So you want to zone out, behind the wheel, and then complain when someone interrupts your nap? Is that really what you’re trying to say?
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Of course not. Duh. Why should I even answer that?
Next time you’re stopped in completely stopped traffic, take a look around. 50% will be on their phones, fiddling with the radio, turning to talk to each other, picking at their face in the mirror, the usual. And yet every day millions of people don’t get in an accident. Because it’s mostly predictable. And boring. It takes about .5% of our potential driving concentration to sit still, then occasionally take our foot off the brake, roll forward about 20 feet, then gently stop again, wait 30 seconds, then repeat. That’s not a good/bad judgement, just the reality.
I’m not against lane splitting per se, I’d just prefer that it be done slowly, quietly, and with enough caution to reflect that you understand you’re doing something that a car up ahead might not be expecting.
Are motorcyclists lane-splitting in the Chuck-E-Cheese parking lot? Then maybe opening your door on the freeway isn’t the issue at hand.
If anything, I’d say it’s 1) that the M/Cer is passing traffic that’s usually sitting still or rolling at no more than 10-15 mph, and that pisses people off because…they’re being passed, or 2) some M/Cers lane split at ridiculously stupid speeds while also doing ridiculously stupid things, and given that cage drivers automobile drivers seem nearly incapable of noticing their surroundings, the passing M/C will scare the shit out of them b/c they didn’t see it beforehand.
This, a hundred times over. Family members have told me that they don’t like lane splitting b/c the motorcycle is operating unfairly, as though we’re cutting in line.
I’ve had that happen numerous times in different states.
Fuck’n A right.
The buses around DC do this in crazy heavy traffic as well, and every time I see it, I have to tell myself that, at the very least, they’re far more efficient given the passenger-to-driver ratio (or whatever that’s called).
Petty Motorcycle-Interfering Twat-Auto?
(Surely other readers can do better?)
People keep talking about not seeing the bike… as someone who’s lanesplit for years I gotta say: If you’re counting on cars to see you you’re on your way to becoming a greasespot. Assume you’re invisible and act accordingly. Especially… NEVER try to split past a car with a gap it could change lanes into!
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Right. Got it. Your zen-like state while stopped in traffic is to be held above all other goals, sacred and inviolable.
Nah, just kidding. You and your zen-like state are just going to have to deal with it. My M1 endorsement trumps your nap.
Trust me when I say that your arm will suffer more damage than the front of my motorcycle.
Isn’t that a straw-man argument? Where did I (or anyone else) suggest that?
I’m saying you should pay attention. I thought that was abundantly clear.
And now you’re engaging in dishonesty. I most certainly did not say anything about “cruise missile-esque bikers”. I said (again) that you should be paying attention.
Shame on you for attempting such a transparently obvious attempt at distorting what I said.
twice while stopped in traffic, bikers drove between the cars on their Harleys, and twice, they ripped the side mirror off my car. Both times the cost was below my deductible, and both times, the guys just kept on going. No chance to get their license plates, which are smaller than a cars, even if you could see it sitting in your car as they tool away.
I’d also like to point out that nobody is expecting a biker to drive between cars in slow, stop and go traffic. At least, I’m focused on the bumper of the car ahead of me, and not a sneak attack from the rear. Many times, I’ve caught a glimpse of a bike trying to get through, as the car next to me glides closer to the white line separating us. I don’t care what anyone says. It’s dangerous.
Correction to title: “Motorcycle lane splitting deemed safe, unless pissing off a BMW driver and reminding them that they need to pay attention to the road.”
Caution: F-bombs Ahoy
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And going back to the actual study, this is in fact what makes lanesplitting not-unsafe. If a motorcyclist is fully in a lane, taking up the space that so many automobile drivers seem to be arguing they should stay in, there’s a pretty good chance of some car driver trying to barge into that spot they see as empty. A car driver will not typically, however, try to change lanes into a space already occupied by another car.
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Y’know, I don’t think randomly telling a driver with an open window to put down their fucking phone as you lane split … is a great idea.
I’m my area, 2 people were shot for laughing at a dude who was hanging his feet out the window of his car. The less time I spend on the roads of LA the better.
You don’t actually get a say in the matter. At least in California, it’s legal to lane split. Your personal beliefs in that context are irrelevant.
Besides, if the data says it is safe, then who cares what people’s personal beliefs are? What, lane splitting is a bad idea because God told us so?
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Data? I’ve lost 2 side mirrors to 400 lb bikers wheeling their Harleys between slow moving cars, and had more close calls than I can count. That’s real.
If that’s the case, I would expect insurance companies to be pressing more. The data should be there, if it is more than an individual anecdote.
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I put in 21 years as a claims adjuster …Believe it or not, Insurance Companies have little control over these types of laws…and ultimately, costs are just passed onto the customer. For example, here in Calif (the last I heard) most accidents are caused by the uninsured, which account for only 12% of the cars on the road. The industry tried real hard to pass a law that would make accidents ‘no fault’. In this case, your insurer would fix your vehicle, and the other guy’s would fix his (presuming you and he had insurance). This would have saved the companies, and the customers a fortune. Not only do you no longer need a ‘liability’ dept to determine who was at fault, but legal expenses would drop too as there would be no suits under the law. Did it pass? If you live in California, check your insurance for the ‘liability’ portion of your policy. 
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You’re just not trying hard enough.
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