The current issue of Classic Motorsports (the issue with the Lotus 7 on the cover) has an article about the history of the Snell rating.
That’s got to be nonsense. Here in the UK, motorcyclists split lanes frequently (I’m not sure of the legality of it, but nobody seems to bat an eyelid) and if I’m in a queue of traffic and see a motorbike coming up along the outside you can bet I’ll be watching him in the mirror. I always thought it would be a reassuring thing for a biker to get eye contact with a driver in the mirror so he could be sure he’s been seen. Are they actually thinking, “Damn, this clown’s about to open his door on me!”?
Moved to IMHO.
-xash
General Questions Moderator
As a current L.A. car commuter, I can say I prefer that motorcycles pass me, even by slipping between lanes. What I dislike is a motorcyclist driving somewhere behind me. That situation requires extra attention from me, since I track all vehicles near me and the smaller vehicle is harder to see. Better the biker goes past me and I can see him easier.
BTW, when I lived in the Boston area and commuted there, cars would commonly split lanes. The rule of thumb was that if N cars could fit side-by-side, then N cars would do so. Lane markings be damned.
L.A. commuting is relaxing compared to driving in Boston.
My aunt is from Phoenix. She lived there for 20 years before moving back to here last year. She said she has witnessed this several times on the freeway down there, when traffic jams developed. She said lane splitting was legal, but car drivers would get agrivated, and some, enough to door a motoryclist. Here in Idaho, lane splitting is not legal for us bikers, so not even an option.
I don’t think it is commonplace, but I think it does happen. Think long traffic jams in very hot weather, after people have just left for home from work. These high-stress environments are probably the catalyst for such rotten behaviour.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen it done with intent to harm the motorcyclist, but I have seen it done any number of times to block motorcyclists from lane-splitting. Some people just can’t stand the thought of others not sharing their misery, and get really upset when we (motorcyclists, that is) aren’t steaming in the traffic jam just like they are. Jerks. And they don’t realize that we’ll just go around the other side, anyway.
How dumb would you have to be to do this though? Quite apart from the injury to the biker, getting your car door repaired/replaced ain’t going to come cheap.
I assume that by the time someone does this they’re well beyond rational thought.
That’s pretty much the story.
I used to lane-share all the time when I had my MC. I’ve never had anyone try to door me, but you definitely get people who swerve in order to block you or scare you. People swear at you. I’ve had people toss lit cigarettes at me. But they usually miss.
You see, we lane-sharing motorcyclists are watching you far more carefully than you are watching us. We’re scanning for irate/inattentive looking drivers from several car lengths behind. When you glance into your side or rearview mirror and look pissed off, we notice. If your window is open and you’re looking at us, then at something in your car, then back at us, and your arms are moving suspiciously, we notice. We already know you’re a jerk, or might be a jerk, so if and when we pass you, it’s probably going to be with a sudden burst of speed.
I think a lot of drivers just don’t know what we’re doing is legal and considered safe. They figure we’re breaking the law, being unsafe, being jerks. “So what the heck, I’ll be a jerk to them. That’ll show 'em!”
As a former San Diego commuter, I think lane-splitting is a fine idea and think it is ludicrous that other states don’t allow it… It allows for vehicles which have the capacity to advance, thus freeing up a space for somebody else, to do so. Nothing wrong with that. I’ve never felt that I was being endangered by lane-splitting. Just gives somebody else a way to beat the traffic; good for them.
These comments are based solely on the vehicle code in California. Some motorcycles are air cooled instead of water cooled and can overheat in stop and go traffic, so lane splitting allows them to keep the motorcycle moving and keep the engine cool. And regardless of the type of engine cooling used, the motorcyclist can also suffer heat exhaustion in stop and go traffic, especially with full gear on. It’s not reasonable to train traffic officers to distinguish between air cooled and water cooled motorcycles, so all motorcycles get to lane split. Mathematical models predict that allowing motorcyclists to split lanes helps reduce traffic congestion, and NHTSA data confirms that effect.
Go to YouTube and search “driver opens door on motorcycle”. There are scores of videos.
I couldn’t find my favorite one though. A driver opened his door on a LEO lane splitting and promptly got lit up. I’m sure he got written up for everything the officer could think of to cite him with.
Not legal yet anyway, starting to see happening a little more often in the Boise/Meridian/Nampa corridor on 84. Not all the time, but, still more.
Not legal yet anyway, starting to see happening a little more often in the Boise/Meridian/Nampa corridor on 84. Not all the time, but, still more.
If I still had my scoot, I damn sure wouldn’t be doing that around here. Driving has gotten stupid scary over the last few years in Ada and Canyon Counties as drivers (just enough of then anyway) have gotten progressively more scary stupid(I swear the driving IQ around here drops a few points every damn year)
Does anyone know if mangeorge is still, like, alive?
My husband rides a Harley and is a member of a local HOG chapter. Most everyone I’ve seen riding in that group wears real helmets. They’re not stupid, or violent, or MC gang members - they’re a bunch of guys (and a few women) who like to ride and are very safety conscious. And I don’t think they’re atypical.
The only thing I can tell you is that mangeorge has not logged in here since 2014.
I ride a Harley and I wear a full-face helmet (I really don’t like taking a large bug directly to the face at 70 mph). The usual response I get from other Harley riders is just the “Harley wave”. No one ever gives me grief about my helmet type.
(zombie thread noted)
yep, I have a real lid when I ride (Street Glide) and literally nobody has given me as much as a comment about it.
Had a motorcyclist take off my passenger side mirror in San Francisco back in 2001. Traffic was stopped when I heard a wump sound then looked over to see the guy hit my mirror with his shoulder. He went down in front of the car next to me. The first sound I heard was him hitting the car next to me. We all made it to the shoulder and waited for the Highway Patrol. The guy on the bike was not going to cooperate with anyone so the officer cuffed him and threatened to impound the bike. He had no insurance either. He ended up giving me $120 for my trouble because I was from out of state. I have no idea what happened with the other motorist. Cost me $89 for a replacement mirror at a Toyota dealer and $12 for a cheap socket set to replace the mirror in a parking lot.