Lane Splitting: Understanding This Concept and the Inherent Dangers

Some people know about the concept of lane splitting. Others might not know what that means. However, even those who don’t know the term have probably seen someone do it, even if they didn’t necessarily know the terminology to describe it.

Lane splitting does have legal status in one state, but that’s all. In this article, we’ll discuss it in detail. We will cover what the phrase means, why some people do it, and we’ll talk about the inherent dangers that go along with it.

What Does Lane Splitting Mean?

Motorcycle riders can do lane splitting, while regular cars can’t. The term refers to when someone on a motorcycle goes between two lanes of traffic, usually on the highway. 

If you’re a licensed driver, and you’ve ever spent some time in a traffic jam on the highway, that’s when you’ve probably seen lane splitting at one time or another. A motorcycle rider might get impatient. Because of its smaller size, the motorcycle can shoot down the middle in between two lanes of cars, and the rider can get out of the traffic jam while the rest of the drivers have to continue sitting there.

Why Do Motorcycle Riders Lane Split?

If you think about it, it’s obvious why someone might want to split lanes while on a motorcycle. They might feel like there’s really no need to remain sitting there in a long line of cars because the police closed a couple of lanes due to a car wreck or a construction project. Instead, they can gun the motor and flash past all the cars left behind. 

That’s part of what’s nice about having a motorcycle. They’re smaller, so they can go places that cars can’t. However, while it’s true that a motorcycle rider can do this, it doesn’t necessarily follow that they should. There’s inherent danger if you choose to engage in this kind of behavior.

The Potential Dangers When You Do This

If you’re on a motorcycle and lane split to get out of a traffic jam or for some other reason, you might get away with it with no issues. However, a car’s driver may decide to try and change lanes, even with the vehicles just creeping along at a couple of miles per hour. 

If that happens, and you’re riding up on your motorcycle at a decent rate of speed, you might slam into the car whose driver decided to switch lanes right then. You may think that you have a narrow aperture between the cars open, and then suddenly, it closes up right in front of you. 

If you’re creeping along on your motorcycle between the two lanes of cars, then that’s safer. If you’re going at a slower rate of speed, then it’s fairly likely you can stop in time if you see the space between the cars suddenly close up. If you’re driving fast, though, and you slam into a car, that can prove disastrous.

It’s important to remember that motorcycles don’t have the same kind of protective padding that you get with a car. Some people love riding motorcycles because the rider gets to experience the air rushing past them. That air means there’s no protective metal shell surrounding you like you have with other kinds of vehicles, though.

Even if you’re wearing a helmet to protect your head, you can still injure yourself quite badly if you slam into a car that changes its position right when you’re trying to lane split. You can sustain a concussion, break some bones, or even kill yourself if you’re going at a very high rate of speed at that particular moment.  

Where Can You Legally Lane Split?

You can legally lane split in only one state at the moment, and that’s California. That’s the only state up to this point that feels motorcycle riders should have this right. 

Some other states feel that it’s foolish to let motorcycle riders do this because of the dangers we mentioned. At least a few other states might follow California’s example, though. They are at least considering it.

Should You Lane Split if You Own a Motorcycle?

If you own a motorcycle, and you like to ride in on the highway often, you must decide how you’re going to conduct yourself. It’s the same with a car. You must determine how fast you want to go, whether you ever let anything distract you, and other driver or rider behaviors.

If you lane split, then that’s illegal in 49 out of the 50 states. You should probably avoid it for that reason alone if you’re not in California. 

If you lane split, and the police catch you, you’re usually looking at a substantial fine and a ticket. You might need to appear in front of a judge, who will chastise you. If you do this more than once, then the fine amounts might go up. The judge might even take away your license.

Then, there’s the danger issue. Even if you don’t see any cops around, and you decide to lane split, a car that changes position suddenly could seriously injure or kill you, even if you are wearing a helmet or protective padding. Serious injury becomes much more likely the faster you’re riding.

No one can control what another driver or motorcycle rider does, but if you lane split, it’s probably best that you at least don’t do it going very fast. If you creep along, then you can probably stop in time if an obstacle appears in front of you. 

You should also know one additional thing about lane splitting when deciding whether to do it or not. It often infuriates the drivers who you’re passing. They usually don’t appreciate that kind of behavior from motorcycle riders, and acting like this could trigger a road rage incident.

Then, you might have someone getting out of their car with a weapon, and that’s obviously something you want to avoid.

By ML staff. Image courtesy of Pexels.