Lane splitting, does the lane belong to the car or the bike?

[dan filipi]

California is the only state that allows lane splitting.
Ok fine.

So I'm doing a job now, 50 miles each way. My son is along helping which means I can take the carpool lane in my service van.

Coming home I'm doing 70-75 minding my own business, staying in the lane like I should when I hear a BEEP and a sport bike passes me. I look at the side mirror and there's a car next to me.
I see the biker just ahead of me now looking in his left mirror back at me shaking his head Lol.
I honestly did not see the bike nor was I watching for one speeding up along side me as if it is MY responsibility to protect his ass by giving him more room to go in between 2 vehicles at 75 mph!

So, who owns the damn lane??
To me it's the bigger vehicle :hihihi:

 

[joedrum]

oh my i wouldnt do that lol

 

[slabghost]

No cure for stupid.

 

[brianinpa]

70 MPH doesn't meet the CHiP definition for lane splitting. Good thing the rider was a lane sandwich.

 

[Dusterdude]

You do

 

[zman]

Yep, your in the right Dan, If there was impact it was his fault..lane splitting is technically entering a lane being used by another vehicle(side of course) which if you were a car would be illegal and used as the "cause of accident" in a report should there be an impact, even if a cop seen you merge into another's lane you could be ticketed, I see no difference in motorcycles doing it at any speed, I think if you do it , do it at your own risk but now that it is legal a motorcyclist has grounds to say you are at fault if he is within guidelines of the law.
It was a good idea for the law just to turn a blind eye at lane splitting as they always did but putting it into allowable law just lets the crazie riders think they have the right of way at any speed.

 

[AApple]

Texas is in the process of legalizing lane splitting. I'll never do it myself, but the sport bike riders do it all the friggin time, legal or not.
The IDEA of lane splitting is to allow bikes to ride between the lanes in heavy stop/go traffic ONLY....not zipping down the freeway at 50-70mph. Anything above 10mph or so, and the bike hits, or gets hit by someone else, it's on the BIKE....friggin idjits.... oh2:

 

[dan filipi]

It just gets me there are such idiots on the road riding like this.

The other day I see a young girl on a scooter cut across 3 lanes then left turn in front of ME!
Funny isn't it, one of my worst fears riding a bike is left turn in front of me, and me in a big van get it from a bike lol.

There was a AM talk radio segment about lane splitting here a few weeks ago.
The advocates in favor of it were of course bike riders, a 30 year veteran mc cop calls in and says he is specially trained urging everyone to NOT lane split that it is just too dangerous.
Other bikers call in saying it's the car drivers responsibility to watch for them, Lol.

Every morning on traffic, 2-3 bikes down in the fast lane.
I guess the stupid have to learn the hard way.

 

[slabghost]

Even in a traffic jam it's a bad idea. Suppose the car or truck is overheating and the driver get's out to check it out? Oops door in the way now! And what if it's a semi door? Helmet won't help much if the head is not attached to anything else.

 

[mcgovern61]

I guess the stupid have to learn the hard way.

Yup....... :hihihi: (Nitwits!!)

 

[Omega Man]

The answer is both Dan...

It's legal here too. The real reason lane splitting is around is to reduce the number of rear end collisions for motorcyclist at stoplights. It has nothing to do with "getting in front of the driver in front of you," or moving through bumper to bumper traffic. When the cyclist is the last vehicle in a lane at a stop light the chances of being hit from behind skyrocket. Not only from being hit from approaching vehicles as they "stack up" but also from vehicles accelerating from a stop and hitting the rider because the rider releases the brakes(brake lights go out) and the driver behind thinks the traffic is now moving or any other reason when it is not. This is what happened to me back in the day when I still had my 1100. I released the brake handle to scratch my right ear and without looking at the light just above us the driver behind me drove right in the rear of my bike smashing the rear tail light lens. So when a motorcyclist(like myself) moves to the front of the line at a stop light they are greatly reducing the chance of being rear-ended, not trying to beat everyone across the intersection. So for me it's all about putting at least one car behind me to prevent this from ever happening again.

I am an adult and I'm confident in my skills to move my bike skillfully in these situations "where possible." I would never do it "at speed." It's my right, and if someone decides to open their door in front of me at a red light I'll sue the shit out of them because I never ride without my GoPro recording just like I never ride without the appropriate gear, in fact I consider my camera part of my gear.

I'm glad you posted this Dan people and riders need to be educated on this subject, as you can see from what has been posted above, most have no idea what "lane splitting " is really all about. Many won't believe me but the facts are out there if you look for them, maybe one of these days those guys that write the books about how to ride that everyone touts will touch on the subject, we really need to get the info out there.

~O~

 

[AApple]

Texas motorcyclists could slip past slow-moving traffic under two bills proposed by Texas lawmakers.

The proposed legislation would permit lane splitting, allowing bikers to travel in the middle of two traffic lanes heading in the same direction under congested traffic conditions.

According to Senate Bill 442, lane splitting would be restricted to controlled-access highways. A rider could go no faster than 5 mph greater than traffic flow and traffic would need to be moving 20 mph or slower.
State Sen. Kirk Watson, an Austin Democrat and motorcyclist, said he filed the bill because he thinks it would make roads safer by permitting lane splitting in limited circumstances.

“To that end, it’s important to understand that my bill would not allow motorcycles to zip and weave through fast-moving traffic,” he said. “Instead, my bill would permit lane splitting when surrounding traffic is traveling at a speed of 20 miles per hour or less, in which case the motorcycle couldn’t go any faster than 25 miles per hour. And it would be limited to certain highways when surrounding traffic will all be moving in one direction.”

Watson’s bill would restrict lane splitting to limited-access or controlled-access highways such as interstates or toll roads.

Dylan Matthews, a spokesman for state Rep. Sergio Munoz Jr., a South Texas Democrat, said Munoz has filed a similar bill in the House.

Munoz’s bill would permit motorcyclists to travel between lanes of traffic moving in the same direction, if traffic is traveling 20 mph or slower, and if the biker is not traveling more than 5 mph faster than other traffic.

The bill would bar lane splitting in school zones and where the posted speed limit is 20 mph or less. Motorcyclists and their passengers also would be required to wear helmets.

Sean Hutson, a government relations manager for American Motorcyclist Association, said the organization supports lane splitting legislation, but balks at a provision in the House bill that would require motorcyclists to wear helmets.

California is the only state that allows lane splitting. There are no restrictions on when, and at what speed, riders may pass between vehicles there, though law enforcement recommend riders only do so when traffic is moving 30 mph or less.
Proponents of lane splitting point to a recent California study that indicates lane splitting could reduce injuries to motorcyclists and avoid rear-end accidents.

A 2014 study by the University of California Berkeley found that lane-splitting motorcyclists “were notably less likely to suffer head injury (9.1 percent vs. 16.5 percent), torso injury (18.6 percent vs. 27.3 percent) or fatal injury (1.4 percent vs. 3.1 percent) than other motorcyclists.”

So far, both the House and Senate versions of the proposed law have been referred to transportation committees, which have not yet acted on the bills.

“It’s been a growing thing in major metropolitan markets for the last decade. If you ride in rush-hour traffic in Dallas, Austin and San Antonio at least, for sure you will see people splitting lanes today,” said Reyn Mansson of Mansson Media Services, a Dallas-based company that provides marketing and advertising services to motorcycle dealerships. “It would be great in Texas because commuting in Texas is hell for motorcyclists.”

The Texas bills have nothing to do with sitting at a stop light, in fact, the lane splitting idea is for heavy traffic/traffic jams on major highways...not city streets. Also not intended to allow morons to come flying by on the stripes at 50-70mph on the freeway. The practice is dangerous, and it doesn't matter how well you ride. There's always going to be somebody that will swerve over, open a door, throw something out the window, or...shoot you.
Yesterday, I'm at a stop SIGN, sitting behind three cars at an intersection. Right turn ONLY intersection. Waiting for traffic from the left to clear, so we could make our right turn. Along comes a sportbiker on my LEFT, zipping along at prolly 20mph, all the way to the front, at exactly the same time the first car has room to pull out. Bike runs right thru the sign and starts the turn, car pulls out at the same time. Biker is trying to turn right, in front of the car, also turning right. Problem is, both of them can't be in the same spot at the same time. Bike nearly gets creamed 3 times. Legal or not, you can't fix stoopid.

 

[joedrum]

:thank_you: i agree totally

 

[dan filipi]

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with splitting when it can be done safely.
Safely is a relative, directly related to the rider skill and ability to predict.

What I do have a problem with is the biker attitude that if a bike goes down, it was the cagers fault.
When that bike split us at 75 mph he had to be going 80+.
Everything happens faster as speed increases. Tiny unintentional movement in the steering wheel and in the lane from a rough road or turns in the road are going to happen which is going to reduce space between 2 cars. It's a natural fact.

Look, I ride and I wish it was a perfect world but when I'm in my lane between those 2 lines, it is MY lane just as the car in the lane next to me has his lane between the lines. I'm not expected to share my lane with him right? I expect him to stay in HIS lane.
When a bike in front of me is going 70 and I want to go 75 or 80, can I crowd him over onto the line so I can pass him like he expects of me?

I look at this from both sides, a bike rider and a cager.
Fact is vehicles wander in the lane, but they are in THEIR lane usually. Hell you should see me when I'm riding, I'm all over it because it is MY lane Lol.

 

[slabghost]

:good:

dan filipi » Sat Jul 18, 2015 9:44 am[/url]":qif3or62]
Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with splitting when it can be done safely.
Safely is a relative, directly related to the rider skill and ability to predict.

What I do have a problem with is the biker attitude that if a bike goes down, it was the cagers fault.
When that bike split us at 75 mph he had to be going 80+.
Everything happens faster as speed increases. Tiny unintentional movement in the steering wheel and in the lane from a rough road or turns in the road are going to happen which is going to reduce space between 2 cars. It's a natural fact.

Look, I ride and I wish it was a perfect world but when I'm in my lane between those 2 lines, it is MY lane just as the car in the lane next to me has his lane between the lines. I'm not expected to share my lane with him right? I expect him to stay in HIS lane.
When a bike in front of me is going 70 and I want to go 75 or 80, can I crowd him over onto the line so I can pass him like he expects of me?

I look at this from both sides, a bike rider and a cager.
Fact is vehicles wander in the lane, but they are in THEIR lane usually. Hell you should see me when I'm riding, I'm all over it because it is MY lane Lol.

:good: yes indeed!

 

[chuck c]

It's very much not legal in PA but I lived in CA for a while. About the only time I did it was when traffic was stopped or very nearly so and there was plenty of room between cars. Even then never more than 10 or 15 faster than the cars and left myself enough time and space to stop. I never did it if there was a chance of clipping someone's mirror. I would use it to pass a line of cars to get to the light and was able to cross the intersection before the first car.

I considered it a risky maneuver and only did it in a way that minimized the risk. Otherwise, just wait for the light. I told my girls when teaching them to drive that impatience kills and that is especially true on 2 wheels. Take a deep breath and wait.

I also told them if you have to do that to avoid danger, illegal or not, do it. It might be the only safe place to go if someone is coming up behind you too fast or even to get away from a road-rager. I tried to drum into them to remember on a bike you can use escape routes that are too big for cars. Think like a rabbit and everything is out to eat you! Your only defenses are speed and that you fit in places cars can't go. To save yourself is the only time to do it here.

 

[Ansimp]

" everything is out to eat you" :yes: Such a great analogy :good:

 

[chuck c]

I could say if the car thought there was room for him in the lane with you, you may not have been riding in the right place. You should always ride in a position that tells cars "THIS IS ALL MINE" and not give them room to be tempted to enter your space.

 

[Ansimp]

chuck c » Sun Jul 19, 2015 2:56 am[/url]":14jqxtrz]
I could say if the car thought there was room for him in the lane with you, you may not have been riding in the right place. You should always ride in a position that tells cars "THIS IS ALL MINE" and not give them room to be tempted to enter your space.

Try not to be invisible :yes: :good: :moped: :clapping:
We call it SMIDSY down here!
Sorry Mate I Didn't See You :doh:

 

[chuck c]

Ansimp » Sat Jul 18, 2015 12:53 pm[/url]":3qv9ccx4]
" everything is out to eat you" :yes: Such a great analogy :good:

:salute:
I coupled that with for those defenses to help you need the eyes and ears of a rabbit. You must notice the trouble coming in time to use your speed and maneuverability.

Ride like a rabbit in a land of foxes and hawks!