interesting take on lane splitting..

[pookamatic]

Having said this I would not want to lane split in a place where it is not accepted, as frustrated drivers can be very dangerous.

I've done it when it had to be done (total stand-still traffic) and the drivers were getting ridiculously angry at me.. like I was stealing from them!! Constant honking from some and some would intentionally cut into white line (even though they had nowhere to go from there).


I would love for lane splitting to be legal here (and everywhere, for that matter), but it will only be *safer* than standing in traffic if cagers know that it is legal and don't go out of their way to try to kill you.

I'll never forget my first split. Accident on a divided two lane each way road. Over a mile of cages idling. I just went real slow and it felt great. I continued until I got near the front and by then, one lane was getting through.

From there, I started splitting to avoid heavy traffic. My limit was 15 mph against stopped traffic. I started to get a lot of crap... mostly horns, many squeezes, a couple of yells, and one outright attempt on my life when some pr!ck aggressively cut into me (thankfully, he missed). Morning commute, people don't care enough to do anything. Afternoon? Seems like every 10th car is PISSED that you're getting home 4 minutes faster than them.

When I got in my fender bender, I sort of unofficially hung up my spitting shoes. I'm not afraid to split, and have done it a few times since, but I keep thinking back to that person who cut into me and missed while splitting.

I can't possibly imagine getting into an accident with a good probability of being mangled where it was the other a-hole's intention to cause said accident **AND** have it be "my" fault.

 

[Ssky0078]

As for safety aspect (getting hit from the back), I'd love to see real statistics on that. I bet most motorcycle hit-from-behind crashes happen at stop sighs and traffic lights. And there are definitely plenty of crashes which result from lane splitting (I know I've seen a few on youtube).

Ask and ye shall recieve

"The Hurt Report"

Stole this from wikipedia
In Europe, the MAIDS Report was conducted using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) standards in 1999–2000 and collected data on over 900 motorcycle accidents in five countries, along with non-accident exposure data (control cases) to measure the contribution of different factors to accidents, in the same way as the Hurt Report. Four of the five countries where data was collected allow lane splitting, while one does not, yet none of the conclusions contained in the MAIDS Final Report note any difference in rear-end accidents or accidents during lane splitting. It is notable that the pre-crash motion of the motorcycle or scooter was lane-splitting in only 0.4% of cases, in contrast to the more common accident situations such as "Moving in a straight line, constant speed" 49.1% and "Negotiating a bend, constant speed" 12.1%. The motorcyclist was stopped in traffic prior to 2.8% of the accidents.[4]

 

[Cloggy]

I came across this article from the chips website explaining the general rules about lane splitting in california, it is not only accepted but also encouraged :thumbup:

 

[FZ09Bandit]

I usually lane split when the cage in the fast lane is goin the same dang speed as the person in the slow lane. In Arkansas however not enforced it is illegal to continuously drive in the left lane unless passing.

They way I see it is this. Your on a 2 lane highway. Someone is making a left turn and is stopped waiting on traffic. You either A:slow down or B: get around them on the shoulder which I see everyday on the way to work..

I laned splitted Bout 2 miles coming off post at ft bliss a long time ago (alot of you know how aggrevating this can be) had plenty of room all the way down until people started noticing and closing the gap. Kind of dumb to get so upset over the little things!

 

[Motogiro]

I came across this article from the chips website explaining the general rules about lane splitting in california, it is not only accepted but also encouraged :thumbup:

Thank you Martin! The last time I searched I don't remember finding this link...

 

[cmyers]

While I do lane split on occasion, here in Florida it is illegal. I have found that if I do it at red lights or slow rolling traffic I am more likely to have someone try to pinch me or cut into me, however if two cars are just traveling the same speed and I slip between them they dont seem to have a chance to respond. I have also used lane splitting to get away from drivers that ride extremely close to my tail during heavy traffic.

 

[PurpleZJ]

At times I wish it were legal here in Kansas to split, Although we don't get quite the awful traffic that California does. But when I ride the bike from manhattan to kc(2 hrs) I usually choose the two lane over the 4 lane interstate for less cagers, lower speed, less police, and if needed, more opportunities to pull off at a gas station or roadside stop to warm up and grab a bite to eat. But there is always that one car that wants to ride my tail, with the acceleration of the fz vs my truck, I can pass twice-three times as many cars in one sitting as I can with the truck.

 

[lawlberg]

Here in Ohio, it is neither legal nor illegal specifically. No statutes against it, but one jerk cop could easily write you a ticket if he thinks you are riding recklessly by lane splitting. Haven't tried it yet, going to give it a shot when the weather thaws in March.

I used to work in Stow and would lane split whenever RT-8/271N would back up in the afternoon. Drivers here didn't seem to mind, the good thing about doing it in traffic like that is that if a cop decides you're being reckless and decides to pull you over he'll have a heck of a time catching you while you're zipping through tight traffic. Can't wait to get back to it this summer now that I have a narrower naked front end and lower bars.

There aren't any laws prohibiting lane splitting like you said, but Ohio does state that two vehicles cannot occupy the same lane at the same time, similar to states like NJ I believe. I've had better luck getting out of tickets on my bike than my car with Ohio cops, so you may be able to make a case for not burning your nuts and overheating your bike on a hot afternoon commute home, or possibly pull the whole "I wasn't really in that lane"

That said, when I lane split I try to keep it safe, but keeping that level of awareness is pretty tiring and I usually split for a while and then hop back into traffic to relax a bit.


On a side note, want to go for a ride when the weather turns? I love CVNP and the Chagrin area.

 

[Nelly]

Awful video... seriously poorly put together and horrible acting, crappy data, etc. I was really hoping for something useful out of this video; something you can show a politician and actually get their attention. Unfortunately this is the farthest thing from it. Politicians will see this and only see young dumb $hits goofing off on the freeway, videoing themselves and talking about it on park benches while giggling about how awesome it is to ride a motorcycle. Pretty stupid.

14 minutes of your life (and mine) you won't get back.
I really need to find out if it's legal here. Iv'e asked two different Police officers and had two different answers.
The only time I have experienced hostility to lane splitting is at stop signs. I guess people feel like your taking their space by que jumping. In the UK cagers are pretty good at giving you room to carry on.


Neil

 

[Rebuilt]

Interesting video ... i really don`t like lane splitting personally as i reeeeally don't want to mess up my bike
im not saying its a bad thing as its a pain in the ass being stuck in traffic infarct i hate that more but i have to assess the gaps very carefully ...maybe its just me ...
I have done it on various occasions and it does make life that much more easy especially when sitting in traffic and the fan kicks in as bike getting hot (could be the fact also its a tour bike 1000cc doesn't like sitting still )

The alternative i use is the bus lanes that makes a difference as well :thumbup:

i say go for it wheree YOU feel safe to do so ...you`re always going to get one cager who disagree`s so ride careful ...we are all learning every day :thumbup:

 

[SmokeEater37]

I used to work in Stow and would lane split whenever RT-8/271N would back up in the afternoon. Drivers here didn't seem to mind, the good thing about doing it in traffic like that is that if a cop decides you're being reckless and decides to pull you over he'll have a heck of a time catching you while you're zipping through tight traffic. Can't wait to get back to it this summer now that I have a narrower naked front end and lower bars.

There aren't any laws prohibiting lane splitting like you said, but Ohio does state that two vehicles cannot occupy the same lane at the same time, similar to states like NJ I believe. I've had better luck getting out of tickets on my bike than my car with Ohio cops, so you may be able to make a case for not burning your nuts and overheating your bike on a hot afternoon commute home, or possibly pull the whole "I wasn't really in that lane"

That said, when I lane split I try to keep it safe, but keeping that level of awareness is pretty tiring and I usually split for a while and then hop back into traffic to relax a bit.


On a side note, want to go for a ride when the weather turns? I love CVNP and the Chagrin area.

Sounds good just send me a PM