Motorcycle..."Lane Splitting"

[Purerock105]

Interesting how this only legal in California, and of course most of those idiots don't do it correctly.

And just because something is legal, that doesn't make it safe or the right thing to do.

In fairness from my viewpoint(BIG trk) it's about 50-50 that do it safely, the rest is just straight up reckless driving and in any other state would get you a ticket.

 

[Old Mopar Guy]

I never used to lane split when I was riding as there are too many aholes in NY that take offense to it and move over or open doors.

 

[DGatzby]

An old MC rider here. Many believe I am certified crazy! BUT! IMO that is one of the most stupid, dangerous things a person could do, and I can’t believe those guys live long who do it everyday. Complete brain damage must exist in the heads of those guys who do it.

 

[Old Mopar Guy]

I could see the advantage as not being a sitting duck sitting in bumper to bumper waiting to get rear ended but still it was not for me.

 

[BULL]

I'm not a rider, but I have a friend who is and lives in CA, he does this and actually had a guy do the open door thing to him. Jacked him up pretty seriously...

What I don't get is that if you think about what the door is going to do to the bike is suck it right into the space where your legs are... So not smart on the individuals that do it to riders.

Like any driving/riding behavior, I think there is a time and a place (and a method) for it, that said, when I've seen it done, it's rarely done by any sort of standard that I would say is acceptable.

.02

 

[ChargerChallenger]

I ride and could see in the right environment doing this but would be careful on my speeds and which vehicles I would do this with. And in my area its not legal but some border line do this and especially in the Maryland area. It is crazy how fast the sport bike guys ride and the crazy stuff they do. And if it was that dangerous I think it would be shut down and I have not heard of a high rate of crashes more than general motorcycle crashes from this being allowed in California.

 

[stonewall]

As a rider, I think splitting is very dangerous for the rider. To many unknown factors! car mirrors for one, too close of proximity to get run over by someone not expecting you to come flying past.

 

[1971demon]

Interesting how this only legal in California, and of course most of those idiots don't do it correctly.

And just because something is legal, that doesn't make it safe or the right thing to do.

In fairness from my viewpoint(BIG trk) it's about 50-50 that do it safely, the rest is just straight up reckless driving and in any other state would get you a ticket.

I've been riding 45 years...(still active rider)..can't say I've never done it...but I can count the times on one hand...probably the most dangerous maneuver you can engage in...haven't done it in well over 20 years..and even then was a slow speed maneuver...

 

[Jimmy N.]

Complete brain damage must exist in the heads of those guys who do it.

Yes. But that fact has nothing to do with that I used to split lanes in L.A. traffic.

I'm not a rider, but I have a friend who is and lives in CA, he does this and actually had a guy do the open door thing to him. Jacked him up pretty seriously...

Or, like what happened to a friend of mine. We weren't splitting lanes, just riding down a street when someone in a parked car opened their car door right in front of him.
It was a Renault so he didn't even go down, but the door came off.

 

[Tjpatte]

Been riding 46 years and doing it. If you only go up to 15mph over it is a lot safer than sitting in stop and go traffic. Especially now a days with people and their cell phones there is no way I would sit “in” the lane, even stopped.

 

[Av8ing1]

As a Californian, I'm fine with riders doing it. The more bikes there are the less cars there are and I get home sooner. The incentive for the riders is a much improved commute time, they are aware of the risks. Side benefit is less traffic for me to deal with. I watch out for them and make room for them because I'm appreciative that they are making my commute better. Wouldn't do it myself though cause I like living. I do worry about making a lane change and hitting one though, that would be horrible. So I keep a close eye out. As usual, it's typically not the bikes or the truckers that cause issues. Its the moron four wheelers out there.

 

[hoe...]

It's legal here in West Australia as long as the traffic is stopped and you don't do more than 20kmh.
Even though it's legal here lots of car drivers take offence...

Ive been riding 40 years, but don't Lane split too often....

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

 

[1971demon]

Yes. But that fact has nothing to do with that I used to split lanes in L.A. traffic.



Or, like what happened to a friend of mine. We weren't splitting lanes, just riding down a street when someone in a parked car opened their car door right in front of him.
It was a Renault so he didn't even go down, but the door came off.

In WNY..its really a non issue...we are fortunate..we have no traffic issues to speak of...(barring interstate wrecks)..but as a rule normal traffic flow allows drivers to get from one end of the city to the other..in 20 minutes or less...even during rush hour...

 

[Slowpoke387]

Efficient, easy, if done right, -all good adjectives but hell no to lane splitting. Reading how one person is fine with it certainly doesnt represent the majority, and another does it and thinks it’s safer than sitting in traffic will never convince me that it is somehow safer to ride between lots of morons in cars who are not looking for someone there when they decide to switch lanes. And that includes myself lol. Im not actively looking for motorcycles there, it’s not a daily occurrence so I could possibly hit someone. I’ve been riding and driving for 40 years. There’s no way I would feel safer doing that than waiting in traffic while keeping an eye in my mirror for the car behind me while stopped like you should do in a car anyway.

 

[landoawd]

Splitting : Pass
Filtering: Should be allowed everywhere. I don't like late brakers flying up on me when I'm not in a cage...or even when I am.

 

[Tape]

Interesting how this only legal in California

Common practice in the UK and it seems that California is always in line with Europeans.

 

[Tjpatte]

All good points, and certainly valid. It is dangerous, and you have to be extra vigilant for sure. I think it's slightly better when you're in an environment where people can ride bikes pretty much all year and people splitting lanes is a daily occurrence. With that said, I was much happier when they opened the carpool lanes in Calif and let bikes use them.

When I was splitting lanes I used to love getting behind a motorcycle cop because it would be like the parting of the red sea.

Now....since I moved back east...oh hell no.....no way I would do it here.

I think some of it also has to do with your geographical location.

Out here the roadways are quite wide and there is a lot more room between the lanes. Would I split lanes back in Pittsburgh (were I’m from), hell no there isn’t enough room, even on the turnpikes.

Everybody has their own threshold of what they are comfortable with and there’s nothing wrong with that as long as you don’t try force your beliefs on others.

 

[MikeD1]

It's not legal in FL, but I see ppl doing it if there is a traffic jam. Pretty stupid & dangerous if you ask me !

Most drivers are certainly not expecting it and are not looking for you when they change lanes (me included). I have seen situations where someone was mid lane change & a rider came up on them and got pissed off they were blocked - WTF ?? - you want to do something illegal AND expect others to make sure you don't have to stop ??

Lastly, there are loads of lifted trucks around in FL and they are even less likely to see a rider coming up on them like that + if they do & decide to do the open door bit, you could end up having a really tight hair cut - like right down to your neck.

 

[EricG]

Here is New Mexico we are definitely part of the wild west and a bit of an outlaw state...you should see all the things people on motorcycles do out here! A lot of the time I'm like...I'm not even mad - actually I'm pretty impressed! LOL

 

[Jimmy N.]

But I still think we have one good chance left for a true utopia.....

View attachment 25719

Umm, wasn't that supposed to be taking place in 2021? We may be closer than you think.