I heard from an attorney in our off season that wanted me to testify in a lawsuit that involved a lane splitting rider that was paralyzed from the waist down. Based on what I saw I told him that you don't want me on the stand as a witness because I think your client helped to create his own situation.
What happened: I was in my SUV following all the other cars on a packed California highway creeping along at about 10 to 15 mph. And of course the usual suspects come up the lanes, most at a reasonable speeds, and others too fast, but some were gunning their throttles I assume if they judged two vehicles are too close together to easily pass and some are far too loud for those close quarters to be doing that. Some would wave if they moved over and others gave drivers the finger that didn't do anything. Anyway I remember the guy involved gunned his straight pipe v twin, which has an unmistakable sound, right beside us and scared the hell out of me and everyone with me, but I fortunately did not move the steering wheel. He then past the car in front of me and got to the next car in our lane and did the same thing, but that poor lady must have panicked because she pulled her wheel to the right and tragically pinned that dude between her SUV and a large truck. According to his attorney that caused serious damage to his back and pelvis which did not surpise me from what I saw that day. I stopped and could tell he was hurt badly as we treated him for shock. The sad thing was, I could see he had plenty of room to pass, she just didn't move out of her lane to the left and make additional room like some of the other drivers were doing - and he was just loudly making a point. A point in retrospect he really should not have made as it turns out. I told the attorney, I am a bike rider and I was a MSF instructor from 88-92 and I do not lane split, nor do I believe in loud pipes. Putting me on the stand would not help his case, and I have not heard from him since - that was October.
Back when I was teaching MSF classes I had a police officer and his daughter in a class and he explained that the California Vehicle code actually did not permit lane splitting. He said (at that time) the code clearly states, one vehicle per lane at a time. Bikes riding side by side in a lane was not legal either. He said lane splitting was tolerated to allow air cooled bikes to move SLOWLY between cars for airflow only. And if they were moving much faster than walking speed it would be considered reckless driving. When it came to reckless driving he added, that could happen any any speed, with any vehicle, if the vehicle was being operated in an unsafe manner.
I also investigated bike accidents as part of my instructor role while in the USAF and I can tell you I saw far too many wrecks and one fatality caused by lane splitting. The bikes and riders always seemed to be the losers in those collisions because right or wrong they got hurt and it was enough to make me stop lane splitting. I'm simpley not in that big a hurry to risk it.
What about you, do you do it, do your friends do it, have you seen any wrecks caused by it? And BTW, cars can legally change lanes in traffic - it is the splitters coming from behind have to yield assuming they are not moving too fast to avoid colliding which also happens and they wrongly blame the vehicle driver.
What happened: I was in my SUV following all the other cars on a packed California highway creeping along at about 10 to 15 mph. And of course the usual suspects come up the lanes, most at a reasonable speeds, and others too fast, but some were gunning their throttles I assume if they judged two vehicles are too close together to easily pass and some are far too loud for those close quarters to be doing that. Some would wave if they moved over and others gave drivers the finger that didn't do anything. Anyway I remember the guy involved gunned his straight pipe v twin, which has an unmistakable sound, right beside us and scared the hell out of me and everyone with me, but I fortunately did not move the steering wheel. He then past the car in front of me and got to the next car in our lane and did the same thing, but that poor lady must have panicked because she pulled her wheel to the right and tragically pinned that dude between her SUV and a large truck. According to his attorney that caused serious damage to his back and pelvis which did not surpise me from what I saw that day. I stopped and could tell he was hurt badly as we treated him for shock. The sad thing was, I could see he had plenty of room to pass, she just didn't move out of her lane to the left and make additional room like some of the other drivers were doing - and he was just loudly making a point. A point in retrospect he really should not have made as it turns out. I told the attorney, I am a bike rider and I was a MSF instructor from 88-92 and I do not lane split, nor do I believe in loud pipes. Putting me on the stand would not help his case, and I have not heard from him since - that was October.
Back when I was teaching MSF classes I had a police officer and his daughter in a class and he explained that the California Vehicle code actually did not permit lane splitting. He said (at that time) the code clearly states, one vehicle per lane at a time. Bikes riding side by side in a lane was not legal either. He said lane splitting was tolerated to allow air cooled bikes to move SLOWLY between cars for airflow only. And if they were moving much faster than walking speed it would be considered reckless driving. When it came to reckless driving he added, that could happen any any speed, with any vehicle, if the vehicle was being operated in an unsafe manner.
I also investigated bike accidents as part of my instructor role while in the USAF and I can tell you I saw far too many wrecks and one fatality caused by lane splitting. The bikes and riders always seemed to be the losers in those collisions because right or wrong they got hurt and it was enough to make me stop lane splitting. I'm simpley not in that big a hurry to risk it.
What about you, do you do it, do your friends do it, have you seen any wrecks caused by it? And BTW, cars can legally change lanes in traffic - it is the splitters coming from behind have to yield assuming they are not moving too fast to avoid colliding which also happens and they wrongly blame the vehicle driver.