Lane Splitting: What is it? Is it legal? Is it safe?

"Lane splitting is riding a bicycle or motorcycle between lanes or rows of slow moving or stopped traffic moving in the same direction. It is sometimes called lane sharing, white-lining, filtering, or stripe-riding." -From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As an avid motorcyclist, I have been lane splitting on my motorcycle for nearly ten years. California is the only state that legally allows motorcycles to filter between cars in lanes. When people learn this about me, I usually hear a range of reactions from amazement to anxiety to absolute horror. "Is lane splitting safe?!" "Is that even legal?" "Oh, I hate lane splitting. It scares me so much when they whiz past my car!" "Aren't you afraid you'll be hit?"

My response is simple--It is safer lane splitting at moderate speeds slower than 35 mph when cars are going 15 mph or less. In other words, if cars are crawling in bumper-to-bumper traffic, then I'm safer filtering between them at a moderate speed 35 mph or less. This method is safer than sitting in traffic because a rear-end collision involving a car and motorcycle could be fatal for the motorcyclist. When I'm between cars, I'm unlikely to be hit from behind by a car navigating stop-and-go traffic conditions. Furthermore, the convenience of filtering through slowing traffic is a significant perk that makes riding a motorcycle more efficient for me when commuting. Not to mention the amazing gas mileage possible with a motorcycle.

Also noteworthy, in a May 2015 study researchers from UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) found that lane splitting is relatively safe if done in traffic moving at 50 mph or less, and if motorcyclists do not exceed the speed of other vehicles by more than 15 mph. Berkeley News published this story on their study results: http://news.berkeley.edu/2015/05/29/motorcycle-lanesplitting-report/

The story cites this finding: "Also compared with other motorcyclists involved in a collision, lane-splitting riders were less likely to suffer head injury (9 percent versus 17 percent), torso injury (19 percent versus 29 percent) and fatal injury (1.2 percent versus 3 percent)." So the next time you see a motorcyclist land-splitting give them some extra room and keep in mind my story.

RELATED INFORMATION
Motorcycle Lane Splitting and Safety Study
http://www.ots.ca.gov/pdf/Publications/Motorcycle-Lane-Splitting-and-Safety-2015.pdf