Like the law that says we can turn right on red lights, lane splitting is legal in California to cut down on emissions, congestion, and gas costs. Removing a motorcycle from traffic and letting them filter through congestion is good for everyone. This all means less emissions, less time in traffic, less people on the road, fewer fuel costs. It's a no-brainer out here.
I found myself splitting traffic like Moses out here. People will literally move out of the way to let you through. It's fantastic. I've seen my road time cut down considerably, even when I have my big ol' panniers sticking out of the sides of the bike. I just do my best to be realistic when I see a gap between cars.
Lane splitting here will be useful when it comes time for me to jump into Mexico. Pretty much THE ENTIRE PLANET allows lane splitting except for North America.
North Americans, with the exception of the few states that allow lane splitting, get ANGRY seeing motorcyclists cut through traffic. So much so that some have weaved their car INTO the biker's path, which is attempted manslaughter at best.
On the flip side, you see the daredevil types that weave through traffic at 55+ MPH. This is illegal. Motorcycling attracts a very devil-may-care thrill-seeking type of person. We all know that bikers can be douchebags. We're not talking about them here. We're talking about the legal things. We're talking about:
- Lane Splitting under 30 MPH through bumper-to-bumper traffic.
- Going to the front at red lights.
Even these acts can make a motorist FURIOUS at a motorcyclist. Why ? Glad I asked:
The deal with the North American mentality regarding driving:
To the North American car driver, the space in your lane is OWNED BY YOU. Like a moving piece of property, no one should be allowed to take away your 'space' and where you plan to move it.
To force your hand or make you 'move' your property where you don't want to go? It's culturally on par with theft.
If you were to see a motorcyclist lane split in Minnesota, for example, people would get IRATE. Traffic is seen as a queue, not a mode of transport. It's like a big line and the motorcyclists are CUTTING IN LINE. The queue is to go to MY HOUSE AND THE MOTORCYCLIST IS NOT WAITING THEIR TURN.
State representative Walt Brooks from Utah (R - St. George) had been rear ended TWICE on his motorcycle and went on a successful legislative crusade to make lane-splitting legal in his state.
It worked, and we've seen states like Arizona and Montana follow suit. Oregon ALMOST had it, and it had bipartisan support, but the governor vetoed it. We all don't know why and it was a surprising let down.
As you can see, I'm a huge proponent of lane splitting. Because of the reasons above, AND the fact it cuts down on rear-end collisions and adds to motorcyclist safety, I'm a huge fan. I'd like to see it implemented everywhere.
The only argument against lane splitting is that people aren't used to it. That's the big reason and I frankly don't count that as valid. Like round-a-bouts and ranked-choice voting, people should just learn how to do it because it will make their life better. Get out of your comfort zone, see it done, maybe try it yourself, then thank me later and I'll save you the "I told you so."
-JT
11/4/2022