Obviously, not a rider!

[Tailgate]

OMG, a lane splitter "extremely frustrates" a cager! Today, November 9, 2010, the letter below appeared in the "Letters to the Editor" page of the Sacramento newspaper:


"Motorcycles rev up this writer

I am extremely frustrated. It seems that I am regularly bombarded with signs telling me to "Start Seeing Motorcycles" meaning I assume that I should be aware of motorcyclists and their safety. Well, I'm tired of driving down the road, in the proper lane, observing proper driving habits when all of a sudden some guy on a motorcycle roars past me – speeding – not in my lane or in the lane next to me – but in between both lanes.

It's very unnerving to all of a sudden out of nowhere have this loud, noisy vehicle fly by me with no regard for the safety of the cars or their passengers. The other day I actually observed one honk his horn at a car in front of me because the car was too close to the other lane and he couldn't get by!

So instead of slapping signs all over the place telling me to start seeing motorcycles, the DMV needs to start cracking down on the unlawful, inconsiderate motorcyclists."

– Carolyn Knight, Rancho Cordova

Read more: Letters to the Editor - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

 

[Erci]

The sadness of it is that most people will never know or care to know the facts.
It will always be our responsibility as riders to remember we're invisible to cagers (whether they actually can't see us or exercise "I'm bigger, hence I have the right of way" approach).
Watch out for all the Carolyns out there!

 

[jazond]

Holy crap, did you see this comment?

Don wrote on 11/09/2010 05:46:52 AM: Carolyn Knight - The law changed sometime in the 1980s to allow motorcycles to pass between lanes at any speed. Prior to that, it was only allowed when traffic was moving 10mph or slower, such as at toll booths. When I drive my car on the highway, I tend to drift from one side of the lane to the other, all within my lane, and I won't feel bad if I someday unintentionally clip a motorcyclist pulling this stunt. I warned the Sac PD of this, since I see their motorcycle officers do this routinely on the freeway.

You said it yourself, it is not a stunt - legal. AND, you wont feel bad if you clip a biker? What an a$$.

Lane sharing is legal, it is not stunting. I would actually go so far as to say if you hit someone - you have broke the law not the Biker. If that ever does happen I hope you get your butt handed to you in court becuase that biker (hopefully they make it after you have hit them) is going to sue the crap out of you.

 

[Erci]

Lane sharing is legal, it is not stunting. I would actually go so far as to say if you hit someone - you have broke the law not the Biker. If that ever does happen I hope you get your butt handed to you in court becuase that biker (hopefully they make it after you have hit them) is going to sue the crap out of you.

Totally agree with you, but in reality, it will go down as any other accident, not an attempted vehicular manslaughter (which in my opinion was what Don suggested).
The motorcyclist would get all bills covered by Don's insurance company and that's pretty much it.

 

[Haelous]

Totally agree with you, but in reality, it will go down as any other accident, not an attempted vehicular manslaughter (which in my opinion was what Don suggested).
The motorcyclist would get all bills covered by Don's insurance company and that's pretty much it.

Manslaughter is a very kind term when referring to someone that says they will purposefully operate in a manner that can kill others on the road.

It's not just dangerous to motorcycles, but other cars as well. He's going to get pulled over and asked to take a breathalyzer for driving like that too.

So based on that, he's just a troll and not worth wasting a thought on.

 

[Erci]

he's just a troll and not worth wasting a thought on.

Certainly not worth wasting a thought on, when it comes to responding on the internet, but very much worth a thought if you're out riding and see behavior like that. Gotta keep well away from such individuals.

 

[Red Wazp]

Most Ca cage drivers are quite good about letting us split lanes. On the otherhand there are some real a$$hat motorcycle riders who scare the sh!t out of the cagers by splitting at or well above posted. These scare and piss off the auto drivers, it really is unnerving when they do that.
I believe CHP generally frowns upon lane splitting above 45mph. Thankfully 99% of my riding is away from any metro area so no need to lane split. I just have to deal with slow drivers in the mountains. I have adopted a policy of backing off a bit and most will pull over to let me pass when they can.

 

[Haelous]

Certainly not worth wasting a thought on, when it comes to responding on the internet, but very much worth a thought if you're out riding and see behavior like that. Gotta keep well away from such individuals.

Oh yeah, absolutely. Anyone actually driving like that would make me think that they're a drunk driver.

 

[Azz]

Not super keen on splitting (mainly because of my new bars), but some people really are just stupid. Seriously "If I see a bike coming up the middle of the lane I'll just open my door and f*ck them up".. What good is that going to do? The biker will either:
A) Get up and beat the sh*t out of you or
B) Sue your ass till it bleeds

 

[Jugro]

Would be a bit more worried about some idiot clipping my front brake when lane splitting

Anyway I love this *******

yubamatt wrote on 11/09/2010 08:22:45 AM:

Hey Carolyn, when they honk at you, don't move - you're not required to do so. You're in a car I assume? Not to worry. In a collision, the car wins every time, even if the car isn't moving. If they want to drive as if they are invincible, so be it, after all, it is a choice.

 

[Kazza]

B*T*H!

I bet she puts her make-up on while she's driving

She has the wrong attitude, but I have also been in the car and have had some tool on a bike scream past me lane splitting. It's just those riders that are tools. Most of us are riding legends Even the ones who lane split, usually do it slowly, while cars are waiting at lights, not speeding through when traffic is moving.

 

[lytehouse]

Someone should take Carolyn for a ride......bet she changes her point of view :BLAA:

 

[rsw81]

What I find funny about this writer is that she doesn't even realize it is perfectly legal to do this in California, so long as it is done a safe manner as deamed by the highway patrol for the given conditions. In fact, it's encouraged as to keep traffic moving better in California's notoriously crowded highways!

I've since moved to Boston, where it is illegal, but I do it anyway as carefully as I did in California (very). The other day on my way home from work, the roads are literally stopped with traffic. So, going slow enough to keep my feet on the ground, I start to make my way up through the cars when this guy in a BMW 3 series looks straight at me in his mirror and moves over to crowd the line. So I wait patiently behind him until he either moves back over or the car next to him makes enough room for me to go by. As it turns out, traffic starts get moving and he's still crowding the line, but the cars next to him start to move faster and I pass with them.

As I go by, he has his window down and starts yelling out the window some rather foul language at me. Now... I've already passed by the time this registers and I had been really patient with this a$$ clown up until this point. But now he got me heated up and so I slowed down to let him catch up to me (only a car length or two). I got right up next to his window and popped my visor open, looked down into his car and kindly asked him "Did you say something?" At which he promptly put his tail between his legs and said, "No".

Some people have no respect for those around them. They are so self-involved with their cell phones, ipods, etc that we as a society have forgotten how to treat those around us. The social etiquette has been lost to these people.

::steps off soap box::

 

[FB400]

What he said ^ about distacted drivers... So true. People in cages are so insulated from the driving experience and distracted beyond sane limitations. I love the high end car commercials that alert the driver they are dozing or drifting out of lane. ( I think Mercedes). Imagine that!! a car for asswipes who really are doing everything behing the wheel but driving :Flip:

I haven't done alot of lane splitting here in these parts mainly because I am too afraid of the harm a single deranged cager could do. If I can safely do so I would but I just don't have that confidence yet. Feels like too many cagers already hate me I don't need to give any reason to.

 

[Erci]

What I find funny about this writer is that she doesn't even realize it is perfectly legal to do this in California, so long as it is done a safe manner as deamed by the highway patrol for the given conditions. In fact, it's encouraged as to keep traffic moving better in California's notoriously crowded highways!

I've since moved to Boston, where it is illegal, but I do it anyway as carefully as I did in California (very). The other day on my way home from work, the roads are literally stopped with traffic. So, going slow enough to keep my feet on the ground, I start to make my way up through the cars when this guy in a BMW 3 series looks straight at me in his mirror and moves over to crowd the line. So I wait patiently behind him until he either moves back over or the car next to him makes enough room for me to go by. As it turns out, traffic starts get moving and he's still crowding the line, but the cars next to him start to move faster and I pass with them.

As I go by, he has his window down and starts yelling out the window some rather foul language at me. Now... I've already passed by the time this registers and I had been really patient with this a$$ clown up until this point. But now he got me heated up and so I slowed down to let him catch up to me (only a car length or two). I got right up next to his window and popped my visor open, looked down into his car and kindly asked him "Did you say something?" At which he promptly put his tail between his legs and said, "No".

Some people have no respect for those around them. They are so self-involved with their cell phones, ipods, etc that we as a society have forgotten how to treat those around us. The social etiquette has been lost to these people.

::steps off soap box::

You gotta let crap like that go! Lots of angry drivers out there and I've come across a fair share of them in Mass..
Can't forget that in car vs bike cases, car wins every time.

 

[Kazza]

What I find funny about this writer is that she doesn't even realize it is perfectly legal to do this in California, so long as it is done a safe manner as deamed by the highway patrol for the given conditions. In fact, it's encouraged as to keep traffic moving better in California's notoriously crowded highways!

I've since moved to Boston, where it is illegal, but I do it anyway as carefully as I did in California (very). The other day on my way home from work, the roads are literally stopped with traffic. So, going slow enough to keep my feet on the ground, I start to make my way up through the cars when this guy in a BMW 3 series looks straight at me in his mirror and moves over to crowd the line. So I wait patiently behind him until he either moves back over or the car next to him makes enough room for me to go by. As it turns out, traffic starts get moving and he's still crowding the line, but the cars next to him start to move faster and I pass with them.

As I go by, he has his window down and starts yelling out the window some rather foul language at me. Now... I've already passed by the time this registers and I had been really patient with this a$$ clown up until this point. But now he got me heated up and so I slowed down to let him catch up to me (only a car length or two). I got right up next to his window and popped my visor open, looked down into his car and kindly asked him "Did you say something?" At which he promptly put his tail between his legs and said, "No".

Some people have no respect for those around them. They are so self-involved with their cell phones, ipods, etc that we as a society have forgotten how to treat those around us. The social etiquette has been lost to these people.

::steps off soap box::

I know a certain rider, won't name names , who, in the past, has kicked mirors off cars because they've tried to cut him off whilst lane splitting etc.

I think they've grown up a little by now, but in reality, it's not worth it.

Suck it up, ride past them with a huge smile on your face. You're on your way, they are stuck in traffic

 

[rsw81]

I know a certain rider, won't name names , who, in the past, has kicked mirors off cars because they've tried to cut him off whilst lane splitting etc.

I think they've grown up a little by now, but in reality, it's not worth it.

Suck it up, ride past them with a huge smile on your face. You're on your way, they are stuck in traffic

In hind sight, you are absolutely right Kazza. I had even kept my cool when he intentionally blocked me from splitting. But the things he said were so bad that I can't even fake the words to be appropriate for this forum. They deserved repremand.:spank:

Granted, you never know who is packing a gun these days or if he wanted to I suppose he could have just bumped me with his car... :ban:

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I agree with another member, this woman probably isn't aware that it is legal for bikes to split. But again, In my opinion, I think more riders abuse it rather than follow the rules. I myself have been guilty of splitting maybe when I shouldn't have, like going faster than 35mph.

What makes splitting dangerous is when it is not legal because the drivers are not expecting you to do so. That is why I keep this practice down to a minimum here in Vegas. In California, it's common for motorcyclist to do so thefore most drivers our aware that a motorcyclist might be splitting.

I think of all the states, California drivers are # 1 when it comes to acknowleging motorcyclist. Even with Carolyn.

 

[Goop]

I was splitting on my way home today and I was again surprised to see a number of vehicle move away from the center to let me pass. So for every one Carolyn, there are numerous others who are fine with motorcycles sharing lanes. Poop on you Carolyn.

 

[Motogiro]

There 's no emotional stability test for drivers and that's what makes passing out licenses scary! They're out there so be conscious!

I try to be as courteous as possible when riding and lane sharing. It doesn't always work because you may be filtering up to the last cars and you don't know if they see you as they're leaving the gate so I may light it up a little to get past them. This can startle the unconscious cager because it may break their focus on all the the noise in their heads that has nothing to do with driving.
Education might be more the key to the helping the emotional problem people have. This might give them a better understanding but I think the campaign should be educating people that lane splitting is legal in our state as many other parts of the world.

As far as being bullied take a plate number and report and/or sign a complaint against people who endanger you on purpose. Chances are they do this on the regular and you might save theirs or the life of someone else.
Bullies don't have courage and usually pick on people they think they can win against but never start with someone they think is a bad ass. They'll never try to push on a semi because the problem they have has nothing to do with logic. They are fearful small creatures that are authorized to pilot a 2000+ pound projectile that has millions of times more force than a bullet. Yet we are somehow more up set when someone fires a gun and defend that fear by calling the gun shot an intentionally violent act. The motor vehicle is used to intimidate people every day and people commit violent acts with it. They feel so beaten in life they have to pick on others so they feel elevated. Like that guy Don the drifter. Just get his plate and drift it over to the the local authorities. Start reporting these people! Don't play with them. They can be helped! Be conscious.

Maybe the newspaper website Don is commenting on should report his threatening LEO's and bragging about it.
Sorry for the ranting but...... :BLAA:

Edit: I probably shouldn't have had that cup O coffee when I came home! :rof: