CHP Study Finds Lane-Splitting No More Dangerous Than Just Riding a Motorcycle* | GTAMotorcycle.com

CHP Study Finds Lane-Splitting No More Dangerous Than Just Riding a Motorcycle*

I don't think the cagers here are mean and nasty. A lot of stupid and not observant perhaps which is what makes it dangerous. It's a mentality thing not so much a driving skill thing. People need to be taught to pay attention driving and not texts or Facebook while operating a 4000 lb hunk of metal. This goes back to driver training and how simple it is to become licensed here. A monkey could be taught to pass mto testing.
 
So lane splitting is no more dangerous than riding in lanes, for motorcyclists, in a State in which people have been doing it for decades? That's hardly a surprise. It's the norm. And yet even there, there are a goodly number of people who don't know it's not illegal.
 
Rob MacLennan said:
So lane splitting is no more dangerous than riding in lanes, for motorcyclists, in a State in which people have been doing it for decades? That's hardly a surprise. It's the norm. And yet even there, there are a goodly number of people who don't know it's not illegal.
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You should see all the drivers in Australia who are absolutely ignorant to the fact that filtering is legal. It's a shame really because the drivers become belligerent based on their own ignorance and take it out on the rider. It's a vicious cycle - and to be honest I think there should be more initiative in raising awareness of the legality of splitting in areas where it's legal (sad to say considering people should know the law to begin with).
 
Boots said:
You should see all the drivers in Australia who are absolutely ignorant to the fact that filtering is legal. It's a shame really because the drivers become belligerent based on their own ignorance and take it out on the rider. It's a vicious cycle - and to be honest I think there should be more initiative in raising awareness of the legality of splitting in areas where it's legal (sad to say considering people should know the law to begin with).
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Rather famously an L.A. radio personality said live, on air, that he wanted to door those illegally lane splitting motorcyclists a couple of years back.
 
We basically need to sponsor an M1 Exit Course for both the Minister for Transportation and the Premier; get them w/e gear and motorcycle they want. Maybe even get them seats to COTA or Indianapolis when MotoGP comes around.

As soon as they're on two wheels, they'll be able to relate much better. It's one of the reasons JPs that ride hand down much more favourable decisions to motorcyclists.
 
Two points to make.

The first being that there are more than a few people in the GTA that have the same view of filtering as the forum member in the link. You should have the filtering conversation with outright cagers, not cagers who have become motorcycle riders. They talk as if anyone filtering just tried to kill one of their children (by going by them). Not sure how we can deal with that type of hatred as you can't use logic with them.

Second point not sure if it would be helpful to introduce the Premier and the Minister of Transportation to motorcycling. I won't say too much in case someone were to forward my post to them. I have written to both and spoken to Minister of Transportation directly (in person); did not come away with good feeling. But this recommendation can't hurt.
 
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Here's where the fail comes in for the motorcyclists here:
1) Travel at a speed that is no more than 10 MPH faster than other traffic – danger increases at higher speed differentials.
2) It is not advisable to lane split when traffic flow is at 30 mph or faster — danger increases as overall speed increases.
3) Typically, it is safer to split between the #1 and #2 lanes than between other lanes.
4) Consider the total environment in which you are splitting, including the width of the lanes, size of surrounding vehicles, as well as roadway, weather, and lighting conditions.
5) Be alert and anticipate possible movements by other road users.

The Four R’s or “Be-Attitudes” of Lane Splitting: 

 Be Reasonable, be Responsible, be Respectful, be aware of all Roadway and traffic conditions.

Be Reasonable means not more than 10 MPH faster than traffic flow and not over 39 MPH.
Be Responsible for your own safety and decisions. Don’t put yourself in dangerous positions. If you can’t fit, don’t split.
Be Respectful — sharing the road goes both ways. Don’t rely on loud pipes to keep you safe, loud pipes often startle people and poison the attitude of car drivers toward motorcyclists. Other vehicles are not required to make space for motorcycles to lane split.
Be aware Roadways and traffic can be hazardous. uneven pavement wide trucks distracted drivers weather conditions curves etc.
 
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Does anyone have a link to the actual study rather than an online motorcycle rag's conclusions?
 
Baggsy said:
The Four R’s or “Be-Attitudes” of Lane Splitting: 

 Be Reasonable, be Responsible, be Respectful, be aware of all Roadway and traffic conditions.
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All road users should take this to heart, not just motorcyclists trying to split. Therein lies the problem, of course. If the basic rules are regularly ignored, then expecting a more complex observance is bit naive. Even in CA, it's not a magic bullet--drivers still menace riders, intentionally or not.

What I'd like to see is less squabbling among riders and more mature behaviour overall (on the street). Without any real unity or respect, politicians couldn't care less about what we might want.
 
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I'm currently working and riding in California and have been splitting/filtering since I've been here.

During rush hour when traffic is stopped at traffic lights, filtering helps a whole lot in getting to where you want faster. Drivers are generally more aware of you and some will even move out of the way. I have not experienced any of them trying to block my way.

On the highway, it is a little different...most of the time the traffic is moving between 0-30mph. I try to keep my speed differential lower than 10mph but I still get nervous when there is a car and the adjacent lane is free for them to merge in. I'm extra cautious in this situation.

In general, I feel very safe filtering through traffic to a red light, but not as safe when doing it when traffic is moving. I consider splitting/filtering something that only an advanced rider should do since you need to have complete control and excellent situational awareness to do.

I still see unsafe filtering/splitting (some bikes going 30mph+ between completely stopped cars), who will only become a statistic soon.

If it suddenly became legal in Toronto? I would only be filtering, not splitting since most of the drivers are not aware of what is going on around them...
 
Baggsy said:
Ok thanks. Found it. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/tr.../California Lane Splitting Crash Analysis.pdf

Where did the headline come from?

Are they trying to say that because there aren't as many accidents where the motorcyclist was documented to be splitting,
that it's as safe?
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They're trying to say that, statistically, it's no more dangerous than riding normally in a lane, when done using the recommended safe splitting practices. This conclusion was made, it seems, only considering whether or not the rider was injured in a collision, and the severity of that injury. So I guess that the takeaway from this is that if you somehow know that you're going to be getting into a collision anyway it doesn't matter if you're riding normally or lane splitting using the prescribed method; you won't be hurt any worse.

Given my own experiences I can tell you that it's generally better to just not be in the collision. The study doesn't seem to deal with that component.
 
I haven't read the whole study, but the conclusion stated in the headline seems to be in contradiction to the statement "This study by UC Berkeley, which was commissioned by the OTS and CHP, also found that lane-splitting motorcyclists were more likely to be involved in a crash during commuter hours than non-lanesplitting motorcyclists." found in the article.
 
Lyndsay said:
I haven't read the whole study, but the conclusion stated in the headline seems to be in contradiction to the statement "This study by UC Berkeley, which was commissioned by the OTS and CHP, also found that lane-splitting motorcyclists were more likely to be involved in a crash during commuter hours than non-lanesplitting motorcyclists." found in the article.
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That's a rather open statement. Motorcyclists might be more likely to be involved in a crash during commuter hours because more motorcyclists are on the road at during those times. There are holes in the study that are big enough to drive a Peterbilt through, at least if you try and use it to prove a conclusion.
 
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