. I'll navigate through the traffic. Let the drivers do what they do. If they happen to yield a little more space, that's nice. But honestly, I don't want them looking for me. If they just focus on driving, I'm fine.
When going through traffic, most of the time drivers can't move lanes because there is a car next to them. That makes it easy to go through long columns of cars. When there is a gap, it's the rider's responsibility to be cautious that a car will try to move over into a gap.
Obviously I am concerned about erratic/idiotic/asshole drivers. But that is part of the landscape for riders and drivers alike all the time. Doesn't specifically affect lane-splitting.
It's amusing to me that the people who oppose lane splitting (predominantly Americans) are the people who have never done it. Lane splitting is perfectly safe.
I've been splitting here for a long time. In California most but not all cagers are aware of it.
What's really cool is following a CHP officer splitting lanes, it's like the parting of the Red Sea. I've known a couple of people who have bought old motor police bikes for the sole reason of the lane splitting.
Im in favor of It , I think It should be law In every state then you would have the option to split or not . IMO and I think this has been proved , Lane splitting saves bikers lives . In other words bikers where splitting Is aloud have less chance of getting hit from behind . just sayin .
I can always move to the side, if I leave enough of a buffer.
Getting hit from behind isn't uncommon at all!. As I mentioned above, rear end collisions are pretty common at red lights. EVERYBODY has been in one, or knows people who have. They're also common in freeway construction zones.
So far, all we've heard is anecdotal evidence that rear end collisions are NOT common. Meanwhile, a quick search brings up countless websites giving statistics from 23% to over 40% of traffic accidents being rear end...
Most of the results are law firms, anxious to help you get compensation, but all cite NTSB data, and typically claim about 30% of traffic accidents are rear enders.
Well I have already read the NHTSA data. If you want to read it, look it up. Google is free.
But since you quoted a useless percentage, 30%, where I come from, we call that a minority. I would be more concerned with what caused the other 70% of accidents.
You are declaring that rear-end collissions are not common or worth worrying about on a motorcycle. You are off on an island by yourself with that opinion. You have a right to it, but you are isolating yourself by declaring it so strongly as an argument against filtering, which is the standard practice in the UK, Europe, Africa, Asia... and California. It's the rest of us 49 states that are in the wrong.
Wow you really misread my reply. That is not what I meant at all.
If I were to ride out to California, I would lane split, but it is not needed here, and my state has bigger problems to deal with than wasting time on this bill. Especially when it will at most affect 10% of the driving public. And that is a generous number.
I found a few spare minutes while eating a PB&J sandwich. This 2013 data from the NHTSA:
Crash Involvement
Data shows in 2013 that the most harmful event for 2,448 (51%) of the 4,774 motorcycles involved in fatal crashes was a collision with a motor vehicle in transport.
In two-vehicle crashes, 74 percent of the motorcycles involved in motor vehicle tra c crashes were frontal collisions. Only 6 percent were struck in the rear.
On that we can agree. Also, nothing in regards to traffic laws happens nationwide. If the federal government really wants something to be enacted badly enough - such as the 55 mile speed limit, or lowering legal limits for blood alcohol content - they have to blackmail the states by threatening to withhold highway funds.
Alot of good points in this thread.
So I am currently in MA and lane splitting would help motorcycles move along the clogged highways much easier. BUT you would be doing so at your own peril as the drivers here are their own brand of crazy, stupid and oblivious.
It's funny how we have a helmet law (which I don't agree with on pricipal but I will never ride without mine) but the states north and south of us do not. All the laws seem to be made to hurt riders freedom instead of help. I never expect to see lane splitting become a thing in the US in my lifetime.
I'm in Iowa, where lane splitting isn't really a necessity, having lived in both Austin TX and Tulsa OK I have had some experience with big city traffic, but on our worst day in Iowa both of the aforementioned cities would laugh and call that a good day.
I dont ever see the subject being broached here, hell we still have people here in Iowa that haven't driven on an interstate, and some of them shouldn't be allowed to. For me I'd consider it a really big deal if we could just teach some of these people that the left lane(for those of us that drive on the right side of the road) is for passing not cruising. If we cant even get to this point in driving skills there is no way we'll see lane splitting in Iowa, nor should we! I personally dont think that I'd split lanes but who knows, I did it when I was younger but I dont think you could really call that lane splitting as much as reckless driving. I avoid congested traffic while ridding motorcycles so its not as important to me as to those of you that commute (on bike) on a daily basis.
It comes down to The Constitution and the compromises that were made long ago between those wanting a stronger central government and those wanting most of the power to remain with the individual states. The enumerated powers (I think that's what they are called) of the federal government are actually fairly limited; setting national traffic laws are not part of them.
In order for a traffic law to be put into effect in all 50 states, all 50 states have to do it individually. As I posted earlier, states that may not toe the line can be threatened by the feds with having their annual allotment of highway funds withheld. That's a huge chunk of money that most states cannot afford to do without. As much as I would like to see it in every state, our elected representatives' penchants toward wanting to save us from ourselves means it will likely never happen.
As far as costs, on the surface it would appear to be virtually a no cost law. Some public education might be required to inform the cagers that the motorcycles filtering by them are doing it legally. However, I'm sure the anti-motorcycle lobby will come up with all kinds of public health costs due to the absolute carnage and chaos they fear will happen.
Intresting how we are all in love with riding,and can't agree on lane splitting(what we call white lining ).where My experience is it's the only way to get anywhere in N.Y.C.,,,,,or spend hours in a line of sheepole going nowhere.
I have witnessed our hiway patrol stop traffic on a busy hiway only to wait and see how many bikes the can pull over for splitting,,then confiscate the bikes with as little as a expired inspection sticker...real words, But it's still the only way to get around on a bike here.
When I lived in New York City, I lane split (splat?) constantly. Most of what I did was more like the concept of "filtering," i.e. running up the lane to the front of a traffic line at a light, and then zipping off way ahead of anyone into the clear, blissfully empty road when the light changed. Never had a problem.
Now I live in Philadelphia, and I lane split selectively- mainly because it's less necessary. However, I get the feeling it's not as big of an issue here- laws in general seem more lax in Pennsylvania vs. NY/NJ (hell, you can buy fireworks in the supermarket here). Drivers also don't seem to flip out as much as they used to in NYC- probably because of overall lower stress levels.
Here in the UK car drivers ( only a small number ) pull over to block your passage in stationary traffic if they see you coming , I just pass them on the side where they have made space and acknowledge their attitude with a wave showing that I can pick two nostrils at a time . There are usually more drivers who see you making progress and give a little space .
Here in Brazil If drivers do that they will have parts of them cars broken... I do not agree with that.
Splitting lane is dangeours and depends both riders and drivers education and responsibility. At same time is inevitable in big cities due to the caotic traffic.
I have adopted a defensive ride and use it carefully... this helped me to scape from several accidents.
Needless to say to use it only when it is inevitable.
my policy here in D.C. is to only lane split when traffic is STOPPED. I feel like that's worked pretty well. And it traffic is stopped hopefully the coppers will never catch me!!!
I'm pretty sure that in "the District" splitting/filtering/sharing is NOT illegal, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about the coppers. Unless, of course, you are riding like an ass while splitting.
Washington D.C. is the only place in the United States, outside of California, where lane-splitting has not been deemed illegal...
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums
3.9M posts
167.7K members
Since 2002
A forum community dedicated to Triumph Motorcycle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, racing, cafe racers, bobbers, riding, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!