Lane splitting and safety

[SVRACER01]

[COLOR="Red"]

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

i can only put with that shit for so long too. that "holding hands" crap is irritating in a car or bike. you are in the PASSING lane. PASS something!

[jimaug87]

I will 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 our hell. I am an aggressive driver, but that's because I have to be. I am a courtiouse driver and I am not a hipocrite. I will let people pull out, merge, and change lanes with ease. I use my blinker before a change of direction, and I cancel it afterwards. I don't see what the big deal is.

I used to have a Wrangler and when the top was down on a sunny day, I yelled at people. I had to take route 1 north from revere at about 5:30, yeah, good luck. An asshole driver with an open window occupied my time.

When I politly asked (he said with sarcasm) why they couldn't let me merge, I loved the answer, "because i'm in a rush to get to ..." hahaha. My Jeep was 8 feet long! They are now 8 feet and 0 minutes closert o their destination.

Sorry for the rant.

I still have no idea why we have the insane traffic that we do, but I know after I finish school I'm GETTING THE HELL OUT!

[spicy]

Welcome to our hell. I am an aggressive driver, but that's because I have to be. I am a courtiouse driver and I am not a hipocrite. I will let people pull out, merge, and change lanes with ease. I use my blinker before a change of direction, and I cancel it afterwards. I don't see what the big deal is.

I used to have a Wrangler and when the top was down on a sunny day, I yelled at people. I had to take route 1 north from revere at about 5:30, yeah, good luck. An asshole driver with an open window occupied my time.

When I politly asked (he said with sarcasm) why they couldn't let me merge, I loved the answer, "because i'm in a rush to get to ..." hahaha. My Jeep was 8 feet long! They are now 8 feet and 0 minutes closert o their destination.

Sorry for the rant.

I still have no idea why we have the insane traffic that we do, but I know after I finish school I'm GETTING THE HELL OUT!

exactly. people just don't seem to understand that when you let someone merge in front of you, it holds you up approximately 50ft (depending on speed -- if stopped it's about 20ft) and maybe 3-5sec, if that.

[sanfelice]

shit, speaking of lane splitting, this from the LA Times:

[Cheese]

shit, speaking of lane splitting, this from the LA Times:

One lane splitter and the other guy cruising looks like he just passed over a bike wreck from the single skid mark behind him. Where's Waldo?

[978chris]

see i'm used to riding in stuff like that

[erik87]

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.

just make sure you dont stay in the break down lane long, i got busted for doing that in NYS

Getting there 10 seconds sooner isn't gonna make a difference to anyone, I promise.

oh, but it will, obviously

When I stop in traffic, Stop near the line so I have somewhere to go in the event I look in my mirror and see someone who might not stop..

the problem with this is its tough to guage whether or not your gonna get hit...ive heard of guys getting rear ended while eyeing their mirror, and just not being able to tell that the driver behind em was coming too fast

(swerving between lanes to block someone trying to pass, brake-checking, blocking people on bikes looking to split lanes)

i totally agree with that...although i will brake check you when im doing 55 or 60 mph in the right lane and you feel the need to tailgate me so closely i cant even see your plate or your headlights

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?

that, or when the guy ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY has stopped on the far shoulder to change his tire...everyone has to stop and see whats going on

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 wouldnt try that...most cops wouldnt buy it...especially when and if you get CT plates/reg/liscence, etc

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 believe the high number of rear end collisions at intersections is because the bike is at a stop...and an intersection would be a place where a cager should be expecting to stop...so i believe it would be MORE dangerous to be stopped on the highway than at an intersection

i can only put with that shit for so long too. that "holding hands" crap is irritating in a car or bike. you are in the PASSING lane. PASS something!

its even worse here in the eastern CT I-95 corridor...2 lanes all the way, and people trying to pass at .2 mph over the guy in the right lane and refusing to speed up...just the other day while doing 57 in my cage, i saw a station wagon driven by an elderly couple doing about 58 attempt to pass me, when they got tailgated by the guy trying to go 75...they were clearly unable to speed up, and decided to merge...even though my car was about 2 ft from their bumper...then slowed down to 50!!!

i see all of one bike lane splitting
im not one to lane split often, mostly cause traffic doesnt build up that badly usually, but since people dont understand the concept of "stay to right except to pass," i tend to change lanes often, and with little space to do so...i have had an SUV soccer mom put on her right blinker as if she was going to actually pull over for me...only to continue in the left lane...turns out she just didnt want me to get past her

[bigred875]

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

all in walking distance from my house....

[SVRACER01]

i was in cali for superbike one year and we were coming back from santa cruz. we turned onto the only highway out of there and ....parking lot. no one is moving. at all. we are on bikes so lane split we go. 9.8 miles to the accident where a car is up on the center divider and the other 2 vehicles are across the road. by the time we got to the front of the line we started with 3 bikes and ended with about 20. it took about 20-30 minutes for us to get through. if we were in a car it would have been hours.

[Bluesman]

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....

I love this guy...couldn't have said it better.

Almost makes me want to move.

[UnderDog]

I've lane split in MA for the past 10 years, both commuting and just out riding, and have never gotten a ticket, in fact never been pulled over for it. If is see the po-po i slip back into a lane or I use a truck or SUV to screen their view of me to ride by them. I'm not even sure they really care though, particularly around Boston they have enough other things to worry about they don't even seem to notice you. I've split right past them and had them not do a thing. As far as I can see, they don't enforce it. But I suppose they could if they wanted to f#ck with you.

Yeah stuck cagers can be azzholes (they don't call us Massholes for nuthin!) and they get resentful that they are stuck while you are not, and that you have the balls to do something that they don't, which reminds them that they are a big pussy, so can make them blow their top. Got to watch out for those drivers, but then again they can't do much about it because they are stuck while you are gone. If dealing with a particular road-rage case you've got to keep track of them in your mirrors to make sure they don[t catch back up to you.

I think it should be legal, because I believe it is safer to begin with, and that would give bikers more protection against road-ragers who might be less beligerant if it was legal.

[978chris]

I've lane split in MA for the past 10 years, both commuting and just out riding, and have never gotten a ticket, in fact never been pulled over for it. If is see the po-po i slip back into a lane or I use a truck or SUV to screen their view of me to ride by them. I'm not even sure they really care though, particularly around Boston they have enough other things to worry about they don't even seem to notice you. I've split right past them and had them not do a thing. As far as I can see, they don't enforce it. But I suppose they could if they wanted to f#ck with you.

Yeah stuck cagers can be azzholes (they don't call us Massholes for nuthin!) and they get resentful that they are stuck while you are not, and that you have the balls to do something that they don't, which reminds them that they are a big pussy, so can make them blow their top. Got to watch out for those drivers, but then again they can't do much about it because they are stuck while you are gone. If dealing with a particular road-rage case you've got to keep track of them in your mirrors to make sure they don[t catch back up to you.

I think it should be legal, because I believe it is safer to begin with, and that would give bikers more protection against road-ragers who might be less beligerant if it was legal.

Good to know the cops haven't bothered you.

Well today I did some massive lane splitting up 495 on my way home. I could tell one car moved over to crowd me on purpose, but I disregarded and went through anyway. I let my motor yell at him a little bit. Other than that it wasn't so bad.