Those of us--Keith Houghton, John Bortscheller, Bob and Denise Wendl, Terry Ellstrom and the famous Peter Sharp--who rode out to CA for MotoGP in 2007 had a first-hand experience with lane-splitting in the Monterrey-Laguna Seca area. (Note that Curtis Graves was supposed to go, but then cancelled.)
One afternoon, leaving the race track, we were split up and some of us stopped at the exit onto the highway to wait for the others. I walked up to a California state patrolman and asked him to explain lane-splitting to me. He said that CA law has no prohibition against having two vehicles in a traffic lane, but that the motorcyclist has to ride responsibly and carefully. And, if a law enforcement officer decides that the motorcyclist is not doing that, then the rider gets a ticket.
One thing I remember is that the vehicles to be feared were the out-of-state ones whose drivers did not know about motorcycle lane-splitting. The California drivers were generally courteous and kept to the far side of their respective lanes to give the motorcyclists maximum room to go between.
Dan
Here’s what the CA DMV Motorcycle Handbook has to say about the topic (page 17):
Lane Splitting
The term lane splitting, sometimes
known as lane sharing, filtering, or
white-lining refers to the process of
a motorcyclist riding between lanes
of stopped or slower-moving traffic
or moving between lanes to the
front of traffic stopped at a traffic
light. Lane splitting should not be
performed by inexperienced riders.
When choosing to lane split, skilled
motorcycle riders should consider
the following:
• Traffic flow—Travel at a speed
that is no more than 10 mph faster
than other traffic; danger increases
at higher speed differentials. Lane
splitting is not advised when traffic
flow is at 30 mph or faster;
danger increases as overall speed
increases.
• Traffic lanes—Lane splitting is
encouraged to be done between
the #1 and #2 lanes; typically, it
is safer to lane split in these lanes
than between other lanes.
• Environment—The total environment
should be considered,
including the width of the lanes,
size of surrounding vehicles, the
roadway, weather, and lighting
conditions.
• Hazards—Riders should anticipate
possible movements by other
road users and be alert at all times.
NOTE: These general guidelines
assume a high level of riding competency
and experience and do not
guarantee to keep you safe. Every
rider has the ultimate responsibility
for his or her own decision making
and safety. Riders must be conscious
of reducing crash risk at all times.
From: emrat@googlegroups.com [mailto:emrat@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Brian Weberg
Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2013 1:59 PM
To: emrat@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [emrat:2381] CDOT Promotes Motorcycle Safety
It's routinely practiced in CA (scared the shit out of me the first time I encountered it there) but it is not legally authorized. NV's law would be the first to do that.
On Thu, May 9, 2013 at 12:52 PM, John McDonough <jjtmcd@cs.com> wrote:
Thought California already does.
From: Brian Weberg
Sent: 5/9/2013 12:35 PM
To: emrat@googlegroups.com
Cc: Aaron Pilcher (aaron@aerobenn.com); Ben Pilcher (benepilcher@gmail.com)
Subject: Re: [emrat:2379] CDOT Promotes Motorcycle Safety
And how about legal lane splitting in Nevada? Could happen.
On Wed, May 8, 2013 at 1:33 PM, Dan Pilcher <dpilcher@cochamber.com> wrote:
Transportation
CDOT campaign uses graphic video to promote motorcycle safety
Posted: 05/08/2013 10:38:57 AM MDT
May 8, 2013 6:11 PM GMTUpdated: 05/08/2013 12:11:26 PM MDT
By Monte Whaley
The Denver Postdenverpost.com
The Colorado Department of Transportation is using this image as part of a new campaign promoting motorcycle safety. (Provided by Colorado Department of Transportation)
A bloodied victim of a motorcycle crash is the highlight of a unique video campaign to get people to wear helmets while riding their motorcycles this summer.
The 2½-minute You Tube video launched this month as part of a summer-long effort by the Colorado Department of Transportation to get people — especially riders aged 18 to 34 — to wear their safety gear.
May is Motorcycle Safety month in Colorado.
CDOT says that motorcycle crashes killed 82 riders and passengers in Colorado last year, and 69 percent of those killed were not wearing a helmet.
"There are two types of motorcycle riders: Those who have crashed and those who have not crashed yet," CDOT transportation safety director Darrell Lingk said. "This new campaign targets younger motorcycle riders because they are the ones who can help set the precedent for future generations of riders by showing them that wearing gear is not only imperative to protect them from very serious or even gruesome injuries in the event of a crash — motorcycle gear now comes in a variety of types and styles and it can make a statement in terms of their own personality."
CDOT partnered with a Denver production company, OneFloorUp, to create the video that shows a time-lapse make-over to a rider to reveal what a crash survivor would look like if he didn't wear gear.
The video features Cody Carson, 25, an experienced motorcycle rider receiving a "crashed" make-over from professional makeup artist MaryAnn Hogan.
The makeup depicts the most common injuries seen by crash victims not wearing gear. Those include deep abrasions, face fractures and severe burns, according to Denver trauma physician Dr. Patrick Offner, who appears in the video.
"I don't always wear my helmet and gear if I'm going around the corner to the grocery store," Carson said in the video. "But after seeing myself in the mirror made up with crash injuries, it was a reality check. Now I know I would rather choose to be hot in my helmet over facing the physical and emotional damages caused by a crash."
Lingk said CDOT had never produced a video like this before.
"Rather than telling riders to wear gear, this campaign emphasizes that riders do a have a choice," Lingk said. "After seeing this video, we hope that the message will become loud and clear that wearing gear is a better alternative is a better alternative to sustaining injuries and risking their life."
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907, mwhaley@denverpost.com or twitter.com/montewhaley
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