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Lane Splitting

5K views 15 replies 13 participants last post by  jpd 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
#3 ·
I particularly like the the quote from the DMV-

"Motorcycle safety studies have said that lane splitting, though unnerving to some drivers and apprentice motorcyclists, is safer than not splitting when done intelligently — principally because it reduces the risk of a rider being hit from behind while stopped in freeway traffic."

I'll add that it works exactly the same for surface streets.
 
#6 ·
Being a resident in Communist Kalifornia I get to enjoy this law and lane split often. My venture into lane splitting began when I was still living in Santa Barbara. It was very helpful when traveling on highway 101 which would turn into a parking lot during commute times.

Now living in Fresno I don't get on the freeway very often but still employ lane splitting fairly often as I head out of town on surface streets en route to the fun roads in the mountains.

What I find interesting is how often motorists get pissed off that some dude on a bike has now assumed their "pole position" for the start of the race to the next traffic light. Man it has gotten crazy out there on the road these days.

I think I encountered less competition back in my flat track days racing at Ascot Park in Gardena.

Bee safe out there fellas cuz the competition is heating up.
 
#7 ·
I'm frequently in San Diego and LA for work.

On the freeway its WONDERFUL. I'm a bit more cautious than the normal biker I see. 40mph is about where I am comfortable doing it, bit slower mostly. I will split single pair of road blocking cars at freeway speeds if they are just staying next to each other at or near the speed limit. But it has to be worth it for me, as in no cars in front of them going to make me just have to do it again.

Surface streets, generally only in a long line will I bother to split, or coming up on the freeway entrance so Ill want to be first.
 
#8 ·
I don’t believe in lane splitting. It leads to too much variance in speeds between vehicles. Its not the actual speed that is dangerous, its the variance in speeds that is dangerous.

I think the chances of rear end collisions is less than collisions caused by lane splitting. I’ll go with the flow and get there when I get there like everyone else.
 
#9 ·
vehicles. Its not the actual speed that is dangerous, its the variance in speeds that is dangerous.

I agree to the first part ; "Its not the actual speed that is dangerous" as speed is relative to your action. assuming you are turning into a right hand turn and you are drifting away from your intended turning angle. your drifting is because of your entry angle and lean angle of the bike rather than your speed.
 
#13 ·
Healthy Life Recovery

Thanks for sharing the article, it is a good read. I always try to avoid congestion. I think that both speed and variance of speed can both be dangerous. The variance of speed is dangerous when around other cars. Speed can be dangerous when there are no cars around. Be safe out there!

-Healthy Life Recovery
 
#16 ·
Not sure how it is now but 30 years ago the RECOMMENDATION was to not go more than 5 MPH faster than the traffic you were splitting. My personal limit was I would not split if traffic was moving at 40 MPH or higher. I would wait until the gaps in traffic allowed normal lane changes or just go with the flow. As speed increases the following distances between cars go up and can make aggressive drivers want to shoot into those gaps, many times with no warning. The most safe time to split is when the cars you are splinting don't have anywhere to go.
 
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