Lane splitting/filtering: the legal and commonsense answers

[Ocean1]

Something of a fail there I'm afraid.

Well at least that's a comment backed up by your very own personal expertise.

Which is more than any comment you feel the need to make about anyone else's riding.

Fuckwit.

[bosslady]

now now ladies...!

[MarkH]

Everyone that hasn't seen this video should watch it:
http://youtu.be/JNGD9AAIfFU

Everyone that has seen it should watch it again.

For those that don't lane split and are nervous about doing it - try when the traffic is really slow and go just ~10kph faster than the stopped or barely moving traffic.
The more you lane split the more you get the hang of it.
Sitting in the lane and not splitting is silly and worse it is dangerous, you are SAFER splitting when the traffic really slows down than staying where some retard may rear end you.

[Madness]

Sitting in the lane and not splitting is silly and worse it is dangerous, you are SAFER splitting when the traffic really slows down than staying where some retard may rear end you.

Congratulations, that's the single most retarded KB post I've read this week.

[Katman]

Congratulations, that's the single most retarded KB post I've read this week.

You beat me to it.

[Voltaire]

I rode around Taupo at rush hour a few weeks back, lane splitting is probably not ever needed there.

[Swoop]

I rode around Taupo at rush hour a few weeks back, lane splitting is probably not ever needed there.

Taupo has traffic?
Taupo has roads?

[Voltaire]

Taupo has traffic?
Taupo has roads?

C'mon...where else would a motorcycle safety guru learn so much.....

[Gremlin]

Taupo has traffic?
Taupo has roads?

Taupo is even big enough for a bypass!

[Katman]

C'mon...where else would a motorcycle safety guru learn so much.....

Fours years couriering in London.

[st00ji]

Congratulations, that's the single most retarded KB post I've read this week.

can i ask why you think its retarded?

subike - you are right, i didnt cast my thoughts back far enough. i guess because all those cars were made before i was born i was mainly considering the way most stuff has grown since the 80s within the same model (ie compare an 80s corolla to a brand new one)

out of interest, has anyone seen or heard of a bike accident as a direct result of lane splitting? stories please

[Katman]

can i ask why you think its retarded?

Can you point to any part in the post that isn't retarded?

[Voltaire]

Fours years couriering in London.

4 years, I tried it for a week when the building trade crashed in 1991..... then got a job as a mobile A/C service engineer on a Z550, mainly in the West End and City...... three lane roundabouts were the ones I liked the least....

[Madness]

can i ask why you think its retarded?

Really?

To suggest that "sitting in the lane and not splitting is silly and worse it is dangerous" is retarded and the statement itself is obviously flawed. This will give noobs the impression that they're "doing it wrong" by sitting in a queue of traffic and has the potential to push them beyond their abilities and into a dangerous situation.

The fuckwits on the video that MarkH posted are relying on some study done in USA Circa 1981 and a more recent % comparison of accidents involving motorcycles being rear-ended by cars in three different US States. Where's the comparison on accidents where bikes are side-swiped, cut off or simply lose it an go under? Where are the numbers to back up the percentages? Notice how wide the lanes are in the video? Notice it's unlike any motorway in Auckland where car drivers are hellbent on sudden lane changes and very little indication? The video strikes me as being made as some kind of lobbying tool for those states where splitting is illegal and I fail to see it doing their cause much good it was so bad.

I'm not anti lane-splitting. It is not safer than simply occupying a lane amongst traffic and should be executed with caution.

[Tigadee]

You can sit in a lane sandwiched between cars and make sure to be vigilant of the car behind you [is the driver paying attention or texting/reading/adjusting the AC or radio?] or you can lane-split/filter but be vigilant of any cars that may cut you up.

It is a choice and one that any rider should make based on their level of skill and alertness aka situational awareness. These exercises are very good for honing the mind-set needed to develop situational awareness. More road safety tips HERE.