Lane splitting thoughts

Lineslinger said:
In my state a helmet is optional...BUT...you have to provide proof of medical coverage while riding without one if requested by law enforcement.
No coverage?
Law enforcement is authorized to seize the motorcycle and fine your ass into the next century.
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I see you live in a neighboring state. I hadn't heard of your state law about medical coverage proof being needed if riding without a helmet. Another, unenforceable, "well there is a law on the books but we don't bother with that one". I'd be willing to bet that the only time there is enforcement of this law, is after the fact, ie: after disaster has struck and after the accident. Because law enforcement is like so many others and aren't going to do anything unless they are made to.
 
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quawk said:
I see you live in a neighboring state. I hadn't heard of your state law about medical coverage proof being needed if riding without a helmet. Another, unenforceable well there is a law on the books but we don't bother with that one. I'd be willing to bet that the only time there is enforcement of this law, is after the fact, ie: after disaster has struck and after the accident. Because law enforcement is like so many others and aren't going to do anything unless they are made to.
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I don't really know how LE deals with no helmet riders in practice.
I have seen the State Hwy Patrol pull over no helmet riders at a couple of congregation areas close by.
The intent of the regulation was that the cost if busted was so high most would not do so unless covered by Mdcl. insc. But, there are always those who don't have coverage. I have been in fender benders where the other guy carried no insurance, no plates, etc.
There are those that play by the rules and those that try to cheat or end run the regs.
And, if a rider is involved in an accident without mdcl. cvg. the state, the hospital, etc. will attach the riders estate for reimbursement of costs incurred...so I have been told.
 
quawk said:
To those riders in the U.K., I've never been there so have never been on the roads there, and at this point in life will probably never get to. So I can't comment on your riding or laws there. Maybe it's common practice there, and if it is, maybe the non-riding motorists are at least aware that it takes place. And, to me anyway, that's what presents the larger problem here in the U.S. that most motorists have never been on a bike, and in most cases are not very observant of them (us). And nearly all of those non-riding motorists aren't aware that this lane splitting practice even occurs. And when it does occur, the unaware car driver can very possibly be startled and bad things happen. Can I ask how long this practice has been allowed in the U.K.?
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Occasionally you see a rider sitting in a line of slow moving traffic
But the vast majority filter
It's always been done and never been illegal in the UK as far as I know
Common sense is the key here
 
baz said:
Occasionally you see a rider sitting in a line of slow moving traffic
But the vast majority filter
It's always been done and never been illegal in the UK as far as I know
Common sense is the key here
Click to expand...
Does the UK require any training for motorcycle riders and are car drivers trained be aware of filtering?
 
Lineslinger said:
And, if a rider is involved in an accident without mdcl. cvg. the state, the hospital, etc. will attach the riders estate for reimbursement of costs incurred...so I have been told.
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And there it is, the Catch 22. The same loser riders who are skirting the law to begin with by not having the required insurance, are the same people that have no estate to attach earnings income from when disaster strikes. And, of course, the mentality is "I'm a rebel and I'm not going to comply". I live in neighboring Illinois (no, NOT Chicago), and many years ago the governor and state legislature mandated liability insurance for all drivers in the state and so-called enforcement was going to be by random, ongoing computer checking of license holders. Well guess what, ever since this mandate, if you were to look at traffic accident reports by law enforcement, time and time and time again when a traffic accident happened and was reported, the driver that caused the accident was charged with, quite often, multiple charges and and quite often a no insurance charge was tacked on. So another well intentioned but unenforced law that leaves those who "play by the rules" and obey the law and lay out the money to have insurance, wind up picking up the bill directly or indirectly for the slackers who skirt the law and get away with it. Like too many other situations, laws and their enforcement come into play after the fact and after it's too late.
 
In VA, if you get pulled over for anything and cannot produce proof of insurance, you're getting a misdemeanor citation for that at least.

Virginia requires all drivers to either carry a minimum amount of car insurance or pay a $500 uninsured motor vehicle (UMV) fee. If you're caught driving without a form of financial responsibility, the penalties could be severe.

If you're caught driving without insurance, the state of Virginia may convict you of a Class 3 misdemeanor, charge you a $600 noncompliance fee, and take your driver's license, vehicle registration and license plates.

The UMV is actually a bond saying that you don't need insurance because you have the financial capability to pay the costs liability insurance would - I hope you have a BIG bank account and aren't found lying if you cause an accident! I knew a guy who thought he was smart paying the $500 as it was much cheaper than insurance - they took basically everything he had when he caused a serious accident, and when he died several years later, he still had no license because no insurance company would take him and he couldn't afford the "Assigned Risk" insurance.

The class 3 misdemeanor is up to $500 dollars in addition. You cannot just pay, you have to go to court. To get your license back, all must be paid, you must go to a one-day driving class that is expensive, and then you can petition the DMV for a new license and plates, all of which you pay for. If you actually had coverage, in court you can show the officer and they will charge the $600, dismiss the misdemeanor, and not take your license or registration. I spent most of a day in court and saw that play out several times.

BTW, I was there due to a stupid motorcycle cop charging me incorrectly with an improper turn - I was only winner that day - all others between 9am and 1pm when I was heard were found guilty. I say winner. I had pay to park, walk a mile each way in extreme heat, sit in court until called and of course lose a LOT of money since I was a consultant paid by the hour. If I had just paid the fine, I would have financially been way better off but I don't play well when wronged.
 
marshg246 said:
In VA, if you get pulled over for anything and cannot produce proof of insurance, you're getting a misdemeanor citation for that at least.

Virginia requires all drivers to either carry a minimum amount of car insurance or pay a $500 uninsured motor vehicle (UMV) fee. If you're caught driving without a form of financial responsibility, the penalties could be severe.

If you're caught driving without insurance, the state of Virginia may convict you of a Class 3 misdemeanor, charge you a $600 noncompliance fee, and take your driver's license, vehicle registration and license plates.

The UMV is actually a bond saying that you don't need insurance because you have the financial capability to pay the costs liability insurance would - I hope you have a BIG bank account and aren't found lying if you cause an accident! I knew a guy who thought he was smart paying the $500 as it was much cheaper than insurance - they took basically everything he had when he caused a serious accident, and when he died several years later, he still had no license because no insurance company would take him and he couldn't afford the "Assigned Risk" insurance.

The class 3 misdemeanor is up to $500 dollars in addition. You cannot just pay, you have to go to court. To get your license back, all must be paid, you must go to a one-day driving class that is expensive, and then you can petition the DMV for a new license and plates, all of which you pay for. If you actually had coverage, in court you can show the officer and they will charge the $600, dismiss the misdemeanor, and not take your license or registration. I spent most of a day in court and saw that play out several times.

BTW, I was there due to a stupid motorcycle cop charging me incorrectly with an improper turn - I was only winner that day - all others between 9am and 1pm when I was heard were found guilty. I say winner. I had pay to park, walk a mile each way in extreme heat, sit in court until called and of course lose a LOT of money since I was a consultant paid by the hour. If I had just paid the fine, I would have financially been way better off but I don't play well when wronged.
Click to expand...
, "I was there due to a stupid motorcycle cop charging me incorrectly with an improper turn - I was only winner that day - all others between 9am and 1pm when I was heard were found guilty. I say winner. I had pay to park, walk a mile each way in extreme heat, sit in court until called and of course lose a LOT of money since I was a consultant paid by the hour. If I had just paid the fine, I would have financially been way better off but I don't play well when wronged."


Good for you for digging your heels in 👍
 
I believe lane splitting is legal in some states and apparently there is a movement now to expand the legality into other states. If you want to lane split where legal be my guest . I think it risky ( I know , motorcycles are risky lane splitting or not ) and so I choose to not do it . As a young man in my single days I happened to score a phone number and subsequent dates while sitting in stalled traffic-
reason enough to sit patiently.
 
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baz said:
Nobody is trained as far as I know
And all car drivers are aware because it happens all of the time
Click to expand...
Same here in California. Which is ironic as we are the MOST regulated state in the Union.
However, lane splitting/filtering is legal and enouraged as it eases conjestion.
There has been a push to educate motorists about motorcycles. The big electronic warning signs
have 'Beware of motorcyclists' or 'Share the Road' posted from time to time.
Surprisingly enough most motorists will move over and let you pass. Why not? You pass and are gone away from them.
Hasn't always been that way. it's come a long ways in the last twenty years.

The ironic thing is reason California adopted legal lane splitting. It was adopted to keep to 'Air' cooled
motorcycles from overheating in conjested traffic. Way, way back in the olden 'Black and White' days.

BTW, I'm speaking of Southern California. Don'tknow about other areas as we are a BIG state.
 
MichaelB said:
The ironic thing is reason California adopted legal lane splitting. It was adopted to keep to 'Air' cooled
motorcycles from overheating in conjested traffic.
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This may be a topic to start another thread, but as you mentioned the ironic reason for California adopting lane splitting was to keep "Air cooled motorcycles" from overheating in congested traffic. Sounds like a lame excuse drummed up by motorcyclists to convince the legislature to accomadate them. Anyway, has anyone ever had their air cooled motorcyle overheat? I mean how do you even tell that they're overheating, short of flat out seizing or quit running altogether? Air cooled motorcyles don't have a temp gauge, per se, out side chance they may have an oil temp gauge. And there were plenty of two strokes running around back in the day with no temp indication. I've had as many, if not more air cooled bikes as water cooled, and you just kept riding them, unless as I say their quit on you altogether.
 
quawk said:
This may be a topic to start another thread, but as you mentioned the ironic reason for California adopting lane splitting was to keep "Air cooled motorcycles" from overheating in congested traffic. Sounds like a lame excuse drummed up by motorcyclists to convince the legislature to accomadate them. Anyway, has anyone ever had their air cooled motorcyle overheat? I mean how do you even tell that they're overheating, short of flat out seizing or quit running altogether? Air cooled motorcyles don't have a temp gauge, per se, out side chance they may have an oil temp gauge. And there were plenty of two strokes running around back in the day with no temp indication. I've had as many, if not more air cooled bikes as water cooled, and you just kept riding them, unless as I say their quit on you altogether.
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So, I thought it a good idea to ride to work in DC the early 70s. It was 36 miles each way. The second time I did it, on the way home it the air temp was about 90F, so the asphalt was probably 130F. The traffic was moving at 1-2mph when it was moving at all. The tank was getting so hot that I thought it might explode and the engine was making rattling sounds. So, I shut it off and I walked the bike for several miles until the traffic started moving.

So, yes I've had an air-cooled bike overheat and more importantly I overheated big time. Sitting over top of a hot engine, in the summer heat, not moving, is not fun! Never rode to work again.

On top of that it wasn't a Norton which gets a good bit hotter than a Triumph 500. I feel sure that idling a Commando as long as I did that Triumph would have ended in quite a lot more misery. I don't idle any bike today for more time than a traffic light takes.
 
After all these responses to both the lane splitting and the air cooled bikes overheating topics, I'll admit that I'm looking at this from my perspective and have only rarely ever had to deal with sitting in stopped or crawling traffic. That was on long extended trips or vacations, and rarely, if ever around where I live. That said, I'll also admit that's one of the reasons why I'm glad I live in a rural, less populated area of the country. For those that have to deal with that nonsense (congested traffic and gridlock) regularly, you have my sympathy and I'll try to be understanding.
 
MichaelB said:
cartwrightlaw.com

Motorcycle Lane Splitting In California: Legal, but Misunderstood

Learn more about motorcycle lane splitting in California and driving safety measures while the debate is ongoing.
cartwrightlaw.com cartwrightlaw.com
Click to expand...
Wow! There's no doubt in my mind that if the cars are doing 40 and you're doing 50 the slightest hiccup and you are mush on the road. Also, 17% of motorcycle accidents involve lane splitting - how many of those died? How many caused secondary accidents/injuries/deaths?
 
I used to lane split when I was much younger - only with stationary traffic (jams, etc)
Not saying it was smart, but hey, I was young, bullet-proof and always in a hurry - so its hard for me to condemn those that do it now.
I don't do it now because:
1. My reactions aren't what they were,
2. I'm not in that much of a hurry and,
3. I'm no longer bullet-proof.
Cheers
 
robs ss said:
I used to lane split when I was much younger - only with stationary traffic (jams, etc)
Not saying it was smart, but hey, I was young, bullet-proof and always in a hurry - so its hard for me to condemn those that do it now.
I don't do it now because:
1. My reactions aren't what they were,
2. I'm not in that much of a hurry and,
3. I'm no longer bullet-proof.
Cheers
Click to expand...
I still do it. But it seems a lot more dangerous than is used to, no doubt partly due to your points 1 and 3! So I do it much more slowly and cautiously.
 
There's a huge difference between town and country riding
Also a huge difference between countries
Ask someone that lives in London why they own a motorcycle,many are not motorcyclists they own a motorcycle to be able to get around!
The subject is just too great to cover here
I have seen people filtering way way too fast (in my opinion) but it is just my opinion each to their own
I'm not going to condemn them it's none of my business
I ride within my limits as much as I possibly can
I know my reaction time isn't as quick as it was plus motorists have a gazillion distractions these days
But if I didn't filter inside and outside you wouldn't be able to get anywhere where I live
 
As a side note does anyone know if those cars fitted with sonar that tell you if you are too close to something go off when a bike passes you in traffic?
 

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