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Why lane spitting is safe.

8K views 32 replies 27 participants last post by  SethR 
#1 ·
 
#4 ·
splitting lanes is ok if the society accepts it, in the US its not accepted except california and sometimes there are people who are not from california(but are in california) who try to teach lane splitters a lesson and it can cause accidents, not fun at all.. its all about culture of the people
 
#6 ·
I disagree. They offered no arguments as to why lane splitting is safe. They only talked about the conveniences of lane splitting. Convenience =/= safety. I can't count the number of times drivers tried to merge into my lane while I was beside them either because they didn't look or they didn't register the motorcycle as a road vehicle in their head. Why would I want to sandwich myself between two of these idiots and not give myself any room to maneuver? Add to that the inevitable road rage that some people will experience during rush hour if they see motorcyclists just driving through while they have to sit there and wait and you get one dangerous individual behind the wheel of a big-ass ram. I don't know, maybe the mentality is different in other countries, but I would not want to lane split with the kind of drivers we have around here.
 
#7 ·
Agree Roman, i have done it; but very rarely. Once when it was a million degrees outside and once when i saw heavy rain approaching, and when i did do it i was very cautious and went farily slow also had a finger ready on the lever etc. Plus i dont think its "legal" anywhere in Canada
 
#8 ·
I split all the time in the UK, I'd never get anywhere if I didn't. but got to keep those eyes peeled, people don't look anywhere except 2 feet in front of their own car.

the law on it is very grey here, it's not illegal but frowned upon & if some decides to open a door on me & I hit that door, I'd get the blame for the crash. so caution is the name of the game
 
#9 · (Edited)
I believe its only safe/necessary to lane split in stop/go heavy traffic and to position yourself better at a stop light. For a rider that's well aware and rides defensively...even lane splitting then isn't necessary. Just watch your 6, leave an escape route/cushion, leave it in gear.

Its a dangerous "convenience" factor for anything at speed or for light flowing traffic. For the well aware, overly defensive riders; lane splitting is doable but again, just a convenience factor. My .03 cents.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for the link, I've just spent the last hour watching a few of their videos on youtube.. very interesting.

I also agree that lane splitting (filtering in the UK) is not safe, but everyone here does it as that's what we're taught. It's not illegal here.

I split but I'm overly cautious when doing it.. you have to be super alert IMO.
 
#17 ·
Only people in states where splitting/filtering isn't legal think it's so dangerous.


If you could legally do it, you would, and you would understand why it's good.
 
#18 ·
I think this is true. I have never really lane splitted , so I have no say in it if it was safe or not. But from my judge, as long as its properly done safely . And within the rider's skill level
 
#24 ·
Splitting at speed is great fun....but not really required and a bit dangerous imho so I tend not to do it unless I'm feeling a bit more excitable (read a bit more reckless with my personal safety)

Splitting slow or backed up traffic is very safe, just take it slow, pay a lot of attention, flash lights, blip, make yourself seen. I'd HATE for it to be illegal here to split, it's one of the greatest feelings during a daily commute getting to the front of that mile long queue in just a few minutes.
 
#25 ·
Yeah, I lane split every time I ride. There is ALWAYS traffic, and most people are cool about it and will give you room. I get to work in 25 to 30 minutes on the bike vs 45mins in the car. I've even split past CHP, and they always move over and give me room. Just gotta be safe about it and always watch the front wheels to turn towards your direction
 
#26 ·
I really only split at freeway speeds if the gap is the size of the grand canyon. Some freeways will have a white line between the double yellow about a foot or two wide that make splitting perfect. I don't particularly like rolling over the reflectors on the ground to split.
 
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