I'm actually very surprised that most riders here don't like lane splitting. I'm curious about the age breakdown of those who are against it (I'm guessing the older guys in rural areas are the main ones against it). The ability to park almost anywhere along with lane splitting are some of the biggest benefits you get from riding in an urban area.

That said, I don't filter at red lights (although I probably should). I'm not sure if people on the east coast are ready for that yet.

 

Well done, Red Dragon! An extremely valid point!

 

Ever ride here for a significant amount of time?

I suggest you do that before making blanket statements.

Lane splitting is most definitely safer than sitting in backed up traffic, and should be allowed.

The problem is many riders abuse the right and split with too much speed, or in situations where it is not needed.

Perhaps some of you simply don't have the skill set to do it, so don't understand it.

 

Sorry. You said A long line of cars, which I didn't take to mean multiple lanes.

Maybe you should show me where I said you weren't fine with lane-splitting, then I'll search out your post. I was just trying to explain why you may have gotten the ticket. The scenario you mentioned is different than what I read, and I'll take your word for it.

 

Human nature will never allow that to happen for many people. That`s one of the reasons for road rage.

As I already said, human nature won`t allow it. All it does is foster the mindset of many to become pissed off about it. Not legal in my state. The advantages of lane splitting are far outweighed by many other factors involving safety, stemming principably from driver attitudes and inattention issues. We don`t have any better control of those (texting, anger, etc.), nor does it seem as though any laws involving these issues will be enforced. So, how would it make it "better for all"?

If you truly believe in your sig. statement (assume they`re all out to kill you), why would you want another way for that to happen easier?

 

Yeah, I honestly don't see it as a real threat. I've NEVER seen it come up on anyone's political agenda and certainly never in a voting booth. I see your point, but given some of the responses here and knowing how much of the American public feels about bikers in general, do you really think that a bill to legalize it would have a snowball's chance in hell of passing?

The consensus of many supporters seems to be: Even though I voluntarily chose to ride on a sweltering hot day, I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit in traffic like the rest of you shlubs and if you don't like it, tough ****. Can you see how there appears to be a sense of entitlement, simply because they ride Harleys? Honestly, it's not so much the lane splitting that I have issue with - it has more to do with the "I'm special, so I'll do what I want and f-you" attitude. It's no wonder that bikers often get a bad rap.

 

In my state, sharing a lane with another vehicle is not permitted.

Yet we ride side by side often... without citations.

It would be great to have lane splitting permitted on I-35 through Austin and certain areas of DFW/Houston.

 

Odd, I lane split in Ca for 25yrs and never got pulled over for it.

 

Because when you're stopped in the middle of a lane on a bike, a moving car can easily hit you as it approaches you from behind, if their intent is to kill you ( as the sig you pulled from several pages ago infers ). When you are moving slowly alongside a car that is stuck in traffic and cannot move, that car can not slide sideways to hit you if it wants to.

When you get rear-end, the force is direct. Transferred instantly to your motorcycle. If you are stopped and hit by a car going only 5mph, your bike will accelerate from 0 to 4.9mph in 0.1 seconds, making it very unlikely you will remain on the bike (such as when my friend was crippled).

If you should get hit while lane-splitting, the force will be indirect without the instant change in trajectory. You are very likely to remain on the bike and still have control.

Again, you are three times more likely to be killed in a rear-end collision in a non-lane splitting state. Since you apparently just scan threads for signature quotes, I can understand why you don't get that. Being informed makes for a more intelligent discussion. Most of the nay-sayers are literally thousands of miles from what we're talking about.

 

Lane sharing is legal in Arizona, lane splitting is not. Two bikes can ride side by side anywhere in the state, but a bike can not share a lane with a car.

Riding a motorcycle is legal, but many people think it is inherently dangerous and don't want to do it. I'd like to see lane splitting legal everywhere, then let the riders decide if they want to do it. Part of the problem California riders have mentioned is out of state drivers that don't know it's legal there. If it was legal in all states splitting would be safer, once the drivers got used to it.

As I mentioned earlier, I sometimes ride in California and lane split to get through gridlocked traffic. I don't do it often enough to be as proficient at it as many of the California riders and often pull into a vacant spot in a lane to let them pass me. That doesn't make me any less of a rider, they are just better at it than I am.