Lane splitting, what say you thread

[bombadillo]

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=458698

This was a thread I was a part of and curious to know what some of you think.  I started getting pretty pissed at the guys who just think its a given right that you can just run up in somebody elses lane at any speed you want.  It IS legal here, however to do it is your own butt if it goes sour on you.  What are your thoughts.

[cbrfxr67]

I really try not to split here in Houston.  Sometimes I do, but my wife has told me times when guys zip past her & it freaks her out so I imagine other people feel the same.  Me, I move over to let guys split so I can look at their bike better.  haha

[madjak30]

It's not legal here in Canada...but my thinking is, if the other drivers aren't used to it...they may take offense and do something stupid/dangerous, and who do you think will get hurt? not the cager, even if he is in the wrong and gets the book thrown at him...you still get hurt, your bike is still toast (I know, insurance...)...not a chance I would take...

Traffic makes people do enough stupid things without having a bike (or bikes) buzz past between all the cars...I just wouldn't trust the cagers...

Just my two cents...

Later.

[yamahonkawazuki]

It's not legal here in Canada...but my thinking is, if the other drivers aren't used to it...they may take offense and do something stupid/dangerous, and who do you think will get hurt? not the cager, even if he is in the wrong and gets the book thrown at him...you still get hurt, your bike is still toast (I know, insurance...)...not a chance I would take...

Traffic makes people do enough stupid things without having a bike (or bikes) buzz past between all the cars...I just wouldn't trust the cagers...

Just my two cents...

Later.

Whether its legal or not. what jak said makes sense. if they dont see you coming and you startle them. you could be a moto sandwich. IF i were to do it, id have to have 3 to 4 ft minimum to feel safe

[ryott52]

Wouldn't even think about trying it in the NOVA/DC traffic here, people change lanes without signalling or looking all the time, and your little bonus lane turns into a dead end really fast.

[yamahonkawazuki]

Wouldn't even think about trying it in the NOVA/DC traffic here, people change lanes without signalling or looking all the time, and your little bonus lane turns into a dead end really fast.

thats what makes me reconsider. whenever ive considered. like i had said. ive gotta have 3 to 4 ft of space. and an exit strategy. if driver is startled, really no time to look back and see fi its clear to grab brakes. and really no time to gun it and clear impending squeezage. ive split on my harley in teh past. to avoid getting rear ended. car i went around got it instead. cop says " you know that is illegal, BUT can see why you HAD to do it.

[Twism86]

I just dont feel safe splitting. Moving between two cars, faster then them with only a foot or so of clearance on both sides is just not fun in my book. They dont expect you to be there, so generally arent looking out for you.

The only thing I will do on occasion is move up between two lanes of cars when stopped at a light and take off faster then them. But since they are stopped I feel more comfortable doing so.

[zkbuck]

it's illegal in Michigan to split lanes, but people do it all the time. I just think it's an extra risk thats not worth taking. it's already hard enough to to see bikes on the road, why put yourself somewhere where other drivers dont expect you to be?

[XLAR8]

there is a difference between splitting and filtering  and i think half the forum is confused as to which is which.

[madjak30]

The only thing I will do on occasion is move up between two lanes of cars when stopped at a light and take off faster then them. But since they are stopped I feel more comfortable doing so.

This is what XLAR8 is calling "filtering" and that is the only thing I would even consider doing...if they are stopped, there is little chance for them to "gitcha"...and I have no problem out accellerating almost any cage...

Lane splitting is when the cars are moving (most areas have regulations about the maximum difference in speed, basically how fast you can pass them and at what speed you can do it)...but I think filering is also included in the lane splitting description...

I personally wouldn't even consider lane splitting unless there was a safety issue that needed to be avoided (yama), then I don't car if it is legal or not...look out for number one, no one else will!!

Later.

[pookiebear]

I split in atlanta all the time during rush hour. Most of the cars are stopped anyway.
Not legal in GA.
I even passed cops while doing it, never got a ticket.
Used to ride in the emergency lane too.
I was ok with me splitting as long as I did not have a pillion. And my insurance is not a base line policy.
But I moved from there 10 years ago so I have not done it in a long time. My current commute is about 5 feet to the couch 

[Twism86]

If thats called filtering then I guess i do that on occasion. Like you said though, only when they stopped and there isnt room for them to do something sudden.

[vinny]

Its a 'Grey area' in the uk, meaning its not ILLEGAL, but is frowned upon. - If you do it dangerously and police see, you're in trouble.

I filter to the front of traffic lights etc, if there's enough room.

I lane split only when both lanes are going slow ~ 10 or so under the speed limit- and there is plenty of room.

If its very busy traffic, but still sticking to a good speed, i wont filter.

[bill14224]

I don't feel safe lane-splitting either because it's dangerous as hell!  It's illegal here in NY and I'm not sure why it's legal anywhere.  Usually I'm a fewer-laws-is-better kinda guy, but not in this case.  Now that I think more about it, if you live in a place where the lanes are wide and you have a culture that's used to lots of motorcycle traffic and lane-splitting, that could be another thing, but here you'll end-up sideswiping or rear-ending someone if you do it for long!

[xunedeinx]

I don't feel safe lane-splitting either because it's dangerous as hell!  It's illegal here in NY and I'm not sure why it's legal anywhere.  Usually I'm a fewer-laws-is-better kinda guy, but not in this case.  Now that I think more about it, if you live in a place where the lanes are wide and you have a culture that's used to lots of motorcycle traffic and lane-splitting, that could be another thing, but here you'll end-up sideswiping or rear-ending someone if you do it for long!

I used to live in NY not too long ago, near the city and then in the sticks...

I wouldn't lane split if the state paid me, the assholes around you would kill you in short time..

[yamahonkawazuki]

The only thing I will do on occasion is move up between two lanes of cars when stopped at a light and take off faster then them. But since they are stopped I feel more comfortable doing so.

This is what XLAR8 is calling "filtering" and that is the only thing I would even consider doing...if they are stopped, there is little chance for them to "gitcha"...and I have no problem out accellerating almost any cage...

Lane splitting is when the cars are moving (most areas have regulations about the maximum difference in speed, basically how fast you can pass them and at what speed you can do it)...but I think filering is also included in the lane splitting description...

I personally wouldn't even consider lane splitting unless there was a safety issue that needed to be avoided (yama), then I don't car if it is legal or not...look out for number one, no one else will!!

Later.

aye. my personal CYA policy. or CMA. ( cover your ass/cover my ass ) other than that im in no hurry.

[bill14224]

Yeah, filtering.. I like that word.. too bad it's illegal here.  I would love to be able to do that.

[ryott52]

Yeah, it's illegal just about everywhere but Cali, most states don't make distinctions between lane splitting and filtering. Basically they all say that if you're travelling between designated lanes you're illegal, no matter the speed of traffic.

[bassman]

Filtering is legal here in the UK but 'splitting' as you all put it may not be (would probably be considered 'driving with undue care and attention' or just plain 'dangerous driving'). I filter all the time riding to work in the rush hour. I don't usually deliberately 'split lanes' I just usually find my self in that situation when filtering and then the traffic picks up speed. In those situations I suddenly feel in a very vunerable position and drop back into the lane as quickly as possible. I am always very courteous and thank every car driver that moves to give me better access  .

Bassman

[Falcon01]

I live in CA, and "lane sharing" is legal here.  Not only is it legal, the vast majority of riders in this area do it as a matter of routine.  Technically it illegal to ride the line/dots between the lanes, but totally legal to share a lane with another vehicle.  In reality though, what I see most riders doing is riding the lines between the lanes.  I personally don't lane share, except when I think I'm in danger of being rear-ended and move between two cars to keep prevent it from happening.  Riders on our local forum argue that it's safer to lane spit in rush hour traffic because of the risk of being rear-ended in stop and go traffic.  They feel they could possibly recover control of the bike from a side-swipe at low speeds, but obviously can't recover from from a direct hit from the rear.  This topic has been debated a thousand times on the local forum, and the vast majority of riders are supportive of the practice and very defensive about the topic in general.

Having moved here a few months ago from the Midwest, lane splitting still freaks me out.  When I'm in my cage and bikes are zinging around me on both sides, it makes me nervous.  Cagers in this area are more accustomed to the practice and I can honestly say that I feel cagers do a much better job of watching for motorcycles here than they did in Chicago.  However, there seems to be an accident every week involving lane splitting.  Maybe with the tens of thousands of bikes on the road in the Bay area that statistic is quite low, but I for one do not want to become one of those statistics.