Splitting lanes

[DonTom]

Even air bags were of no help.

Perhaps only being on a motorcycle would help, as in my case.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Tulecreeper]

Yes, it often is. One of the main reasons I prefer to take a motorcycle between here and my Reno house. If the traffic is stopped for construction or whatever on I-80 here in CA, which is very common, it can take a car two hours longer than on a motorcycle because of the legal lane splitting which cars cannot do.

-Don- Auburn, CA

Correct me if I'm wrong, but at one time wasn't lane splitting in CA only allowed if the traffic was moving at less than ~15 MPH?

 

[woof-n]

I have been riding motorcycle of one sort or another all of my life. If they were not so much fun, I would never get on one.
There are two types of bikers, those that have been down on the ground and those that are going to be down on the ground.

 

[Tom]

I have been riding motorcycle of one sort or another all of my life. If they were not so much fun, I would never get on one.
There are two types of bikers, those that have been down on the ground and those that are going to be down on the ground.

LOL, been there & done that countless times. On my way to work in my youth, I'd ride on a (paved) mountain road that followed the twists and turns of the mountain. So, I'd bank this way and that and back again countless times. Every winter I'd hit black ice, the bike would slide from under me, heading down the road, and I'd be sliding on my butt behind it. One time, a bus coming the other way stopped and the driver leaned out the window and asked "you OK?". I nodded and he drove off.

 

[DonTom]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but at one time wasn't lane splitting in CA only allowed if the traffic was moving at less than ~15 MPH?

AFAIK, that was a recommendation, not a law. But I follow that recommendation, so it makes no difference to me if it is law or not.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[old RV guy]

AFAIK, that was a recommendation, not a law. But I follow that recommendation, so it makes no difference to me if it is law or not.

-Don- Auburn, CA

Oddly enough, if it were claimed cats have two anuses there would follow 17 links to pseudo-authoritative feline research arguing for the house cat double assh*** theory, but the CA law with regards to lane splitting is shrouded in mystery.

 

[Oldgator73]

Oddly enough, if it were claimed cats have two anuses there would follow 17 links to pseudo-authoritative feline research arguing for the house cat double assh*** theory, but the CA law with regards to lane splitting is shrouded in mystery.

You are no doubt referring to the feline sphincter splitting law.

 

[old RV guy]

You are no doubt referring to the feline sphincter splitting law.

I think that was Schrodinger's theory.

 

[Oldgator73]

I think that was Schrodinger's theory.

I don’t see the correlation between quantum superposition and feline dual sphincterism.

 

[DonTom]

There are two types of bikers, those that have been down on the ground and those that are going to be down on the ground.

I have been down more times than I can count. Weird reasons, such as the time I was riding into the sun and could not see much. On the road ahead was around a gallon or two of oil which was spilled on the road that I could not see with the sun in my eyes. I was riding slow, and the bike was straight up a second before I was on the ground.

I wondered how that oil got on the road.

But . . .

The a few months later, coming home from work in my 1997 Saturn stick shift, when on the freeway I was stuck in gear, didn't know why. I drove it right to an auto repair place near my home. When they jacked up the car, I couldn't believe what I saw. Big hole at the bottom of the gear box where parts and the oil from it ended up on the freeway. Hard to believe I could still drive the thing. I walked home from there as they replaced the manual tranny. I drove at least five miles like that.

Lots of smoke from under the car when I stopped at the tranny place near my home then, in South San Francsico.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but at one time wasn't lane splitting in CA only allowed if the traffic was moving at less than ~15 MPH?

This is what the Vehicle Code has to say:

Current as of January 01, 2023 | Updated by FindLaw Staff

(a) For the purposes of this section, “lane splitting” means driving a motorcycle, as defined in Section 400, that has two wheels in contact with the ground, between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane, including on both divided and undivided streets, roads, or highways.
(b) The Department of the California Highway Patrol may develop educational guidelines relating to lane splitting in a manner that would ensure the safety of the motorcyclist and the drivers and passengers of the surrounding vehicles.
(c) In developing guidelines pursuant to this section, the department shall consult with agencies and organizations with an interest in road safety and motorcyclist behavior, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1) The Department of Motor Vehicles.

(2) The Department of Transportation.

(3) The Office of Traffic Safety.

(4) A motorcycle organization focused on motorcyclist safety.

 

[woof-n]

LOL, been there & done that countless times. On my way to work in my youth, I'd ride on a (paved) mountain road that followed the twists and turns of the mountain. So, I'd bank this way and that and back again countless times. Every winter I'd hit black ice, the bike would slide from under me, heading down the road, and I'd be sliding on my butt behind it. One time, a bus coming the other way stopped and the driver leaned out the window and asked "you OK?". I nodded and he drove off.

My last time down was on a dirt bike hill climbing. I was a little fast on speed. At the top of the hill, the trail turned a hard 120-degree back to the right. I got a little too hard on the front brake and down I went. Almost immediately my foot went numb. After I caught my breath. I ask my son to start my bike, put me on, it and rode 4 miles on rough trails back to camp. I spent weeks on crutches. The wife suggested that at 57 maybe I should start trying to act my age. That crazy thought inspired me to buy a HD Ultra limited for the road. Sometimes when your married you need to find a good working compromise. lol. 10 years later, I still miss trail riding.

 

[Tom]

The first time I "went down" was around age 8 as a passenger on my Dad's motorcycle. We were at the foot of a hill, taking a sharp turn (almost 180) slowly, and the pavement was slick. The bike slid away. Dad came over, very concerned, but somehow I had rolled, avoiding any injury. I must admit that, every time I made that turn on my own motorcycles over the years, I had visions of that spill.

 

[jymbee]

Interesting thread. I was not familiar with term "Splitting lanes" and was surprised that it was actually legal in some areas. Makes no sense to me why it should be.

 

[DonTom]

Makes no sense to me why it should be.

How about the fact that there are less motorcycle accidents where lane splitting is legal than illegal? A lot less motorcycles are rear- ended where lane splitting is legal. Safter where there is an unexpected sudden stop of cars ahead.

That is why now several other states are considering making some form of lane splitting legal.

Just because it seems dangerous to some is not evidence of danger.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[old RV guy]

How about the fact that there are less motorcycle accidents where lane splitting is legal than illegal? A lot less motorcycles are rear- ended where lane splitting is legal. Safter where there is an unexpected sudden stop of cars ahead.

That is why now several other states are considering making some form of lane splitting legal.

Just because it seems dangerous to some is not evidence of danger.

-Don- Auburn, CA

Not true. Meantime in the DFW cars change lanes suddenly and without notice with the entire herd moving at 80 mph. Pity the motorcycle splitting lanes here, "roadkill" would be an apt descriptor.

 

[DonTom]

Not true.

Be sure to explain the to those who have well studied it, such as here.

"Is motorcycle lane-splitting safe? New report says it can be."

There is a danger when done at 50 MPH or faster, or when more than 15 MPH above the car traffic, which is still legal (for now) here in CA. I wouldn't have the guts to lane split at even half that speed. I am usually lane splitting at less than 20 mph with the traffic at a dead stop or very close to it. Even lane splitting at these very slow speeds save a lot of time.

It really depends on the rider how dangerous lane splitting is.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[old RV guy]

http://www.trantololaw.com/law-firm-blog/motorcycle-accidents-/lane-splitting-dangerous/

 

[DonTom]

http://www.trantololaw.com/law-firm-blog/motorcycle-accidents-/lane-splitting-dangerous/

Which says:

"According to data from a UC Berkeley study, motorcyclists going at the same speed as the rest of traffic don’t see their accident risks increase when they lane-split."

I cannot make much sense out of that. Why would anybody lane split to stay at the same speed as the traffic?

Yeah, when the traffic is moving @ 5 MPH and so is the motorcycle, there is not much of a chance of an accident.

But that is the type of nonsense I would expect from an attorney website.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[jymbee]

Just because it seems dangerous to some is not evidence of danger.

-Don- Auburn, CA

Ok, I had not considered potential safety implications where bikes would be allowed to sit between lanes. But when I see a bike zooming between lanes driving through miles of stopped traffic, as I have on a number of occasions, that has little to do with safety that I can see. Wait it out like all the other drivers.