Lane splitting and safety

[978chris]

I sat trapped behind a car at a red light watching a cement truck that couldn't stop in my rear view mirror. The high bumper on the cement truck clipped my car at the trunk and folded the trunk, rear window, and roof into the back seat. The hit was so hard I busted the drivers seat with my body weight and then was pushed by the folding metal and glass up onto the headliner where I burned the skin from my forehead and tweaked my neck. So my friend, I've been for that ride in the ambulance already and spent a good deal of time learning how to lift the weight of my own head off a pillow as a reminder.

Several years later I was standing in the breakdown lane of a 2 lane divided highway with my broken down Pathfinder getting pulled up onto a tow truck. I watched a driver drift into the breakdown lane and run over 4 flares. The tow truck driver and I jumped over the guardrail just in time to watch her cream into the back of my SUV, sandwiching it between herself and the tow truck. I have no idea how she could miss the cop's blue strobes, the 4 flares in the breakdown lane and the yellow flashers on the tow truck but none of that mattered. I stood beside her bleeding face trying to comfort her and distract her from her knees that were embedded in the dashboard. It was a Christmas Eve I will never forget.

I'm actually a pretty easy going guy and I know that a good part of riding is about personal freedoms. In this case it's the freedom to do as you wish without my preaching so I won't trouble you further on this subject.

Well if you can go through all that and still feel comfortable not splitting and just sitting there, you have bigger balls than myself. That's all I can say.

Personally it scares the crap out of me. Just trying to guage the response I'll get from people if I go around doing it. You have to understand, I come from a state where half the people who ride do so simply because they CAN split lanes (and use the carpool lane anytime, which is the left lane on pretty much any freeway in CA - here we don't even have them). It's just an extremely uncomfortable feeling for me to sit stopped.

FWIW, I so far feel it's less safe to split lanes HERE as opposed to CA because of the awareness issue. But less safe than sitting there motionless ANYWHERE? That I don't know.

I will keep in mind the comments about people and their car doors and wandering over the line, that's just crazy.

That though is some ridiculous crap I've noticed about MA so far. It's like pulling out of the apts I live in, it's a busy street and if people see you pulling out it's like they speed up on purpose (when I'm in my car or SUV). Same thing merging on the highway, instead of slowing down, people run you off the road. Or putting on a turn signal to change lanes, watching the person speed up to close the gap, then flip you off when you cut them anyway. Why did you speed up when my blinker came on? Fuck, slow down instead and you won't have to get pissed at me. The mentality around here is crazy. Where does that come from? I've never had to deal with this shit before so I apologize for going off on it, but damn people around here need to relax. Even in the stop and go traffic, it's LITERALLY stop and go. Not "find a happy slow speed where everyone can keep going and have a stress free ride" driving, but "jerky ass speed up slam brakes can't fucking chill out" driving. I just wanna know why, lol....

[978chris]

to jackasses that do this: if you want to enforce the law, get a fucking badge. otherwise, stop swerving around in front of me like a douchebag in your colossal SUV. just because you're on the way to your shitty job so you can support your miserable existence, doesn't mean you have the right to potentially end mine because i'm enjoying things more than you.

/applause

[Josephd14]

Just wait till you sit in bumper to bumper traffic for 10 miles at 5 MPH, just to see that the backup was due to some guy changing his tire in the breakdown lane.. Everyone has to slowdown/stop to look... that really pisses me off, that and why is when the right lanes slows or someone in the right lane hits the break, people in the left lane feel they should do the same, like they are missing something?

[Wishbone]

That though is some ridiculous crap I've noticed about MA so far. It's like pulling out of the apts I live in, it's a busy street and if people see you pulling out it's like they speed up on purpose (when I'm in my car or SUV). Same thing merging on the highway, instead of slowing down, people run you off the road. Or putting on a turn signal to change lanes, watching the person speed up to close the gap, then flip you off when you cut them anyway. Why did you speed up when my blinker came on? Fuck, slow down instead and you won't have to get pissed at me. The mentality around here is crazy. Where does that come from? I've never had to deal with this shit before so I apologize for going off on it, but damn people around here need to relax. Even in the stop and go traffic, it's LITERALLY stop and go. Not "find a happy slow speed where everyone can keep going and have a stress free ride" driving, but "jerky ass speed up slam brakes can't fucking chill out" driving. I just wanna know why, lol....

welcome to mass the home of all the idiots morons and wack jobs (me included) we're all nuts <i think> mostly due to the fact that we have some of the worst heat/humidity AND cold/wind chill and snow


i think if i came from cali and it was legal there i would play the card as long as it works for ya. i wouldn't lane split here because i see to many nuts that it scares the crap out of me to think some ass would take me out on purpose (i have been already for just riding) and this is from a guy who's father was almost killed by a cage from behind and a good friend was hit by a cage from behind a month ago.

so split the lanes if it makes you feel safer. it couldn't make bikers look worse than all the squids out there already IMO

[Zed]

I hate sitting in slow/stopped traffic as much as anyone else, but I just can't bring myself to lane-split. Doing so is putting waaay to much faith in behavior of everyone else you split past, and on a motorcycle, trusting others is what gets you killed.

I'm not buying the argument that it's safer as a means to avoid getting rear-ended. I've spent plenty of time on NE highways and have come to the conclusion that you can pretty much mitigate the rear-end risks with good situational awareness. First off, DON'T TAILGATE. I know this is tough in heavy traffic, but having a bigger buffer in front gives you more room to accomdate the guy behind you who may not be as quick on the brakes.

When I see traffic ahead starting to jam up, I also keep a careful on the traffic behind me and start looking for my escape if it seems like the car behind isn't going to stop in time.

I just think lane splitting introduces more risks than it mitigates.

[highsider]

Lane splitting rocks, and should be legal. Most European countries, Australia, and California all allow it, and I dont recall hearing any stories of gore and death as a result.

It alleviates traffic by encouraging people to ride bikes because they will not have to sit in traffic, and takes up one less spot in traffic. If it were legal here in VT, I would do it often.

[SVRACER01]

i lane split. i dont understand why its illegal. i agree that sitting there seems more dangerous to me than to keep moving. not to mention the abuse your clutch hand takes when negotiating 3+ miles of traffic. when traffic gets below 20 i start thinking about it. i dont go faster than 15mph and try not to go 5 mph faster than traffic. i actually think thats the law in Cali.
everytime i do it there is always someone that disagrees with it and has to let me know with either a horn or yelling at me. why do they care? is it because im going somewhere and they arent? what about the guy in the breakdown lane passing 20+ cars? no ones yelling at him.
Friday.(i typically like to ride to work on friday because traffic is horrible from all the massholes coming to NH for the weekend) if you arent familiar with RT16 up here it goes from 3 lanes to 2 around Pease Tradeport. this for some reason causes everyone to STOP. so im splitting because....well... because i can. i get to some guy in a blazer who SCREAMS at me (im 4ft away) "hey asshole thats not a lane" i look at him and give him the "i cant hear you look" so after he puts his phone down...he repeats himself. no reaction from me so he swerves into me at 3mph and just as he gets close enough that i can just about touch his truck with my elbow i say.."there you go...vehicular manslaughter...you wont do time for that" he moves back into his lane and i move on.
again. why do they care? why do they go to such great lengths to try and stop us? they seem to hate the things that we are able to do. no ones screaming at me about the 40mpg i get. but if i might get somewhere 5 min before them then im an asshole.
whatever. it should be legal everywhere. i agree that if it was legal that motorcycle awareness would go up and maybe even the number of people who ride would too.even if getting through traffic faster is the only reason.

[bigred875]

My personal rule is when traffic is moving less than 20mph I'll split. Faster than that and spaces start opening up and people start changing lanes erratically. The only problem is that sometimes traffic flows at 5mph for a few miles and then speeds up to 45mph and then back to 5mph.

same here pretty much, when it goes 5-45-5-45 i split then file back in appropriately...

i would expect(hope) a cop would cut you some slack when commuting on a major highway...in a tourist trap like hampton beach i wouldn't. IMO, on the highway you are helping the conjestion and not hurting anyone....in a place like hampton you are adding to the problem by clogging up the intersections....

[bigred875]

I'm not saying don't be aware. I've seen plenty of motorists shoot into the breakdown lane to avoid getting rear-ended and I'd suggest doing the same on a bike if you know you're about to be the meat in a cage sandwich. That's the reason MSF teaches riders to stay in gear while slowing and stopped.

moving targets are harder to hit...if you think you are safer sitting at a stop on a major higway rather then spliting lanes i could not disagree more....

you are a sitting duck out there.... people are total morons in cars...they feel totally safe in their bubbles and dont care about anyone but themselves...they have ABS and air bags...who cares....especially the ones who only drive to get from point A to point B....have cars because they have too... they do not understand the mechanics of operating a vehicle... what are you going to do about miss princess putting on her eyeliner, drinking a coffee, talking on the cell phone and smoking a cigarette....or joe six pack, reaching for his 4th "roadie" on the floor of his pick up.....soccer mom beating her 6 yearold in the back, from the front seat.....of the meth'd out truck driver thats been up for 4 days...

screw that....i keep moving...

[benVFR]

There is absolutely 0 logical reason it's illegal.

Case in point.. it's legal in all 50 states if don't have a motor on your bike. I lane split every single day I ride my bicycle. EVERY DAY.

I will very rarely get shit on by car drivers on the bicycle, but the bicycle is so narrow it's almost impossible to be blocked.

Drivers get way more angry when you do it on a motorcycle.. probably cause they know they're not going to be able to pass you again when traffic breaks up. But in many areas they can't/won't pass you again if you're a bicycle too, but they're too dense to realize driving the car is slower then riding a bicycle so they don't get bothered.

I feel way more in danger if I don't do it. 99% of the time I obey the law, but when traffic gets bad enough I do it on my motorcycle too. I never, ever stop in the middle of the lane. Even if I don't split, I ride on the line in heavy traffic jams to hopefully avoid getting caught in a car sandwich.

I've been caught twice by the police and just gotten a wag of the finger, not even a formal warning. Once the traffic was absolutely horrendous and the cop actually approved of the splitting.. "Just get out of here as safely as possible."

[bigred875]

[newgixxerchic]

I've only lane split once, and that was because it was stopped bumper to bumper traffic and it was raining... Course I'm still relative new, but I would rather "break a stupid law" than get hit.

[SVRACER01]

i lane split past a state trooper once when it was POURING. i even had raingear on and was still getting wet. he didnt even look at me.

[newgixxerchic]

if i was a police officer, i would never pull someone over for splitting if it was raining. all the cagers have cover so why can't i get to it faster...?

[Tricky Mike]

my experience is that there are places and times for it... I hit traffic pretty much every time I ride to work (every day more or less). I'll only lane-split in a couple of carefully chosen spots where there's enough room to do it safely and not piss off the cagers (who DO get pissed and act crazy). What I don't do is stuff myself in tight spaces that don't leave enough room should someone start acting "funny"

[Josephd14]

i lane split past a state trooper once when it was POURING. i even had raingear on and was still getting wet. he didnt even look at me.

You were going so fast, he didn't see you..

[BLACK SQUIRREL]

I've split lanes here in Rhode Island.Very cautiously nowadays'.And only in gridlock.One time,while riding through(splitting) traffic in nearby Newport i got a car door abruptly opened in traffic.The Bitch later told me,"See,you can't do that"! You see,she was metering out punishment with her door,she never intended to exit the vehicle in traffic.The driver was cited for that,I was cited for splitting.Be careful,people can be vindictive out there.

Screw that I would file a complaint of assult,

[sanfelice]

I don't ride the slab, so I don't have any experience with that, but I agree with the prevailing wisdom here that it seems safer. I think what everyone is saying, though, amounts to "how fast" you are going when you are splitting lanes. If you're only moving at speed enough to keep your bike up straight, then I think you're OK. If you have a big-ass, heavy bike (HD or GW, etc) then I think splitting is more difficult as you have to motor a bit faster to keep it upright and those damn things are so wide that you'll probably take out some mirrors while you're at it. That, I think, is the issue cagers have with splitting - they think you will scratch their cars and then just get the hell out of there (and that would cause some serious rage...).

I split when the light turns red and only then to get to the front of a stopped line of traffic at a signal. Otherwise, I don't do it, because people DO get pissed

[benVFR]

Big HDs and Goldwings and stuff actually stay upright at low speeds better then many sportbikes.

Their frame/fork geometry is built to go straight more easily.. cruisers are fantastic at going slow.

Width is an issue though.

[zachary6]

People do get pissed about it in Boston. On my commute I lane split in two places, but only with stopped traffic at a red light. One of those places is the rte2 entrance onto storrow dr where it goes from 5 lanes to 2, its just a no brainer that it is WAY more dangerous to obey the law than to split up to the light and get in front of the traffic. Speaking of which last week saw a cager at that merge driving a stick while talking on a cell phone as well as eating a bowl of cereal WITH milk, seriously!

[Edwardo]

I split at the 2->Storrow and the Rt 2/3/Freshpond clusterfuck by the Alewife station too. Otherwise, on the highway when it's <15mph and I'll only do 20. When the traffic gets above 15, I fall back in line.

[978chris]

again. why do they care? why do they go to such great lengths to try and stop us? they seem to hate the things that we are able to do. no ones screaming at me about the 40mpg i get. but if i might get somewhere 5 min before them then im an asshole.
whatever. it should be legal everywhere. i agree that if it was legal that motorcycle awareness would go up and maybe even the number of people who ride would too.even if getting through traffic faster is the only reason.

OK I feel better. See back in Cali people aren't dicks about it. People aren't total dicks to people in other cages either (like they are out here).

I seriously think people are trying to kill me out here. Hence this thread because of my paranoia about getting slammed on purpose. Not like "haha here's a warning", but like "if I can get away with hitting you I will".

I've already been sideswiped down the entire driver's side of my car on Rt 3 by a dumptruck because I saw a spot to merge in front of him and went for it. He said "no you don't" and went for his gas pedal. When he initially hit me, he didn't stop, either. Every piece of bodywork on that side was replaced. I got the ticket and the expenses. Whee.

I didn't want to make a big deal about it before because, well you all live here, and I don't want to offend anyone - but I have to ask what the fuck?

Deep breaths. And some good music on the radio or cd player or whatever. And relax. Please? I'm pissed I gotta live in this climate too now, but come on.

[Paul_E_D]

The whole premise of this thread is a bit off IMO. Rear-end collisions make up less than 5 percent of motorcycle accidents, and a lot of those are at intersections. Where does that leave the risk of getting rearended on the highway? At a very small number indeed.

I'm in favor of lane-splitting as a way to ease traffic, but I think it should only be allowed at 20mph and under. I wouldn't really call it a safety issue though...

[bigred875]

thats because most people do not commute to work on their bikes...most riders are weekend warriors....


i don't care what the stats say it is extremely dangerous sitting in bumper to bumper traffic....especially in this part of the country

[DucXl]

thats because most people do not commute to work on their bikes...most riders are weekend warriors....


I now work only two miles from home.i mostly bicycle to work.

Hey,Manville! I was at "Lil&Gene's" last Saturday.And occasionally go to "Lou's" and The Caruso

Back on topic...i also have been known to split at speed when following the only three cars on the road but they're running three abreast and no one is passing.That's when i get Kooky