Lane Splitter doesn't pay enough attention!

[Alibally]

There's lane splitting sensibly at a reasonable speed and being an a$$hole though.

[jblye]

I can't relate to traffic conditions in London, since I have never been there.

However, I spent 6 months in Thailand in 1971, flying out of there on B-52 bombing missions into North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Laos, and
Cambodia. I'm not sure which was scarier: dodging Surface To Air Missiles (SAMs) or riding in a "baht bus" (taxi) in Bangkok, Thailand.
There were traffic lanes, for sure, but they had no meaning....they were more like traffic "wads". I'm sure that it is worse today (more
traffic), so you really don't lane-split under such conditions; instead, you would have to "wad split". I often saw 4 or 5 people riding on one
moped. No, thank you !!

I still say that lane splitting is dangerous under ANY conditions ( at least until new technology will allow us to read the minds of the wacko
drivers that we would be squeezing between). I'm convinced that many of them should never have been issued a driver's license.....and many of them have never even tried to get a license.

BTW: If it still takes 25 minutes to go 9 miles even with lane splitting, you could get there just as fast on a bicycle....and get some exercise in the
process (riding on the side of the road, not lane splitting). Just sayin'..........

That's my story and I'm sticking to it !!! I said that with a grin, by the way......

I gotta ask this question: Have any of you ever lane split between two semis (18 wheeler trucks) ? Now, that is madness !!! If any of you ever do
that again, please post a video of it here.

Johnny

[RideLondon]

All I am saying is that different environments call for different driving techniques.

The east- Asia argument is not really relevant. I was just using that as an analogy to draw a comparison to European cities in terms of how common scooters are and how common filtering is.

Personally, I think really it's common sense. The filtering I am talking about is when the traffic is pretty much stationary, and you want to get to the front of the queue. I wouldn't really bother filtering at 40 mph when the rest of the traffic is going at 30. But I would considering filtering at 25 if the rest of the traffic is going at 15, for example.

It's up to the rider to judge what is and isn't a safe driving technique in any given scenario.

I am an avid cyclist and have been cycling, driving a car, and riding a scooter in the city for a long time. Of all these three, cycling is by far the most dangerous, and the statistics on deaths/ accidents in London reflect this.

Like I said, you adapt to suit your environment.

[Steph]

@Sacha - To get a better picture of your riding environment, You should complete the location field under your avatar. As for filtering, I'm all for it!

[Valiant]

Necro, but I figured this is an important public service announcement. Some people will take offense if you lane split, even if you're legally in the clear. The reason being that it's sort of seen as "cutting in line", even if the motorcyclist will lane split further ahead of you and will be out of your sight in less than a minute.

[speedandstyle]

I used to be totally against lane splitting but I think it can be done safely. It does have some advantage at lessening traffic jams. Problem is that much of the lane splitting wouldn't be done safely. Getting to the front of the line at a stop is one thing, racing through traffic is another thing all together{original video}. When you are going much faster than the surrounding traffic you are asking for trouble. That guy found it! If he had been going a bit slower he could have easily slowed or swerved to avoid the car that turned in front of him. As to the driver, a motorcycle coming up that fast between other cars is hard to see, so I don't blame him{he did signal BTW}. Of coarse the rider was 100% in the wrong since he was disregarding the law of Georgia{state the video came from}.

As for the "Europe and Asia does it why not us" debate. There are a few factors that we have that they don't and vise-versa. First off our cars/trucks are bigger, much bigger in some cases. Second, speeds here are often higher then over there{at least the posted speed limits}. Third is that it is needed over there much more. Sure there are some US cities where traffic is bad but even the worst city here is nothing compared to some Asian or even European ones. Finally, over here motorcycles are seen mainly as toys and not a mode of transport{scooter riders are usually in the transport minority!}. Bikes are often few and far between here but in Asia they out number cars and in Europe they are a quarter or so of the traffic{some cities more and some less}.

For lane splitting to work safely in the US would require some serious regulation and education. If it is simply allowed outright there will be many accidents like the one in the original video. Racer boys will use it as a license to race on the highway and even on city streets. Some of our streets are too narrow to allow splitting. There are some streets here that if you had two Hummers side by side there wouldn't be enough room for a bicycle let alone a motorcycle. Safe lane splitting should be done just a little faster than the flow of traffic, too fast leaves too little time to react{as seen in video!}. There would also need to be some serious education for all the cagers as many would get angry even if it were allowed.

Now to the video posted above by Valiant. I think the car hit the bike by accident, not deliberately. The driver did not realize just how close he was to the bike{far side from him}. Granted he was not paying enough attention and should have made sure to give the bike room. The rider needed to be a little quicker when starting out. He could have also positioned himself behind the SUV when he stopped instead of the line between lanes. Then gone back to the center to continue the lane splitting.

[Valiant]

Now to the video posted above by Valiant. I think the car hit the bike by accident, not deliberately. The driver did not realize just how close he was to the bike{far side from him}. Granted he was not paying enough attention and should have made sure to give the bike room. The rider needed to be a little quicker when starting out. He could have also positioned himself behind the SUV when he stopped instead of the line between lanes. Then gone back to the center to continue the lane splitting.

A) Looked like an old woman with dark dark sunglasses.
B) The bike was well ahead of the car, no way anyone doesn't see that.
C) The rider was positioned in the left track, legally within the lane.
D) Lane splitting is legal in some places. A car and a motorcycle in the same lane(both vehicles inside the lines), to my knowledge, is not.
E) A knowing accident via incompetence is no less severe than a deliberate act. If I thought cutting your head off would help alleviate your hangover, that doesn't make it an "accident", it makes me a retard.
F) The rider can't see if it's clear to filter again if he positions himself directly behind the SUV ahead of him instead of staying in the left track.
G) The SUV driver did not stop to see if he was okay, but instead attempted to drive away. That's hit and run.

I think it's pretty clear who was in the wrong here.

The only problem is, being legally and morally right does not mean you will not realistically die.

What was that saying?

"He was right, he was dead right. But he's just as dead as if he was wrong."

[Mel46]

We went riding yesterday and the amount of crazy drivers had increased dramatically now that the weather was nice. Bikers were out in force but many of the automobile drivers totally ignored them, which put many of us in danger. It became our responsibility to ensure our own safety. As an example, one driver was using the right turn lane as his personal passing lane, even in intersections. He almost hit us, and we were riding side by side. I really doubt that he would have stopped if he had clipped us. Thus, it became our responsibility to watch out for him, instead of him watching for us. Lane splitting would definitely not work when there are aggressive drivers like that, who could care less about what is legal.

[you you]

Let's be honest the daft so and so hit him as she was accelerating past and didn't stop until the traffic forced her to

Not a lot to do with lane splitting although I do appreciate the sanctimony

[speedandstyle]

A) Looked like an old woman with dark dark sunglasses.
B) The bike was well ahead of the car, no way anyone doesn't see that.
C) The rider was positioned in the left track, legally within the lane.
D) Lane splitting is legal in some places. A car and a motorcycle in the same lane(both vehicles inside the lines), to my knowledge, is not.
E) A knowing accident via incompetence is no less severe than a deliberate act. If I thought cutting your head off would help alleviate your hangover, that doesn't make it an "accident", it makes me a retard.
F) The rider can't see if it's clear to filter again if he positions himself directly behind the SUV ahead of him instead of staying in the left track.
G) The SUV driver did not stop to see if he was okay, but instead attempted to drive away. That's hit and run.

I think it's pretty clear who was in the wrong here.

Maybe it was a woman - hard to tell. The bike looks to be on the line more than in the lane and only stopped because the SUV in front of him was too far to the left. Granted the driver in the car should have seen him and I think he/she did. But he/she thought he{motorcycle} was further toward the left. Not saying that the car driver isn't at fault and for sure it is wrong to not stop after hitting but I do not think it was deliberate as your original post suggested.

Let's be honest the daft so and so hit him as she was accelerating past and didn't stop until the traffic forced her to

Not a lot to do with lane splitting although I do appreciate the sanctimony

I think it does have a lot to do with lane splitting since it would not have happened if the motorcycle hadn't split lanes. It shows that it doesn't always work well. I think it also shows how drivers of cars don't care. So if you lane split keep in mind it is your life at risk.

[you you]

A) Looked like an old woman with dark dark sunglasses.
B) The bike was well ahead of the car, no way anyone doesn't see that.
C) The rider was positioned in the left track, legally within the lane.
D) Lane splitting is legal in some places. A car and a motorcycle in the same lane(both vehicles inside the lines), to my knowledge, is not.
E) A knowing accident via incompetence is no less severe than a deliberate act. If I thought cutting your head off would help alleviate your hangover, that doesn't make it an "accident", it makes me a retard.
F) The rider can't see if it's clear to filter again if he positions himself directly behind the SUV ahead of him instead of staying in the left track.
G) The SUV driver did not stop to see if he was okay, but instead attempted to drive away. That's hit and run.

I think it's pretty clear who was in the wrong here.

Maybe it was a woman - hard to tell. The bike looks to be on the line more than in the lane and only stopped because the SUV in front of him was too far to the left. Granted the driver in the car should have seen him and I think he/she did. But he/she thought he{motorcycle} was further toward the left. Not saying that the car driver isn't at fault and for sure it is wrong to not stop after hitting but I do not think it was deliberate as your original post suggested.

Let's be honest the daft so and so hit him as she was accelerating past and didn't stop until the traffic forced her to

Not a lot to do with lane splitting although I do appreciate the sanctimony

I think it does have a lot to do with lane splitting since it would not have happened if the motorcycle hadn't split lanes. It shows that it doesn't always work well. I think it also shows how drivers of cars don't care. So if you lane split keep in mind it is your life at risk.

So are you for or against lane splitting? It's hard to tell

[speedandstyle]

So are you for or against lane splitting? It's hard to tell

As I stated in my original post I am for it in a limited way.

For instance I am not for the crap in the first video! Traffic was moving OK and the rider was going way too fast.

I also think it has less of a place here in the USA then in Europe/Asia due to there being so fewer motorcycles. Also our larger cars/trucks make it more hazardous.

For it to work well in the USA would require some limits on when and where it can be done. I am against letting motorcycles split lanes on all roads regardless of the traffic situation.

I am for lane splitting when the traffic is moving significantly slower than the posted speed.

I am also for filtering at stop lights to get to the front of the line and out of the cars' way.

A motorcycle that is lane splitting should not be allowed to travel at high speeds while doing so. Hard to give an exact number but 10 mph faster than the cars seems like a reasonable speed.

If the traffic is moving at the posted speed then splitting should not be allowed as it would be speeding on the part of the motorcycle and thus dangerous.

I also think that the liability for lane splitting should fall 100% on the motorcycle rider. It would be an option they have but they take ALL the risk.

One last thing would be education for all the cagers! If a law is passed there needs to be an education campaign or there will be lots of road rage and accidents.

On that second video I think the rider was accidentally wronged but he handled it badly{he raced to catch the person putting himself and others in more danger}. He took the risk and got clipped.

[you you]

So are you for or against lane splitting? It's hard to tell

As I stated in my original post I am for it in a limited way.

For instance I am not for the crap in the first video! Traffic was moving OK and the rider was going way too fast.

I also think it has less of a place here in the USA then in Europe/Asia due to there being so fewer motorcycles. Also our larger cars/trucks make it more hazardous.

For it to work well in the USA would require some limits on when and where it can be done. I am against letting motorcycles split lanes on all roads regardless of the traffic situation.

I am for lane splitting when the traffic is moving significantly slower than the posted speed.

I am also for filtering at stop lights to get to the front of the line and out of the cars' way.

A motorcycle that is lane splitting should not be allowed to travel at high speeds while doing so. Hard to give an exact number but 10 mph faster than the cars seems like a reasonable speed.

If the traffic is moving at the posted speed then splitting should not be allowed as it would be speeding on the part of the motorcycle and thus dangerous.

I also think that the liability for lane splitting should fall 100% on the motorcycle rider. It would be an option they have but they take ALL the risk.

One last thing would be education for all the cagers! If a law is passed there needs to be an education campaign or there will be lots of road rage and accidents.

On that second video I think the rider was accidentally wronged but he handled it badly{he raced to catch the person putting himself and others in more danger}. He took the risk and got clipped.

Whilst being overtaken not lane splitting.

[speedandstyle]

Whilst being overtaken not lane splitting.

? what ? are you talking about the motorcycle rider in the second video?

Yes and no. If he hadn't lane split and got himself into a precarious position then it is very likely he would not have been hit. I am not saying the driver isn't mostly to blame but the rider is partly to blame. I still think he should have positioned himself into the lane in front of that grey Peugeot when he could not go any further.

[Valiant]

Whilst being overtaken not lane splitting.

? what ? are you talking about the motorcycle rider in the second video?

Yes and no. If he hadn't lane split and got himself into a precarious position then it is very likely he would not have been hit. I am not saying the driver isn't mostly to blame but the rider is partly to blame. I still think he should have positioned himself into the lane in front of that grey Peugeot when he could not go any further.

Assuming of course he doesn't get rammed from behind .

You have to understand that lane splitting, no matter if it's legal, no matter if it's pulled off flawlessly, WILL piss people off:

[WhiteNoise]

I enjoyed that last video It seems Mr. Finger didn't have his morning caffeine fix.

[you you]

Whilst being overtaken not lane splitting.

? what ? are you talking about the motorcycle rider in the second video?

Yes and no. If he hadn't lane split and got himself into a precarious position then it is very likely he would not have been hit. I am not saying the driver isn't mostly to blame but the rider is partly to blame. I still think he should have positioned himself into the lane in front of that grey Peugeot when he could not go any further.

Assuming of course he doesn't get rammed from behind .

You have to understand that lane splitting, no matter if it's legal, no matter if it's pulled off flawlessly, WILL piss people off:

Even more so if you are coated in fluorescent. What are you guys playing at...

[gn2]

You have to understand that lane splitting, no matter if it's legal, no matter if it's pulled off flawlessly, WILL piss people off

Fuck them in their metal boxes sitting in queues of traffic.
Stupid cunts.

[speedandstyle]

New video - Question is - why! Traffic is light and moving very well - why does he need to lane split? I will assume that the cars are going the speed limit thus the bike is speeding, although he wasn't going much faster. He does lane split in a fairly safe manner although he seems a little close to the white car at first. As I said I am for lane splitting when it makes sense, this was just a rider doing it because he could. The driver of the car is a total douchebag and is causing way more of a safety risk with his crap. But the rider instead of dropping it responds in kind and takes added risks! He goes through a couple of intersections and never checks since he is busy yelling at the car driver. I have no respect for riders like this!

[JohnL]

Dumb & Dumber

Both dangerous d**kheads.