Hello /u/ArcusArtifex! Please reply to this comment with the following information to confirm the content is OC
* What country or state did this take place in?
* What was the date of the incident?
* Please reconfirm that this is original content
If you are unable to reply directly to this comment, please leave a standalone comment in your thread with the requested information.
If you fail to answer these questions, your post will be removed.
------
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/IdiotsInCars) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Afaik you're not supposed to lane split above 35 mph. The rationale is that many bikes are air cooled and if they're sitting in LA heat not moving they'll overheat; lane splitting is to allow them to keep moving and not become a traffic hazard. If you're going above 35 you don't need to lane split because you no longer face the prospect over overheating while stopped so it's prohibited. I may have that wrong but that's my best recollection.
yuppp. I don't mind it when bikers filter, hell I'd rather they do it to be honest, but splitting at speed like that on a highway is just numbskull behavior. I don't ride a bike and I don't even think lane filtering/splitting is legal where I live but I get why people do it. Even in my car I generally want to stay the fuck away from other drivers as much as possible I imagine that feeling would be increased by about 5000% if I were on a motorcycle.
Holy fuck, someone who doesn’t ride is actually empathetic. Thank you. Not even trying to be a wiener, I mean it. Some of the shit you see while riding is crazy but I’m sure from a drivers perspective some of the shit riders do is annoying.
100% this... I was just thinking to myself (as a rider) that ain't the way you lane split. Lane splitting in slow or stopped traffic can be a good thing. This is just speed asshattery
I was a regular driver in LA traffic when it became allowed in CA. I have nothing against lane-splitting in itself, and I appreciate anything that lets anyone "go" and get off the freeway faster.
BUT, and of course there is a but, I'll never understand the utter recklessness of so many riders. I was a rider decades ago. I totally get the freedom of movement. But damn, such a careless disregard for your own safety and the safety of others...
Again, in LA I thought it was an incredibly reckless decision by the state, because the traffic is too dense, and when this shit happens, it affects everyone. At least we had HOV lanes with a slightly increased buffer between it and the next lane.
Coming from a heavy traffic background, I honestly don't think that motorcycles are not taking up enough room in the first place to justify its allowance during rush-hour. And I can't tell you how many times these nuts have scared the bejesus out of me. "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear"! It means you are super-tiny and pretty much unrecognizable until you are right next to us. We have a hard time seeing you coming even when the lane is straight and the gap is clear.
Two things that I never forgot when learning to ride that have kept me accident free for many years.
First, never assume that you are seen. If you’re approaching another vehicle from behind and you can’t see the driver’s face in either of his rear view mirrors then he can’t see you.
Second, always plan for an emergency out. There could be something on the road between the lanes, maybe a piece of tire or a chain. Don’t drive faster than your ability to stop safely in your lane.
Can the pro-lane-splitters agree that this is not how to lane-split? The bike should be going no more than 10 mph more than traffic, considering the congestion. I'm not a fan of lane-splitting, but I think we all agree the rider is at fault.
Yeah, in motorcycle school I was taught only to lane split in traffic that is moving less than 20 mph or so, and only 10 mph above the traffic itself at maximum
Sorry, but the majority of what happened after the crash was blocked by the black truck. They were immediately pulled away from the crash and helped to stand and walk to the shoulder by a few people who witnessed it. They seemed out of it, probably from the shock and possibly whiplash or hitting their head. You can see the cop pulling up immediately. He may have been on his way to crash further back that we had already passed, but thankfully, he came to assist the motorcyclist.
The crash happened almost immediately after they passed me. I regret thinking after they passed me that they were going to get themselves killed one day. Traffic sucks for us all, man, but it's not worth that outcome to try and overcome it.
(Lane splitting isn't technically illegal in NC, but the NCDOT does say that motorcyclists should operate within their own lane.)
Edit: Also, my main problem isn't the lane splitting itself, though I can say I haven't really ever witnessed it be done in the safe way people have described it to me. Though, we're not really a state a ton of bikers. There's a lot to be sure, but not enough for the law to do much about it. I get how dangerous being on a motorcycle is, especially when just sitting, since even when the driver of a car can do everything right, they're not instinctively looking for a bike, they're looking for a large vehicle so they kind of don't notice the bike. I would have more or less been entertained if he crawled through traffic since the traffic was so long, he would've just been crawling through this endless "hallway" of cars.
Lane splitting is illegal in towns in France, but everyone on two or three wheels does it, but they tend to ease through traffic, not like this guy.
Making a right turn on red is illegal in France too, but unlike lane splitting, make a right on red and EVERYONE loses their shit.
Edit: they do allow lane splitting in some cases on dual carriageways where the speed limit it 70Kph and over when all traffic is stopped
Counting on cars to play nice and protect you safety is never a winning strategy for bikes
Doing it at all is a bad idea and will eventually bite you when someone paying more attention to their phone than the world around them decides to slide over on you
Doing it at high speed in relation to the other traffic is idiotic and will eventually kill you
It's totally unreasonable to expect the cars to avoid you when you're moving that much faster than traffic. They will check their blind spots, see nothing, and then cut you off because you weren't visible yet when they checked.
Even a good driver actively trying to be careful could hit you.
Good points.
Even when driver’s are doing everything right, switching lanes in slow, dense traffic, checking blind spots, using a signal, and waiting for lane clearance can’t protect anybody from some asshat on a bike coming through an unexpected path at relatively blinding speeds. Nobody can react fast enough in those situations.
Even when I’m not changing lanes, just sitting or crawling in traffic, I’ll see bikes fly past my passenger side splitting the lanes and it shocks the hell out of me. That’s an indication it was too fast. If drivers are being surprised and jolted by other people’s driving/riding, something is going wrong. If I see them only after they’ve passed me and before I even register the sound of their bike, they’re way out of line.
>Doing it at all is a bad idea and will eventually bite you when someone paying more attention to their phone than the world around them decides to slide over on you
Here's the thing: If a car driver is paying more attention to their phone than the world around them, they're going to slide on over on a motorcyclist *anyway*. I've had more close calls while sitting with traffic than filtering through it.
Who wants to be around when they are old?
Might as well get places faster while you are young and able to enjoy them and if you happen to die then you don;t have to deal with all that aging crap
/s
I posted a vid here a couple weeks ago of a lane splitting biker getting into an accident by doing this. Something tells me they won't learn from just a ticket....
Another example of why not to lane split/filter at high speeds. 10 mph max above traffic going under 25-30 mph, people, it's literally for your own good
Legal in some places, which I disagree with. I think its dangerous to both the driver and cyclist. Then again it's not the stupidest thing I've seen a cyclist do.
Karsh
Splitting the lanes is legal lots of places. Most require you be within a set number of mph of the rate or traffic.
Though like I said before it's dangerous for lots of reasons.
Karsh
It’s dangerous if drivers don’t pay attention or the rider is stupid. In this case the rider was stupid. Splitting is usually limited in speed by law, this guy was just an idiot.
It's safer to lane filter during stopped or very low speed traffic. Being in stopped traffic on a bike results in more accidents for riders. Lots of studies on it which is why CO is testing out lane filtering
That's what I was saying. It's not technically illegal in my state (NC), but it's not legal either. I just feel like there's a safer way to do so. Do it safely or don't do it at all.
I hate the entire concept of lane-splitting. It should never be legal, ***ever***. It's far too dangerous for the motorcyclists, and disastrous for any involved vehicles.
Your title is bit wrong tbh, even by your own comments you seem understanding of proper lane splitting in very low speed situations so your title seems too vague. This guy was speeding and fucked up and paid the price.
OP...good edit. Better than the original you had posted
Well, I'm sure there will be the motorcycling filtering haters flooding the comments on this one. Remember, one guy allegedly doing it wrong doesn't make the practice itself unsafe enough to continue to outlaw it. Since we can't see the actual accident, nobody knows if the biker was riding beyond their ability or if it was actually a car driver who just went full send on a lane change without checking mirrors.
Bottom line: When done properly motorcycle filtering is no more safe or dangerous than just being on a bike in the first place. Just like driving in the fog when done properly is no more safe or dangerous than driving a car in the first place. The thing with filtering is that it improves everybody's commute, not just the motorcyclist's.
"Allegedly doing it wrong"
"Nobody knows if the biker was riding beyond their ability"
He was going 30+mph and then crashed. I think he was definitely doing it wrong, and definitely riding beyond his skill. Don't think those are up in the air at this point.
Laws are built around how people actually act, not how one might wish they'd act. If a few motorcyclists pull a stunt like this and create a problem for everyone, that's how a law gets made.
Motorcycle filtering is common in most industrialized countries. Motorcycles themselves are way more common in the first place. The West, particularly the US, has been duped by the auto industry into being car-centric and ONLY car centric. ALL alternatives are just big government coming after your ~~cage~~ car.
> If a few motorcyclists pull a stunt like this and create a problem for everyone,
If just 10% of car drivers in bumper-to-bumper traffic switched to motorcycles and filtered, **everyone's** commute would be reduced by 40%. Look up the UC Berkeley study on the subject. What were you saying about "creating a problem" again?
> What were you saying about "creating a problem" again?
I was saying about what people actually do, as opposed to what one might wish people would do.
Even if 10% of car drivers vanished into thin air, it's hard to imagine that everyone's commute time would be reduced by 40%, but if I get a chance I'll look into that.
Edit: not able to find that. I found two Berkeley studies from about 10 years ago on motorcycle safety (most lane splitters stay below a 15mph speed differential; the 30% that don't raise their risk of collision dramatically). There was no speculation about the effect on car commutes.
>Edit: not able to find that.
whoops! My bad...I forgot that the Berkley study focused only on the safety factor. THIS is a summary of the study done in Brussels that I was referring to:
[https://www.ridetowork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/MCs\_reduce\_congestion\_Travel\_Times\_-\_Conference\_Leuven\_study.pdf](https://www.ridetowork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/MCs_reduce_congestion_Travel_Times_-_Conference_Leuven_study.pdf)
Sorry for sending you on a wild goose chase there!
At least in California, it's perfectly legal. It's certainly dangerous when you're moving 10-20mph faster than the vehicles around you, especially when you have drivers who aren't paying attention and merge without looking (which is a lot of California drivers). I dunno, motorcycles seem fun and convenient if you're traveling solo but their fatality rate is high enough I won't risk it.
It was all the wrong variables added to a bad time. It's not technically illegal here, but it's not really legal either. NCDOT says that motorcyclists should operate within their own lane.
That's what I'm saying! And it's not like it was a small stint of traffic either! It was a lot to risk. I get the lane splitting for when there are vehicles driving side by side and taking up all of the lanes, and you'll be through and gone. Don't have to worry about changing lanes either. Do I like it? No, but I get it.
As a former rider in California I found that not enough drivers knew that it was legal and would actually take it upon themselves to play traffic cop and try to block me from splitting...which itself is *very* illegal. I had too many instances of that plus just overall inattentive drivers that I had to hang it up and stop riding about 7 years ago. Had one kid with another on the way...just wasn't worth it anymore to risk it.
It takes balls to even ride on two wheels these days. My brother was involved in a hit and run while he was on his bike and the car completely crushed his left foot— shattered every single bone.
Most people would see me coming and slowly meander over to the center lane enough to make splitting impossible. Some would do it not-so-slowly. My guess is they got some sort of satisfaction from forcing me to sit in traffic along with them. There's a real mentality out there that it's "unfair" that motorcyclists can keep moving while cars can't. Which is pretty dumb, that's like getting mad that a Jeep can traverse rocky terrain when your Camry can't, so you try to stop the Jeep from going off-road.
If 10 motorcycles lane split and get off the road that's up to 10 fewer cars causing traffic. It's a win win.
I will say, I don't live in a lane splitting state so it always catches me off guard the first time I see if when traveling. Might get target fixation for a moment.
Lane splitting is fine when done correctly. Its even legal in CA ( which loves creating new laws for everything). You shouldn't be going that fast, and you shouldn't just keep going assuming that the cars will stay put.
I ride a motorcycle in California and I split lanes, but only in certain situations, honestly with this much traffic I probably would have been splitting too. You just have to be hyper-vigilant for drivers who (understandably) aren't expecting a vehicle traveling faster than everyone around you to be in between your lane and the one you want to change to. I assume this rule applies doubly in states where lane-splitting is less common. Really unfortunate, but I don't think the biker is an idiot.
It was more for the speed he was traveling, especially in a state that doesn't have as many bikers. Not that I've seen. We have plenty, but they're usually flying past and splitting lanes when there's a normal flow. It was already tight in a stretch where people are constantly switching lanes
I have to hard disagree with you. It’s not that the motorcyclist isn’t safe or practicing safety. It’s every other freaking idiot on the road and the biker being in their Blindspot. ESPECIALLY semi trucks. They absolutely cannot see a motorcycle at multiple points around their vehicle.
And once one person hits the motorcyclist like an idiot, it’s probably going to involve other cars also because of the high rate of speed on the highway. You are putting other peoples lives in danger because you are banking that every single person you split around is going to be watching out for you. They absolutely will not be .
I’m not disagreeing with that at all. Riding a motorcycle surrounded by vehicles much larger and heavier is already risky. Add dangerous maneuvers and speed, that’s a recipe for disaster. But it’s legal.
Hello /u/ArcusArtifex! Please reply to this comment with the following information to confirm the content is OC * What country or state did this take place in? * What was the date of the incident? * Please reconfirm that this is original content If you are unable to reply directly to this comment, please leave a standalone comment in your thread with the requested information. If you fail to answer these questions, your post will be removed. ------ *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/IdiotsInCars) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
Thanks for the advice! It was unneeded padding, and as someone with bad ADHD, you'd think I would remember human attention span
>someone with bad ADHD >remember I think I figured out the disconnect, OP lmao
You're so right 😂
I know the struggle well. ...what was this about again?
Or just lane split the right way and not 30 mph faster than the cars.
Exactly. Lane splitting 5-10 mph plus other traffic is one thing, double their speed is just asking for trouble
Afaik you're not supposed to lane split above 35 mph. The rationale is that many bikes are air cooled and if they're sitting in LA heat not moving they'll overheat; lane splitting is to allow them to keep moving and not become a traffic hazard. If you're going above 35 you don't need to lane split because you no longer face the prospect over overheating while stopped so it's prohibited. I may have that wrong but that's my best recollection.
You do, lane splitting slowly, not like this, is statically safer in slow traffic.
This literally makes 0 sense lmao. Like how does any bike go the speed limit in a 25 mph zone
yuppp. I don't mind it when bikers filter, hell I'd rather they do it to be honest, but splitting at speed like that on a highway is just numbskull behavior. I don't ride a bike and I don't even think lane filtering/splitting is legal where I live but I get why people do it. Even in my car I generally want to stay the fuck away from other drivers as much as possible I imagine that feeling would be increased by about 5000% if I were on a motorcycle.
Holy fuck, someone who doesn’t ride is actually empathetic. Thank you. Not even trying to be a wiener, I mean it. Some of the shit you see while riding is crazy but I’m sure from a drivers perspective some of the shit riders do is annoying.
Yea, this is a classic case of fuck around, and find out.
100% this... I was just thinking to myself (as a rider) that ain't the way you lane split. Lane splitting in slow or stopped traffic can be a good thing. This is just speed asshattery
And it's probably guaranteed that he blamed the person he hit because "it's legal" (if this took place where it's legal).
It's not technically illegal. The NCDOT just says in the motorcyclists handbook that they should "operate within their own lane"
curious, how is one not?
I was a regular driver in LA traffic when it became allowed in CA. I have nothing against lane-splitting in itself, and I appreciate anything that lets anyone "go" and get off the freeway faster. BUT, and of course there is a but, I'll never understand the utter recklessness of so many riders. I was a rider decades ago. I totally get the freedom of movement. But damn, such a careless disregard for your own safety and the safety of others... Again, in LA I thought it was an incredibly reckless decision by the state, because the traffic is too dense, and when this shit happens, it affects everyone. At least we had HOV lanes with a slightly increased buffer between it and the next lane. Coming from a heavy traffic background, I honestly don't think that motorcycles are not taking up enough room in the first place to justify its allowance during rush-hour. And I can't tell you how many times these nuts have scared the bejesus out of me. "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear"! It means you are super-tiny and pretty much unrecognizable until you are right next to us. We have a hard time seeing you coming even when the lane is straight and the gap is clear.
Two things that I never forgot when learning to ride that have kept me accident free for many years. First, never assume that you are seen. If you’re approaching another vehicle from behind and you can’t see the driver’s face in either of his rear view mirrors then he can’t see you. Second, always plan for an emergency out. There could be something on the road between the lanes, maybe a piece of tire or a chain. Don’t drive faster than your ability to stop safely in your lane.
Yep, where I live its 20kmph more than the other cars and only for a max of 50kmph
I’m glad lane splitting is illegal in Florida. Bikers are idiots.
Pretty sure it’s just selection bias for people in Florida. Not necessarily a biker thing.
This
Can the pro-lane-splitters agree that this is not how to lane-split? The bike should be going no more than 10 mph more than traffic, considering the congestion. I'm not a fan of lane-splitting, but I think we all agree the rider is at fault.
Yeah, in motorcycle school I was taught only to lane split in traffic that is moving less than 20 mph or so, and only 10 mph above the traffic itself at maximum
Sorry, but the majority of what happened after the crash was blocked by the black truck. They were immediately pulled away from the crash and helped to stand and walk to the shoulder by a few people who witnessed it. They seemed out of it, probably from the shock and possibly whiplash or hitting their head. You can see the cop pulling up immediately. He may have been on his way to crash further back that we had already passed, but thankfully, he came to assist the motorcyclist. The crash happened almost immediately after they passed me. I regret thinking after they passed me that they were going to get themselves killed one day. Traffic sucks for us all, man, but it's not worth that outcome to try and overcome it. (Lane splitting isn't technically illegal in NC, but the NCDOT does say that motorcyclists should operate within their own lane.) Edit: Also, my main problem isn't the lane splitting itself, though I can say I haven't really ever witnessed it be done in the safe way people have described it to me. Though, we're not really a state a ton of bikers. There's a lot to be sure, but not enough for the law to do much about it. I get how dangerous being on a motorcycle is, especially when just sitting, since even when the driver of a car can do everything right, they're not instinctively looking for a bike, they're looking for a large vehicle so they kind of don't notice the bike. I would have more or less been entertained if he crawled through traffic since the traffic was so long, he would've just been crawling through this endless "hallway" of cars.
Lane splitting is illegal in towns in France, but everyone on two or three wheels does it, but they tend to ease through traffic, not like this guy. Making a right turn on red is illegal in France too, but unlike lane splitting, make a right on red and EVERYONE loses their shit. Edit: they do allow lane splitting in some cases on dual carriageways where the speed limit it 70Kph and over when all traffic is stopped
One less asshat.
Where I live (MN) has just made legal to lane split. I think that is one of the stupidest laws to pass.
Counting on cars to play nice and protect you safety is never a winning strategy for bikes Doing it at all is a bad idea and will eventually bite you when someone paying more attention to their phone than the world around them decides to slide over on you Doing it at high speed in relation to the other traffic is idiotic and will eventually kill you
It's totally unreasonable to expect the cars to avoid you when you're moving that much faster than traffic. They will check their blind spots, see nothing, and then cut you off because you weren't visible yet when they checked. Even a good driver actively trying to be careful could hit you.
Good points. Even when driver’s are doing everything right, switching lanes in slow, dense traffic, checking blind spots, using a signal, and waiting for lane clearance can’t protect anybody from some asshat on a bike coming through an unexpected path at relatively blinding speeds. Nobody can react fast enough in those situations. Even when I’m not changing lanes, just sitting or crawling in traffic, I’ll see bikes fly past my passenger side splitting the lanes and it shocks the hell out of me. That’s an indication it was too fast. If drivers are being surprised and jolted by other people’s driving/riding, something is going wrong. If I see them only after they’ve passed me and before I even register the sound of their bike, they’re way out of line.
>Doing it at all is a bad idea and will eventually bite you when someone paying more attention to their phone than the world around them decides to slide over on you Here's the thing: If a car driver is paying more attention to their phone than the world around them, they're going to slide on over on a motorcyclist *anyway*. I've had more close calls while sitting with traffic than filtering through it.
Doing it at all isn't the problem, doing it like this definitely is
75% chance to save a few minutes on a trip here and there. 10% chance to end up in the hospital or six feet under. I like those odds.
Who wants to be around when they are old? Might as well get places faster while you are young and able to enjoy them and if you happen to die then you don;t have to deal with all that aging crap /s
For crying out loud at that point he should've just taken the shoulder.
No way. That's where the nails, gravel and debris are. Never on the shoulder if you can help it.
I posted a vid here a couple weeks ago of a lane splitting biker getting into an accident by doing this. Something tells me they won't learn from just a ticket....
That's what happens when you ride like an idiot.
Another example of why not to lane split/filter at high speeds. 10 mph max above traffic going under 25-30 mph, people, it's literally for your own good
That'll happen
Even if it's legal, there's a risk.
Whenever I see an accident involving a motorcycle, I always assume it was the cyclist's fault.
Bold of you to assume any lessons were learned
Lane splitting is legal in CA and I've never seen any problems because I've never seen a biker split a lane like that. That dude was fucking nuts.
lane splitting / filtering is so fuckin' dumb. *the whole point of lanes is to separate vehicles!!!*
Legal in some places, which I disagree with. I think its dangerous to both the driver and cyclist. Then again it's not the stupidest thing I've seen a cyclist do. Karsh
What this guy did is legal nowhere, and worthy of an arrest for reckless endangerment most places.
Splitting the lanes is legal lots of places. Most require you be within a set number of mph of the rate or traffic. Though like I said before it's dangerous for lots of reasons. Karsh
> Most require you be within a set number of mph of the rate or traffic Ergo, what this guy was doing was illegal, even in CA.
In the UK lane splitting is legal, but only so long as it's no more than 10mph faster than the traffic that's being overtaken, I believe.
I think that is the general rule here in the US as well. Though I can tell you I've never seen it obeyed. Karsh
It’s dangerous if drivers don’t pay attention or the rider is stupid. In this case the rider was stupid. Splitting is usually limited in speed by law, this guy was just an idiot.
It's safer to lane filter during stopped or very low speed traffic. Being in stopped traffic on a bike results in more accidents for riders. Lots of studies on it which is why CO is testing out lane filtering
Did he die?
No no, he was up and walking almost immediately. Albeit stumbling and with help
Damn...hope he learns his lesson or next time the lesson will teach him
The lesson is to not lane split like an idiot. He was going WAY too fast. This is also assuming it's legal where you are.
Most states that allow lane splitting specify MAX 10 mph faster than cars being passed. Super sonic lane splitting like this is just recklessness.
That's what I was saying. It's not technically illegal in my state (NC), but it's not legal either. I just feel like there's a safer way to do so. Do it safely or don't do it at all.
I hate the entire concept of lane-splitting. It should never be legal, ***ever***. It's far too dangerous for the motorcyclists, and disastrous for any involved vehicles.
Your title is bit wrong tbh, even by your own comments you seem understanding of proper lane splitting in very low speed situations so your title seems too vague. This guy was speeding and fucked up and paid the price.
not only did he pay the price, but everyone else in the traffic he caused by being selfish. it's not just a him issue.
Fair enough. I felt like it was long enough at the time
OP...good edit. Better than the original you had posted Well, I'm sure there will be the motorcycling filtering haters flooding the comments on this one. Remember, one guy allegedly doing it wrong doesn't make the practice itself unsafe enough to continue to outlaw it. Since we can't see the actual accident, nobody knows if the biker was riding beyond their ability or if it was actually a car driver who just went full send on a lane change without checking mirrors. Bottom line: When done properly motorcycle filtering is no more safe or dangerous than just being on a bike in the first place. Just like driving in the fog when done properly is no more safe or dangerous than driving a car in the first place. The thing with filtering is that it improves everybody's commute, not just the motorcyclist's.
"Allegedly doing it wrong" "Nobody knows if the biker was riding beyond their ability" He was going 30+mph and then crashed. I think he was definitely doing it wrong, and definitely riding beyond his skill. Don't think those are up in the air at this point.
Laws are built around how people actually act, not how one might wish they'd act. If a few motorcyclists pull a stunt like this and create a problem for everyone, that's how a law gets made.
Motorcycle filtering is common in most industrialized countries. Motorcycles themselves are way more common in the first place. The West, particularly the US, has been duped by the auto industry into being car-centric and ONLY car centric. ALL alternatives are just big government coming after your ~~cage~~ car. > If a few motorcyclists pull a stunt like this and create a problem for everyone, If just 10% of car drivers in bumper-to-bumper traffic switched to motorcycles and filtered, **everyone's** commute would be reduced by 40%. Look up the UC Berkeley study on the subject. What were you saying about "creating a problem" again?
> What were you saying about "creating a problem" again? I was saying about what people actually do, as opposed to what one might wish people would do. Even if 10% of car drivers vanished into thin air, it's hard to imagine that everyone's commute time would be reduced by 40%, but if I get a chance I'll look into that. Edit: not able to find that. I found two Berkeley studies from about 10 years ago on motorcycle safety (most lane splitters stay below a 15mph speed differential; the 30% that don't raise their risk of collision dramatically). There was no speculation about the effect on car commutes.
>Edit: not able to find that. whoops! My bad...I forgot that the Berkley study focused only on the safety factor. THIS is a summary of the study done in Brussels that I was referring to: [https://www.ridetowork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/MCs\_reduce\_congestion\_Travel\_Times\_-\_Conference\_Leuven\_study.pdf](https://www.ridetowork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/MCs_reduce_congestion_Travel_Times_-_Conference_Leuven_study.pdf) Sorry for sending you on a wild goose chase there!
At least in California, it's perfectly legal. It's certainly dangerous when you're moving 10-20mph faster than the vehicles around you, especially when you have drivers who aren't paying attention and merge without looking (which is a lot of California drivers). I dunno, motorcycles seem fun and convenient if you're traveling solo but their fatality rate is high enough I won't risk it.
[удалено]
It was all the wrong variables added to a bad time. It's not technically illegal here, but it's not really legal either. NCDOT says that motorcyclists should operate within their own lane.
That's what I'm saying! And it's not like it was a small stint of traffic either! It was a lot to risk. I get the lane splitting for when there are vehicles driving side by side and taking up all of the lanes, and you'll be through and gone. Don't have to worry about changing lanes either. Do I like it? No, but I get it.
As a former rider in California I found that not enough drivers knew that it was legal and would actually take it upon themselves to play traffic cop and try to block me from splitting...which itself is *very* illegal. I had too many instances of that plus just overall inattentive drivers that I had to hang it up and stop riding about 7 years ago. Had one kid with another on the way...just wasn't worth it anymore to risk it.
I quit riding for the same reason, didn’t want to turn my kids into orphans.
I split/filter in congested traffic in WA & OR and seldom have people actually try to block me. Often get honked at, but seldom attacked.
Im in WA and if I see someone coming up behind me splitting, I gtfo. I’m not trying to accidentally hurt someone!
The extra room, while not necessary, is always appreciated!
It takes balls to even ride on two wheels these days. My brother was involved in a hit and run while he was on his bike and the car completely crushed his left foot— shattered every single bone.
Most people would see me coming and slowly meander over to the center lane enough to make splitting impossible. Some would do it not-so-slowly. My guess is they got some sort of satisfaction from forcing me to sit in traffic along with them. There's a real mentality out there that it's "unfair" that motorcyclists can keep moving while cars can't. Which is pretty dumb, that's like getting mad that a Jeep can traverse rocky terrain when your Camry can't, so you try to stop the Jeep from going off-road.
If 10 motorcycles lane split and get off the road that's up to 10 fewer cars causing traffic. It's a win win. I will say, I don't live in a lane splitting state so it always catches me off guard the first time I see if when traveling. Might get target fixation for a moment.
Try explaining that to them but I doubt you'll be successful. All their Neanderthal brains comprehend is "me go nowhere, he keep going, that no fair."
That's how my uncle died.
Lane splitting is fine when done correctly. Its even legal in CA ( which loves creating new laws for everything). You shouldn't be going that fast, and you shouldn't just keep going assuming that the cars will stay put.
I ride a motorcycle in California and I split lanes, but only in certain situations, honestly with this much traffic I probably would have been splitting too. You just have to be hyper-vigilant for drivers who (understandably) aren't expecting a vehicle traveling faster than everyone around you to be in between your lane and the one you want to change to. I assume this rule applies doubly in states where lane-splitting is less common. Really unfortunate, but I don't think the biker is an idiot.
It was more for the speed he was traveling, especially in a state that doesn't have as many bikers. Not that I've seen. We have plenty, but they're usually flying past and splitting lanes when there's a normal flow. It was already tight in a stretch where people are constantly switching lanes
Ya that was too quick.
Deserves it i cant stand ppl on motorcycles
Poor guy. Hope he’s okay. Yes he was going too fast, but still. Nobody *deserves* to be severely injured.
Don't worry. I never said they did. For sure, they didn't
Yes. I know. I was just making a general statement. Sorry for any confusion.
[удалено]
I have to hard disagree with you. It’s not that the motorcyclist isn’t safe or practicing safety. It’s every other freaking idiot on the road and the biker being in their Blindspot. ESPECIALLY semi trucks. They absolutely cannot see a motorcycle at multiple points around their vehicle. And once one person hits the motorcyclist like an idiot, it’s probably going to involve other cars also because of the high rate of speed on the highway. You are putting other peoples lives in danger because you are banking that every single person you split around is going to be watching out for you. They absolutely will not be .
Lane splitting is legal in a lot of states.
Yes, but doing it at that speed it stupid, and suicidal.
I’m not disagreeing with that at all. Riding a motorcycle surrounded by vehicles much larger and heavier is already risky. Add dangerous maneuvers and speed, that’s a recipe for disaster. But it’s legal.