I’m having a hard time finding a definitive answer to your question. So far, it looks like California is the only one. There have apparently been recent legislative proposals to legalize it both in Texas and in the state of Washington, but these either seem to have been rejected or just never voted on.
That’s the best I could do – perhaps someone else knows more?
Yeah, that sounds like a carefully-studied and documented risk analysis. :dubious:
The numbers in the article - 2822 motorcycle accidents out of last year’s 7163 - seem to suggest that roughly 1/3 of all motorcycle accidents involved techniques used in lane-splitting. This number is just a guess, however, since apparently the California Highway Patrol doesn’t record whether the motorcycle was in a proper lane.
I don’t know how many times I’ve tried to change lanes and been cut off by a motorcycle straddling the line. It’s aggrivating and infuriating, because when they do this, they’re right in your blind spot right when you most need to see them.
The only justifiable use for this technique I can see is for emergency vehicles, with sirens blaring.
I can’t believe this is legal.
Shenanigans.
The “techniques” listed are: “excessive speed, unsafe lane changes, improper passing and following too closely”. These are not “techniques”, they are unsafe practices under all conditions, and they’re not at all necessary in order to split lanes. I happily acknowledge that many riders are decidedly unsafe, when splitting lanes and not, and I make no excuses for them. Doesn’t change the fact that sane motorcyclists can move through traffic without endangering anyone.
(And, of course, “unsafe lane changes” undertaken by other motorists than motorcyclists can lead to accidents as well.)
That’s what shoulder-checks are for. A car-driver’s blind spot extends well into the next lane, so without a shoulder-check, he could just as well be changing lanes directly in front of a motorcycle who’s smack dab in the middle of the lane. That happens to me often enough that I don’t even get perplexed by it any more. A lot of drivers look for blobs big enough to be cars, motorcycles do not register.
If a car has its turn signals on, and it looks like there’s an opening for it to change into, I’ll roll off the gas and let it change lanes. A ton of metal wins over my mortal coil anytime. But if the car is not signaling its intentions - by turn signals or body language - I’ll fell free to exercise my right of way, thankyouverymuch.
Lane splitting (which in the US is only legal in California, but is legal in most of the rest of the world) is vastly under-represented in accident statistics. It’s safer because it reduces the total amount of time the rider is exposed to traffic. It’s also been recognized in Europe for decades as a fuel and time saving measure, and reduces traffic congestion because a lane-splitting bike is one more vehicle not taking up a space in a lane. It should be legal and encouraged in all 50 states, but unfortunately that would require a fundamental change in the attitude of the American driving public that’s just not going to happen.
I used to lane split everyday when I lived in LA. Can’t believe I’m still alive, actually. Too many close calls to remember. My favorite was getting pinched between a Cadillac and a Volkswagen. Damn near lifted the front wheel off the ground. I started knocking on the Caddy drivers window to wake him up.
No more of that nonsense. Closest thing to lane splitting I do now is riding thru heards of deer out on the trails. They are just as bad as Caddy drivers…
Though, based on my experience, they often smell much better than Caddy drivers. 
The only time I split is when traffic is pretty much dead stopped and then I’m only doing about 20-30 mph between cars. Pretty hard for cars to change lanes when they are not moving.
Re covering the brake: Only 1-2 fingers need be off the throttle to cover the front brake.
I don’t think there is actually a law permitting it; rather, there is no law forbidding it.
As I mentioned, I had to drive the cage today. My commute on the motorcycle takes about 40 to 45 minutes. My commute this morning took 90 minutes. As to the other half of the quote, I too move over for faster bikes. And slower riders often give way to me.
I agree that cagers can often be squirrelly. IME riders are usually quite predictable.
Indeed. Far too many people are Left Seat Passengers who need remedial instruction on situational awareness.
‘Navigating within my lane’? :dubious: Meandering/poor station keeping, more like. And lack of situational awareness.
Now I’m going to get flamed for my last. But I was taught to be aware of traffic around me. I was taught not to rely on mirrors, but to physically turn my head and look – and see. This was reinforced when I learned to fly a few years after getting my driver’s license. I see no reason why other drivers shouldn’t keep their heads on swivels as well.
I just want to say kudos to all you motorcyclists out there who are highly aware of and concerned for your safety. There’s a lot of irresponsible riders out there attracting attention, and a lot of inept car drivers out there. Take good care of yourselves.
<---- encouragement smiley
Slight Hijack:
I’m a big believer in MSF training. I tell everyone that even thinks about riding to take their course. However, I disagree with them about a few items. One is about covering the brakes.
I keep just two fingers over the front brake at all times, when riding in traffic. I have my controls set up so that I can do this while maintaing good throttle control with my thumb, ring finger and pinkie. I don’t feel at all disconnected from the handlebars or controls. I believe that the split second of reaction time I may save may be invaluable.
If you watch motorcycle racing, the vast majority of racers keep the front brake covered. If covering the brake caused any loss of control, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t do it.
About line spilliting. I lived in CA for a short time and while it took some getting used to, I learned to love it. I honestly believe that it should be legal in all 50 states. Although I get angry, too, when I see it being practiced by idiots.
I gave the idea a :dubious: because of the high profile bike crashes here in NI this year.
In one incident a pair of riders on superbikes killed themselves by ploughing into the back of a sand lorry at about 150mph. My Dad is a biker (classic biker so no superbikes for him) and after hearing from a cop at work the estimated speeds, he went out in the car and tried to get an idea of how the accident happened. He could see that at the speeds they were travelling, not even the long straight of road could have given them room for braking. So severe was the impact that the rear axle of the lorry was bent and one rider decapitated himself :eek:
I swivel my head very well, thankyouverymuch.
For me, it’s not a matter of not turning my head to look - it’s the problem of not automatically looking out for an object smaller than a car, moving 20-30 MPH faster than the local traffic, in the space between where proper vehicles should be. It’s like having to watch out for low-flying aircraft. At the speeds I see these lane splitters moving, you can turn your head and see that it’s clear, and having satisfied yourself with due diligance, still smack the motorcyclist.
When I shift lanes: Should I always be looking over my shoulder instead of forward? Should I be checking my blind spot so often that I develop whiplash? I’m inclined to believe that I should be more concerned about where my vehicle is moving toward, and less about what goofball on a bike who is trying to weave around me is planning to do.
I also use my turn signal, thankyouverymuch. It’s a clear statement to the drivers around me about my intentions. It’s also one signal more than lane-splitting motorcyclists use. They can clearly see that I’m shifting lanes. Even when I check my blind spot, I cannot, on the basis of one quick glance, clearly see whether the motorcycle sitting on my 5 o’clock is trying to overtake me or stay at his position, if he’s moving out of his lane directly towards me. Not unless I devote more time looking over my shoulder than I feel is reasonable.
I don’t buy the safety arguments for one second. Most confusing is the “lane splitting is safer because it reduces the length of time the bike is on the road.” By that logic, it’s safer for me to do 120 MPH because I’ll be off the road sooner. It’s my opinion that this argument only highlights how inherently dangerous motorcycles are anyway, and should highlight the importance of more restrictions on their use, not more freedoms.
Not to mention that lane-splitting was never mentioned in my driver’s education classes.
The way I see it is: the lanes are there for a reason. They are designed to direct traffic forward in a logical and safe fashion. As a driver, I am required by law (and instructed in class) to perform extra actions before I attempt to change from one lane to another. However, a motorcyclists seems to be allowed to flaunt these restrictions freely.
Who’s liable if I smack into a lane-splitting biker? I don’t care. It would be very difficult to live with myself if I injured or killed someone while driving, regardless of liability.
That’s good. But I spend a fair amount of time on the roads, and I see many more Left Seat Passengers than I do attentive drivers.
How often should you look around? I was taught in driver’s training to keep up a constant scan: mirrors, instruments, out the front, off to the sides. Lane splitting is illegal in Texas (a reason why it might not have been mentioned), but it’s not in California. Anyone who drives here should be aware that motorcycles may pass them when traffic slows. Too many people maneuver like this: ‘I think I’ll change lanes.’ Start moving over and signal (if they bother to) at the same time. I suppose they might have a cursory glance at a mirror. When I drive or ride I look in the mirror first. (Motorcycle headlights are on all the time, making them easy to see; especially if you have a modulator like Spiny Norman does.) Then I check my blind spot. When I’m not changing lanes I check to see if any motorcycles or cars are coming up behind me. I check to see who’s next to me. I check to see if traffic is changing speed ahead of me. I check the guy behind me to see if he’s paying attention. You may be an attentive driver, but most people aren’t. Else, why do so many cars crash?
I ride a hot bike, in the literal sense. At my northern home they drop the speed limit to 20 mph in the summer. 20 mph is too slow for adequate cooling. It’s also too slow for adequate handling. Liquid cooled engines greatly reduce the need for speed, but there are a lot of people here who still ride air-cooled motorcycles. (Not just old ones, but also new ones.) What if it overheats? Then you have a vehicle disabled in traffic. Not what you want on these roads.
I hear to complaints about lane-splitting motorcycles: ‘They just come from *nowhere!’ and ‘Why shouldn’t they have to wait like everyone else?’
No, we don’t come from nowhere. Most of us ride at reasonable speeds that give attentive drivers ample opportunity to see us if they would only look and see. If someone doesn’t see a motorcyclist – or a car for, for that matter – he is not doing his job as a driver.
Why should we stop in traffic? What possible difference does it make if someone gets to his destination before you get to yours? None at all.
Of course the rider in the OP was riding like a squid. Whether or not he was the one who wound up lying at the side of the road, he was riding much too fast for prevailing conditions. Based on my own experience, and assuming the rider who passed me was the one who crashed, this is what I think happened: At HOV entry points people have a habit of changing lanes suddenly and often (very, very often) without signalling. What likely happened was that the driver of the silver car did this. The rider was going too fast for traffic and couldn’t avoid her. Who’s to blame? the car driver should have seen the headlight coming from behind. The rider should not have been riding so fast. The driver should have known that riders split lanes and shold have been looking. The rider should have known that cagers are often squirrelly and and reduced his speed.
I ride fast – where it’s safe to do so. In traffic I slow way down. I know someone is likely to pull a boneheaded maneuver such as changing lanes without looking, changing lanes suddenly, or crossing over quadruple yellow lines into or out of the HOV lane; so I try to ride at speeds that will allow me to avoid them. I ride as if people really are out to get me. And sometimes, even at a lower speed and watching for any indications in all of the cars that are likely to be a factor that they may make a sudden move, there are close calls.
We can’t make the cagers pay attention to their driving. We can’t make them hang up their mobiles or rocking out to the stereo or fumbling for the last fry in the bag. But we can slow down and maintain a prudent speed. The rider in the OP didn’t.