My Lane Splitting rule submission #1

Yeah alright; t-bone type accidents ARE about the only lane-splitting
prangs that seem to ever occur! (Not just lane-splitting but also the far
more common stopped-lane/moving-lane t-bone)
Anyone who gets caught like that deserves to be punched in the head though
because they're so easy to avoid.

High-speed lane-splitting is (at least to me) waaay more dangerous because
(again; at least to me) the dangers are less easy to see and avoid (and
because everybody's moving; not just you and the T-bonee).
Clem

 

It's fascinating how something which you think is so obvious to you that
it must be equally obvious to everybody else turns out to be nothing of
the sort. The only point I was trying to make was that stationary cars
don't (usually) change lanes unexpectedly, because they can't change
lanes at all, whereas moving cars do it all the time. So splitting is
inherently more dangerous than filtering, relatively speaking.

Whether splitting is dangerous in an absolute sense is another matter,
which I think is Nev's point. I think it is dangerous. I've seen heaps
of incidents where cars attempt to move into the next lane which happens
to be occupied by a non-filtering non-splitting motorcycle, where the
rider has had to brake, swerve and hurl abuse at the car driver. If
you're splitting when the same thing happens, you can't swerve, you have
to rely on your brakes.

Having said that I have to admit that the motorcycle accident statistics
don't back me up. Splitting may indeed be dangerous but there are damn
few accidents involving cars and bikes travelling in the same direction,
despite the fact that some four-wheeled assassin trying to wipe you out
is an almost daily occurrence. Put it down to mc riders reflexes and
deeply untrusting attitude to anything with more than 2 wheels (except
trikes).

Cheers

Andrew

<--- Remove The NO and SPAM When Replying --->

 

Because speed kills, doesn't it?

 

Moving vehicles don't change lanes unexpectedly either, and you'll
probably find that the faster they're moving the more expected their
actions are. And I think a point which has been made time and time
again in different discussions on this subject is that cars don't just
change lanes unexpectedly without giving away at least enough warning
signs to the observer to know what they're about to do just before they
do it.

If there's nowhere in the adjacent lane for a bike to go, then there's
nowhere for a car to go. Just because drivers don't see bikes doesn't
mean they don't see cars. If they're looking for a car, they'll
probably see it. Generally speaking cars don't just move into an
adjacent lane which is already occupied by another car. I think you're
overestimating the risk based on logic errors.

It's probably more observation than reflexes... seeing what is about to
happen, rather than reacting to what has already happened.

Nev..
'04 CBR1100XX

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sat, 28 Jan 2006 07:14:35 +1100

And if the traffic is dense enough that you can lanesplit instead of
changing lanes your own self, there's nowhere for them to change
*to*.

The problem I see is width of lane. I have seen drivers weave in
their lane trying to get more vision of what's going on ahead.
Doesn't happen often but does happen - and isn't that predictable.

If the lanes are wide enough, like your average freeway, and the
traffic is flowing although slowly I don't think it's that dangerous.
It is traffic that isn't uniform, where there are larger gaps that
people can dive into that is difficult, and those gaps are visible to
the bike too, so are a warning that trouble be ahead.

If the gaps are frequent enough to be hard to spot, there's no longer
any need to split.


Zebee

 

In aus.motorcycles on Fri, 10 Feb 2006 09:51:36 +0800

So what are you doing sitting on the side of the lane?

If you were just to the left of the right side wheeltrack, then there's
not enough room for them to move in beside you.

Zebee

 

??? is that rhetorical ?

For me it's the "safest" place to avoid being rear ended by a car coming up
from behind. You can pull up where ever you want... I do it regularly
(albeit not all the time) and watch my mirror until I am convinced the car
coming up behind me has "seen me" and will stop. I have managed to avoid a
rear ending once (out of I am not sure how many thousand times but the
percentage is low but once is enough to make it a better option for me) by
simpily going forward, I knew he was not going to stop, I "crept" foward
and "BANG" he rear ended car beside me at about 20 km/h. Also speculation
, if you don't see 'em and they do rear end you, you will be pushed foward
and not squashed between 2 vehicles.


--
Trevor S


"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
-Albert Einstein

 

On or close to the RH wheeltrack is the safest. You're right in the
centre of the driver's cone of vision which makes it much more likely
they'll see you, yet you're still close enough to the next lane that a
little emergency filtering is feasible. And they can't pull up beside
you. If you're right at the edge they think you're filtering or lane
splitting and that you've courteously made room for them next to you!

--
Cheers

Andrew

<--- Remove The NO and SPAM When Replying --->

 

But you said "The day that I can pull up to a set of lights 1st and not
have a car pull up to the white line next to me is the day i'll eat my
helmet... "

How does pulling to the side give you a better escape route if you are
at the front?

Moike

 

Nah. I get this. I do it sometimes if particulary worried about the
guy behind and if I am going to be first at the lights. (You know, black
BMW with blonde on mobile who is altogether too close) I pull well to
the right or left of the lane so I am basically not in front of them.
(Do this all the time well most of the time on the pushys too.) ANyway
in either case they do invariably pull up beside you

And yeah I know its sort of you inviting them. But hey they do it
And once in a while.. say once every 3 years or so.. they wake up to the
lights being there and brake so hard that only luck (and sometimes
antilock) stops em. Beside you. SOmetimes they dont stop.

Now some of these would have noticed a bike stopped in front of em..
even tho they didnt notice the red light. Some of em just stop hard and
would have stopped hard behind you anyway. Maybe all of em

Do you feel lucky?

Dave

 

What the hell are you talking about ?

--
Trevor S


"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
-Albert Einstein

 

You're not paying attention. The OP was talking about instances when he
is the first vehicle to stop in the lane at the traffic lights.. at the
white line.

Nev..
'04 CBR1100XX

 

I certinaly was, I was replying to Zeebees presumed rhetorical question as
to why someone would stop "there". Rhetorical as to me it's self evident
and doesn't really need an answer but with Z you can never be sure.

--
Trevor S


"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
-Albert Einstein