Lane Splitting is something not everyone fully understands. And something a lot of drivers think is unsafe and get annoyed, every time they see a rider doing it. Lane Splitting, in this context, is riding a motorcycle between two lanes of traffic. The traffic may be moving, or stopped. Here are some facts to further your understanding of the same.

1. Illegal In Nearly All Of The U.S.

Lane Splitting is illegal in nearly all of the U.S. California is currently the only state where lane splitting is allowed. The District of Columbia is another exception where it’s illegal. Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Texas are some of the states where bills to legalize lane-splitting have been tabled. However, none of them have enacted any statute on it, yet.

2. Safer Than Riding In The Lane

Contrary to popular belief that lane splitting is a dangerous stunt pulled by bikers with “devil may care” attitude, it’s actually safer for motorcycle riders.

Studies from Europe, Australia, as well as the University of California, Berkley have concluded that lane-splitting is actually safer for riders. In the UCB study, it was found that riders who split lanes are 2% less likely to be rear-ended, and 1.8% less likely to suffer from fatal injuries.

3. Not Every Californian Rider Splits Lanes

Although it’s completely legal to for motorcycle riders to do lane-splitting everywhere in California, only 36.4% of riders over there do it. This is, however, a result from a 2013 survey, and given the increasing prevalance and benefits of lane-splitting, perhaps, more riders do it now.

4. There’s A Safety Procedure To Be Followed

Lane-splitting being legal doesn’t mean bikers have the free pass to zip their motorcycles through lanes of traffic at insane speeds like in some Hollywood movies. California’s law which allows riders to split lanes, as well as the bills tabled in other states, all have a maximum limit on the speed at which can be done. There’s also a limit on the maximum difference between the speed of the rider and the adjacent lanes of traffic. It is usually between 10-15mph. Further, the UCB study showed that lane-splitting is safer only when done the speed difference was less than 15mph, and the rider’s speed less than 50mph.

5. It Can Save A Lot Of Time

An interesting study by the Texas Traffic Institute, published in 2015, showed that the average urban commuter spends as many as 42 hours stuck in traffic, every year. Many riders who split lanes say that the time they’re stuck in traffic cuts by half when they split lanes. So, that’s about half a week’s worktime you gain every year, if you split lanes!

What are your views on lane splitting? Do you do it? Let us know in the comments section below.

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