Comments on: CHP issues first guidelines for motorcyclists who lane split

By: Rudy Shaw

Rudy Shaw — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 20:53:04 +0000

I ride from Santa Rosa to San Francisco 5 days a week and personally feel much safer when lane sharing than when stuck in traffic. I would say that on average I get cut off at least 3-4 times per day on my commute and honestly the scariest sitation for me is when I am in the car pool lane (not lane sharing) going with the flow of traffic, maybe 30-35 in the car pool lane and then a stopped car in the right hand lane decides to make a break into the car pool lane while not seeing me. I can’t count the amount of times I have had to slam on the breaks a few times locking up the rear tire and sliding to within inches because someone changed lanes and cut me off. The next scariest situation is when I slow down in traffic and the person following behind isn’t paying attention and almost rear ends you. At least when all the cars around are slowed down and I am splitting between them at a reasonable speed I feel comfortable knowing that nobody is going to be cutting in front of me going 30+ mph slower than me, and if the cars I am splitting are side by side I know they aren’t going to randomly try and change lanes. I also don’t have to worry about being rear ended. As long as I am within 5-10 mph of the flow of traffic I have plenty of opportunity to slow down or adjust for a car that is trying to block or not paying attention.

As for the car drivers that are upset because of being surprised by a harley with loud exhaust or a bike buzzing by you, the fact that you are surprised by it and it scares you only enforces the fact that you are not paying attention to your mirrors and what is going on behind you. I even have a headlight modulator with makes the headlight blink and stand out more and it is amazing how I can be behind someone for miles and somehow they still dont even see me behind them. Which is further proof that motorcyclists need to be able to take extra steps to protect themselves rather than rely on the drivers around them to see them and do the rigth thing.

By: Biker

Biker — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 22:17:01 +0000

Dear car drivers who “think” lane splitting should be illegal; either 1, move to a state where it is, or 2, apply critical thinking to view the issue rather than reacting with your ego/outrage.

Lane splitting/sharing is the safest option for the bike in stop and go traffic, and it is one less car holding you up.

Bikes don’t need you to move over (there is actually plenty of room), but if you try it, you will usually get a friendly wave anyway, as we appreciate the gesture.

Finally, if you want to see more courtesy on the road, then practice it. As Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see in the world”.

Respectfully,

A motorcyclist.

By: Jesse

Jesse — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:58:00 +0000

I’m a relatively new rider and said that I would never lane split, but the reality is that you need to – LA traffic is no joke.

I agree with all the safety comments noted here and only lane split when safe and traffic is at a stand still. I have come across a few drivers that are against the lane splitting by us riders and actually try to “close the gap” on us and not let us through. But, the one thing I have not heard anyone speak of here is that “motorcycles cannot stay idle in traffic” and just go with the flow of slow to non moving traffic because “they will overheat”. Which means pulling over and letting the bike cool before continuing. Who does that? Or has time for that? My bike runs at 160 degrees F at normal speeds and starts to heat up if slowed – so I don’t understand why drivers aren’t told this in traffic schools, news channels or in literature. We should not all take the blame for some of the more reckless riders out there, but we are all on the same roads. Please look out for us and keep it real – your car can do more damage than our bikes can.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:08:47 +0000

I ride a motorcycle practically every day from school and back. I rarely have to lane split on the freeway, but I always filter to the front on a red light. I believe most people don’t care if a motorcycle filters to the front at a red light. But iv had people try to pin me when lane splitting on the freeway in traffic. It was a terrifying experience for me and there should be a way to report such drivers to the police. If done safely it reduces traffic congestion and is safer for the rider, maybe if more people payed attention to there surrounding while driving we would have much less accidents.

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:29:40 +0000

tell you what, lets come up with a deal. Make it so Harleys can’t be that freakin’ ridiculously loud anymore and I’ll allow the lane splitting motorcyclists to come sit near my window. I have issue with lane splitting even in very slow or stopped traffic because now motorcyclists aren’t moving fast enough to move smoothly between my vehicle and another without wobbling back n forth or bouncing off vehicles or into side mirrors. I further don’t like lane splitting because of blind spots and I shouldn’t have to worry about moving over and possibly hitting a motorcyclist because they’re to my left between me and another vechicle. Personally I fail to see why they can’t be in the lane like a vehicle. If you’re there and have lights on I doubt you’ll be rear ended or something and the danger of that I believe is less likely than people turning left into them because they’re lane splitting. I’ve had zero problems driving behind a motorcycle but lots with them lane splitting and several near accidents.

By: Bunga Gunga

Bunga Gunga — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:35:09 +0000

best thing people in cars can do is hang up the cell phone, turn the music down, stop eating, stop fixing your makeup, and freakin pay attention. Your driving! Stop zoning out in your little bubbles!

By: rider

rider — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:35:09 +0000

I think that the reaction from some of the drivers here is indicative of how car drivers are on the road. They don’t ride but don’t want others to ride either. I wish like someone else said they would start writing up the drivers of cars for swerving to cut off the biker or do undercover stings with out of uniform officers and see the dangers that riders endure every time they ride. Its legal…. don’t worry about others just drive safe.

By: Michael Roesner

Michael Roesner — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 03:11:35 +0000

This is a great topic. I ride an air cooled machine. Common sense tell me to ride if my life depends on it.

By: Palmeda Day

Palmeda Day — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:42:21 +0000

The majority of the responses are from motorcycle riders. I wish there was some way of warning the driver of the car that the motorcycle is about to spit the lane. I have had Harley’s scare the s—. out of me when they drive past with their loud pipes. And the other foreign bikes you can’t hear until they whine by.

By: Heywood Jablome

Heywood Jablome — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:09:11 +0000

I ride, I split lanes. I have been run into and had some close calls…but sit in that traffic while my bike and I both over heat?? FAHGETAHBOUTIT.

By: hannon sutro

hannon sutro — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 23:47:28 +0000

I got sideswiped by a large Harley a few years ago in the Novato narrows area immediately by the airport. The problem is that while the car is stuck in traffic , the motorcycle got away and didn’t bother to stop. I couldn’t get his plate number and because of the deductible had to eat the buff out job to the tune of $ 600 dollars.
Just for that reason alone it should be illegal, you can’t catch them.

By: Stacy

Stacy — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 23:25:00 +0000

I split lanes only when I need to, meaning, when the traffic is going so slow either you might drop your bike from the stop and go or your bike may start overheating. Lane splitting should be used only when needed.Splitting lanes takes a lot of confidence and skill. Unfortunately I see it overused when some bikers just don’t want to stay anywhere near the speed limit which gives us a bad name and reputation.

By: paul

paul — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:59:45 +0000

an area that should be prohibited, lane splitting legally banned, is at hwy junctions and the car jostling area before and after. The only two lane splitters to get mad at me were in the area between Ashby and University where there is so much lane changing going on that anyone spliting lanes up to the San Rafael cut-off should be considered mentally impaired and too irrational to ride a bike.

If a merger is trying to merge when convenient, not at the most crowded time, and you are in the blind spot, it is going to look to you as if you were cut off, yet you never let the car ahead know you were there or what your intentions were. True going left as well.

No splitting at interchanges and merging areas as even the number 2 lane will become impacted by reactive and defensive drivers.

By: Anthony Angry

Anthony Angry — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:45:56 +0000

Every motorcycle rider should take the safety class and if every driver had the same education we get in the motorcycle safety class, it would be a huge improvement.

Personally, I don’t lane share on the highway because I don’t feel I’ve got enough miles under my belt to safely anticipate the changing situations – and my schedule rarely, if ever, has me in heavy traffic. I do, however, go to the front of the line at stop lights and yeah, sometimes people sure take it as some personal offense. What IS the deal with that? It’s a safer place to be for a motorcycle. Yeah, it’s a convenience for us that ride but too bad, grow up. If your only reason to be against it is that, “it’s not fair!” Grow up.

I’m not convinced that it shouldn’t be illegal to lane share at night, though. It’s difficult, if not impossible, for a driver to discern a motorcycle headlight from all the others in the rear-view mirror and a driver might make a lane change while unaware of the bike that’s splitting lanes.

By: Chris P. Lo Pinto

Chris P. Lo Pinto — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:36:09 +0000

I feel it is very important for drivers to understand why there is a rule like this here in CA. I am from Mendocino County and have been riding since 1968, having grown up in N.Y. and there I got a citation for lane splitting so was fearful of that practice until in 1995 I was riding home from S.F. and at the point south of Petaluma where the freeway drops from three lanes to two I had a CHP motorcycle officer ride alongside who told me that I should lanesplit for several reasons, first of which was the fact that if traffic came to a sudden stop in front of me that I might not have time to stop before hitting the car in front, and also that I was taking the space of a car and that because of congestion it would actually be more practical to ride in between cars. I told him I did not feel comfortable doing it and he told to “get over it”, so I learned that day and rode like that through stopped traffic all the way to Santa Rosa, which turned out to be the only practical solution. Several years later on a ride to S.R. coming back, I was just riding in the left lane because traffic was still moving at about 45 mph and suddenly the cars in front of me slammed on their brakes and I knew instantly I would not be able to stop in time to prevent hitting the car in front and I swerved out onto the center median, and rode on dirt inches from the guardrail for several hundred feet knowing that if I went down I would be badly injured, and somehow was able to retain control of my motorcycle and ride it back onto the pavement without falling. That was very very scary, and at that point knew that the CHP officer was correct. Ever since then, in heavy traffic I lane split carefully knowing that riding in a lane with cars is even more dangerous and am very glad that California allows this practice which has since saved my life several times. Of course there are many riders who don’t know or care about the proper guidelines for this and that is too bad, because if it were outlawed there would more motorcycle fatalities and even less room on over crowded freeways. For drivers of cars and trucks it seems like a bad idea, but if done properly, it is actually a better way to go.

By: Robin Thomas

Robin Thomas — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:05:44 +0000

Finally, at least some guidelines. I commute daily from Sonoma Co. to Corte Madera. Lane-splitting by these self-entitled riders is more than dangerous – as most of them do it going faster than the allowed speed limit – and I’m not talking the 30 MPH speed limit. During commute traffic, when traffic is moving 50 MPH or more, it is very difficult and extremely distracting to have a bike come roaring past your vehicle, either on the drivers or passenger side. The bikers have little or no respect for passenger vehicles, considering that they fully expect you to know they are coming and expect you to move aside. We need more than guidelines – we need laws to stop this! My commute partner and I call these people guys with a death wish!

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:42:39 +0000

d duncan- California may be the only state that allows this logical, sensible and safe (except for dangerous car drivers) practice, but there are other places where it’s also legal and commonplace– every other civilized country on the planet! The US, except for CA, is completely backward in this regard, primarily because motorcycles aren’t as widely used for transportation here; they’re seen more as novelties in the states, which is a shame. If there were more out on the roads, there wouldn’t be traffic jams and we’d be saving millions of gallons of gas yearly.

By: J. Longtooth

J. Longtooth — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:49:32 +0000

Every driver has been startled by the sudden appearance of a motorcycle where none was expected. I’m curious if any driver of a vehicle has ever been cited and penalized for clipping a motorcycle while the bike is splitting a lane. The law must have that scenario covered, but I can’t recall of ever hearing tell of a single case. It seems to me only fair a motorcyclist should automatically be on the liability hook if-and-when such an accident occurs. After all, the decision to roll the dice with their lives by splitting lanes is theirs alone.

By: miggy

miggy — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:18:43 +0000

@ Robert….should you even be riding? You have admittedly vandalized another persons vehicle, are you responsible/smart enough to ride between moving vehicles?

By: sonomaborn

sonomaborn — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:07:22 +0000

murphy’s law, what can go wrong will go wrong…

live fast, die fast, live slow, die slow

happy riding