Lane Splitting - Do you do it ? Ever been caught and charged by Police?

[hedo2002]

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OP to answer your question there "technically" is no law specifically prohibiting lane splitting, nor lane filtering in the HTA, (Highway Traffic Act). There are however, two charges that an officer can lay. The first is a charge which prohibits occupying the same area of a lane, (In other words this could also be used for two bikes riding abreast of each other). The second and MUCH more serious is the dreaded S172, Commonly referred to as the stunt driving and racing law.

As many others have said it is like most laws, break it enough and at some point you are going to get nabbed. At that point you hope the officer is having a "good day" or is seriously concerned for your safety and goes with the less serious charge. BUT if it goes the route of s 172, a good lawyer will likely get the crown to amend the charge to a less serious offence.... BUT at that point you have already lost your licence, and bike for 7 days plus all the related towning and storage fees have been paid. Even if you are found not guilty at a S172 trial these fees are non recoverable.

So it is truly a risk/reward benefits analysis for you as a rider.

 

[Delboy]

The interesting thing about lane splitting in California is that most drivers check their mirrors and will actually move over to give you more room, although its pretty easy to spot a tourist in a rental car.

I have a R1200GS and leave the bags on all the time. Its probably the width of a small European car but I have no problems.

 

[GreyGhost]

OP to answer your question there "technically" is no law specifically prohibiting lane splitting, nor lane filtering in the HTA, (Highway Traffic Act). There are however, two charges that an officer can lay. The first is a charge which prohibits occupying the same area of a lane, (In other words this could also be used for two bikes riding abreast of each other). The second and MUCH more serious is the dreaded S172, Commonly referred to as the stunt driving and racing law.

As many others have said it is like most laws, break it enough and at some point you are going to get nabbed. At that point you hope the officer is having a "good day" or is seriously concerned for your safety and goes with the less serious charge. BUT if it goes the route of s 172, a good lawyer will likely get the crown to amend the charge to a less serious offence.... BUT at that point you have already lost your licence, and bike for 7 days plus all the related towning and storage fees have been paid. Even if you are found not guilty at a S172 trial these fees are non recoverable.

So it is truly a risk/reward benefits analysis for you as a rider.

Aren't there charges similar to driving outside of marked roadway/ignoring roadway markings/failing to stay in marked lane etc. that could also be used? I can't remember the exact wording, but I thought I had seen charges like these before.

 

[matthew]

I wouldn't lane split in Brampton, or ride, for that matter.

 

[Concac]

OP to answer your question there "technically" is no law specifically prohibiting lane splitting, nor lane filtering in the HTA, (Highway Traffic Act). There are however, two charges that an officer can lay. The first is a charge which prohibits occupying the same area of a lane, (In other words this could also be used for two bikes riding abreast of each other). The second and MUCH more serious is the dreaded S172, Commonly referred to as the stunt driving and racing law.

As many others have said it is like most laws, break it enough and at some point you are going to get nabbed. At that point you hope the officer is having a "good day" or is seriously concerned for your safety and goes with the less serious charge. BUT if it goes the route of s 172, a good lawyer will likely get the crown to amend the charge to a less serious offence.... BUT at that point you have already lost your licence, and bike for 7 days plus all the related towning and storage fees have been paid. Even if you are found not guilty at a S172 trial these fees are non recoverable.

So it is truly a risk/reward benefits analysis for you as a rider.

Gotta love the constitutional laws we get here!

oh,... btw... F...T...P

 

[conundrum]

I don't get why anyone would lane split here in Ontario....our drivers are not expecting it (they are barely expecting bikes at all), the fines are insane (stunting 172) with huge insurance ramifications. Also if you ever were in an accident, I'd have to figure you would be deemed at a minimum 50% at fault, if not 100% at fault.

That said, filtering up at a red...I can't honestly say I've never done that before, if you count times where you are riding with a group and a single car inserts itself half way in the pack of bikes, esp if the group is trying to turn left or right at the light.

 

[油井緋色]

Big stick to dead horse!

I used to do it peacefully until somebody tried to door me. Stopped for a year or two. Last year, I stopped giving a **** near the end of the season and split aggressively everywhere like I lived in an Asian country. This hot cougar gave me a rude look once. I hopped off my bike, pointed at her, humped the air for a while, then sped onto the 401.

Both cops and other drivers are your enemy, imo not worth it.

I'm not riding street again until I can afford both a track and street bike.

 

[JFD]

European drivers are also trained vastly better than North American drivers, unlike our cracker-jack licensing system here, so accidents are less likely to begin with.

Training is the least of the worry. Here, people are just to egotistical and the attitudes are far too dangerous. Same reasons why traffic exists - ppl don't know how to mf merge and end up cutting each other off (causing everyone to slow down in the process).

 

[Dresden]

 

[mxs]

stunting? wow that seems pretty extreme. While I do practice it in Europe I still think there are limits… I don't mind doing it when traffic is stopped but when it rolls again, I turn back into lane. Some of the euro guys are pretty hardcore though and will lane split with faster moving traffic 40km/h + !

Europe and here? Two different motorcycling worlds. You will be better off to forget what you have done or seen in Europe ... LOL

 

[TiburonJA]

Would always head to the front of the cue at a red when I was a beginner without giving it a second thought, specifically remember one time when I ended up beside a cop and nothing came of it. However, after coming on here and seeing the penalties that can be thrown around I'm more cautious when I do it (meaning that I look for cops now ).

Aside from drivers honking and throwing a hissy fit from time to time nothing bad ever came of me jumping the cue at reds, only problem I see is if the biker blocks the pedestrian walk way.

 

[Rascal]

Europe and here? Two different motorcycling worlds. You will be better off to forget what you have done or seen in Europe ... LOL

haha I wish!!! sometimes I wake up in cold sweats… flashbacks of 140km/h speed limits!!! (where everyone goes 180km/h….) lane splitting… and other fun stuff we can truly only dream of here in snowy canada


some good responses.. I will 'play it safe' like Dumbo the Safety Elephant used to say (or was that Elmer)? Regardless - counting the days until bike season!!!! hopefully a warm March

 

[Bikerider]

Keep at it and hopefully over time it becomes socially accepted here like in the rest of the world.

 

[Ducati Dude]

I will 'play it safe' like Dumbo the Safety Elephant used to say (or was that Elmer)?

'Elmer' dude...

The extent of my lane splitting is 'sqeaking' by a car on the 'Pole' making a right-hand turn.

Personally, I feel lane splitting is not the safest act. However, if it were 'legal', I 'might' partake in a gridlock situation...

 

[Roadghost]

Do it all the time. Never been caught.

 

[Baggsy]

Never done it, there's no real point.

I've only been stuck in traffic twice on my bike, and neither time was it such a piece of poo poo,
that I needed to get it off of the road in a hurry.

Been split or filtered three times. Each time the person seemed an incompetent rider, and was also holding me up.

Pushing your way to the front and then slowing traffic down, does not lead the way to social acceptance.

 

[HarleyHare]

Curious about the general GTA vibe on Lane splitting
I have very rarely done it during my many years of driving in Canada, but after the last 2 seasons in Europe my thinking has changed greatly...

Agree, rode in Europe and it was beautiful, everyone co-operates and lane splitting is fairly safe. Trying that here is dangerous.

I heard it best from an exBrit who has ridden extensively in both Europe and North America. He summed it up as Europeans viewing it as keeping as many cars off the road is good, so yielding to a motorbike and getting him off the road ASAP is beneficial to all. North Americans on the other hand take a competitive view and the typical driver does not want the rider getting home before him, so will be uncooperative.

Ah, to live in Western Europe!

 

[H4x0rz]

Do it all the time. Never been caught.

never been caught by police? Door? Or person making a lane change just as you are about to pass?

Make no sense to do it where we live. Not with all the idiot drivers on the road.

 

[-JERICHO-]

I've never done it in Ontario. I've been uber tempted sitting on the highway with no one moving. Some people have even asked me why I don't while I am stuck in traffic.. lol I have seen TONS of bikes do this during our last riding season. Mostly filtering at lights is what I see as the most common.

But as everyone has said. The people in this province have sticks up their butts and can't handle the emotional stress(?) of someone else passing them.

I may try it this coming season if I can afford insurance after my renewal.

 

[Rascal]

I heard it best from an exBrit who has ridden extensively in both Europe and North America. He summed it up as Europeans viewing it as keeping as many cars off the road is good, so yielding to a motorbike and getting him off the road ASAP is beneficial to all. North Americans on the other hand take a competitive view and the typical driver does not want the rider getting home before him, so will be uncooperative.

Ah, to live in Western Europe!

You hit the nail on the head!! Definitely a different mentality over on this side of the Pond, drivers get jealous or angry at 'reckless bikers'

I guess it really comes down to history where motorbiking has always been more of a pleasure sport over in 'rich' North America with cheap gas and loads of space, whereas in Europe people actually use motorbikes as daily transport because they can't afford the gas, parking, etc that running a car would entail.

Western Europe!! what about Eastern Europe??? Trust me - it is a driver's paradise (although sadly bribing the police doesn't work so much anymore in some former Eastern Bloc countries) The roads can be surprisingly good too, in many cases even better than ontarios sad potholed tarmac

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