Have you ever been passed in rush hour traffic on the freeway by a motorcycle splitting lanes? In S. California it happens all the time. Well this weekend as one shot past our car and pulled ahead you could hear a big bang and see a big cloud of dust just ahead. Traffic spread out as the bike popped out of the dust cloud without the rider. I stopped to block traffic and see what I could do. In my earlier years I was a paramedic and though maybe I could help. Well this rider was a young kid and his injuries were pretty severe. He was having problems choking on blood and I got the bad side of his chest down so his injured lung would not bleed into the good lung and end his breathing. He had no feeling below his waist and no pulse on his bad side wrist. He had no idea where he was or what he was doing and the pupil on his bad side was fixed and dilated. I kept him as alert as I could and kept working with him to keep him breathing and working with him so he would not aspirate more blood into his good side. The fire department and paramedics showed up and took over and off he went. And all this for what? A quicker trip down the freeway? He left my care with a lot of serious problems including a pulse well over 100, running out of blood volume and suffocating with a collapsed lung and circulation on his right side all but gone and a serious neurological problems. He may physically survive but this stunt will be with him the rest of his life. The person he hit has a totaled car and went with the second paramedic unit. When the bike passed me I was slowing down from about 75 coasting because there was traffic ahead. The bike was going at least 95 and the car he hit was going about 50mph, switching lanes. I saw the turn indicator, heard the bang and saw the cloud of dust. It happened pretty quickly. I think the bike rider, despite his speed and ability to split lanes was late to where ever he was going. I've always though lane splitting was dangerous, and now I now just how dangerous it can be.
Splitting lanes on the freeway
- Thread starter Lonnie
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I drove motorcycles for over 20 years and didn't split lanes, things were dangerous enough without playing a game like that. If traffic was stopped or crawling very slowly I'd drive slowly on either side of the road if space was available, but not between lanes. Even driving at speed in a faster lane was a problem in heavier traffic, and over the years I slowed down. I learned to expect someone like myself either passing, or closing with in the other lane on a two lane road with no dividers, where closing speeds could be over 250 mph. If I couldn't see the road I didn't trust it. I do recall passing 5 or 6 cars on back roads, waiting for the road to straighten out while crawling along at 30 to 40 mph, and when passing the lead car doing over 135 mph. Bikes these days, over 20 years later, are lots faster.
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Happens pretty often. Of course, at rush hour traffic is usually down to 3 mph for cars.
Last year I saw a guy on an old Ninja popping a wheelie going about 80 and taking off between lanes in heavy traffic.
when I first started riding, because of inexperience and stupid friends I did. Worse I have done THEN not now was pass a car on the Grand central at(correction it was conduit avenue) close to 115mph. I was probably going faster, but didn't keep my eye on gauge.That was the last speed I remember looking at. I remember my friend on the 900cc said he was going about 150ish and I was not too far behind. . Its easy going fast, but hard to steer and stop, but I did not know it then. I had close calls like that again with an expedition. I was going 120 on the Belt Parkway and he was far, but at that speed far is close in no time and I was 3 feet of his bumper with my rear wheel locked as he pulled into my lane. When your naive and just stupid things like that are easy to make happen. I would never go slow....Until
I could not negotiate a very tight turn sweeping down and under a overpass and hit the wall at 55mph. A turn I could now do with no problem. Speed is easy everything else it hard. I don't split lanes anymore and the fastest my new bike (hardly ridden) has seen was 90mph for few seconds to pass. Oh yeah I was lucky. I could not walk without a cane for about 4 months and the road rash is sever on my knees shoulders left hand, arm (where watch got ripped off). That day I was not wearing my gear as I usually did except my helm. I wear heavy denim now full face helm full leather gloves, Vansons jacket and boot every time no matter what the weather.
Don't be stupid you wanna be "rough riders".
I could not negotiate a very tight turn sweeping down and under a overpass and hit the wall at 55mph. A turn I could now do with no problem. Speed is easy everything else it hard. I don't split lanes anymore and the fastest my new bike (hardly ridden) has seen was 90mph for few seconds to pass. Oh yeah I was lucky. I could not walk without a cane for about 4 months and the road rash is sever on my knees shoulders left hand, arm (where watch got ripped off). That day I was not wearing my gear as I usually did except my helm. I wear heavy denim now full face helm full leather gloves, Vansons jacket and boot every time no matter what the weather.
Don't be stupid you wanna be "rough riders".
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I think the say the same thing about bad and old pilots, bikers, and cops. There are none.
In Cali it’s legal if you aren’t exceeding the speed limit and you aren’t going over 10 mph faster than traffic. he obviously wasn’t following the law, and paid dearly.
I drive to Sydney in peak hour traffic a few times per month.
Lane splitting is so common it's not funny, including the use of the breakdown and bus lanes. You can see why you hear "motorcyclist down" on the traffic reports so often.
According to my motorcycling friends, accidents are nearly always the car driver's fault, but when a motorcyclist is doing 1.5 times the speed limit, on the off side of the driver, then I'd argue the point every time.
Lane splitting is so common it's not funny, including the use of the breakdown and bus lanes. You can see why you hear "motorcyclist down" on the traffic reports so often.
According to my motorcycling friends, accidents are nearly always the car driver's fault, but when a motorcyclist is doing 1.5 times the speed limit, on the off side of the driver, then I'd argue the point every time.
Sounds like the car hit him, although from what I've read about lane splitting in Cali, if there's an accident, its the ridders fault always by law. Lane splitting is great when traffic is moving slow, and I often wished when I'm sitting in my car that I was on my bike and its legal. However there is a good reason why it isn't. Got the be careful when you ride, many times cagers don't see you and the law (and others) will act like it your fault. Hopefully he recovers.
"I wear heavy denim now full face helm full leather gloves, Vansons jacket and boot every time no matter what the weather."
Same here; full face helmet, leather gloves, boots, I think that my full grain leather jacket was a Vanson too, but in hot weather I'd not wear the jacket sometimes. I did practice braking from above 100mph on a regular basis, as the most common cycleing accident was someone locking up the rear and going down.
Same here; full face helmet, leather gloves, boots, I think that my full grain leather jacket was a Vanson too, but in hot weather I'd not wear the jacket sometimes. I did practice braking from above 100mph on a regular basis, as the most common cycleing accident was someone locking up the rear and going down.
I wear my jacket. I just open the side vents. I usually only wear a tshirt under. Funny thing all the guys I rode with only stopped with the front brakes. I took some discipline to learn to brake with the front and back every time. It can almost reduce your stopping distance by 30-40%. Road rash sucks I am permanently scared. My left hand has a pretty big one. It is the moron in front of you who just changes a lane or opens a door that defeats our stopping skills. Yeah it amazing how many people don't brake properly on the bikes. I now stop without sliding the rear wheel.
If you think it was the car he hit in the trunk that was at fault then you would have to site the driver of the car for driving too close to the motorcycle that was following him at almost twice his speed. The bike hit the car and went over the top more or less and he bounced of that same car. He was wearing a helmet but evidently does not fasten the chin strap and the helmet was not of much use. It was one of those stylish pudding bowls.
he might as well have worn nothing.
I saved my helmet from my crash...the road rash on it is right across where my face would be and goes up to and over my forehead area. nothing like skidding on your face and watching the ground go by to teach you a good lesson.
Was there any news on this accident? Do you know the outcome?
I think that one accident out of so many is not news unless maybe one of the vehicles blew up or something. The paramedics told me last night that he is on life support and they put him in a comma to reduce the effects of swelling around the brain and nervous system. That's no death sentense by any means but is not good. He will have to come out of the comma and be evaluated before they will know anything useful. He made it through surgery for a lot of damage besides his brain. I think he would have done better if he would have had a real helmet and a flax jacket and pants with boots. And you're right about full coverage helmets being the only way to fly. This guy had a high Laforte fracture of the face. I was open and splintered. If he survives the comma, does not get his facial injuries infected and gets through the future surgeries he will still go back to his pudding bowl and just do it again.
JHZR2
Staff member
motorcyclists scare me. Share the road... OK, thats fine... but they are nearly always hard to see on a highway...
Just driving straight, it is, IMO dangerous for them to be going faster than the middle-paced car, because the worst thing is when they pop up on you silently and quickly, becasue they were in a blind spot or whatnot. There have been a few instances where if I had not checked my mirrors thuroughly, and figured that the highway was pretty empty so I could swap quick because I didnt see a car... that I could potentially have hit a cyclist.
Splitting lanes is worse. In traffic, when it is usually done, cars are always looking to change lanes to move faster. Right or wrong, they pull out quickly and weave between lanes quite often. Add a fast moving item, with small proportions, and argualbly harder to control, and youve got a recipe for disaster.
I suppose these folks get what they deserve. Its a shame that they dont have more common sense.
JMH
Just driving straight, it is, IMO dangerous for them to be going faster than the middle-paced car, because the worst thing is when they pop up on you silently and quickly, becasue they were in a blind spot or whatnot. There have been a few instances where if I had not checked my mirrors thuroughly, and figured that the highway was pretty empty so I could swap quick because I didnt see a car... that I could potentially have hit a cyclist.
Splitting lanes is worse. In traffic, when it is usually done, cars are always looking to change lanes to move faster. Right or wrong, they pull out quickly and weave between lanes quite often. Add a fast moving item, with small proportions, and argualbly harder to control, and youve got a recipe for disaster.
I suppose these folks get what they deserve. Its a shame that they dont have more common sense.
JMH
I have no love for a squid (and it sounds like he was), but I can't say I would wish this on anyone. If I'm riding I'm going to take advantage of my acceleration, to move through traffic. However I will not allow myself to ride next to or near someone's blind spot, because I know I'm hard to spot and people don't pay enough attention. This makes it difficult to ride on the freeway as, you either need to weave through traffic or find a spot to hang out in. Finding a spot is difficult, becuase there are too many people who will take it. So then you got to move through traffic, risk making some bonehead mad, because you moved around them. I'll ride on the freeway, but not during rush hour and rarely into the city. Not worth the risk
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I sorta see what you're saying. For safety, you sorta gotta become an obstacle. If you aren't "parked" ..you're a moving target with lots of potential shooters. No way to enjoy the ride.
For me the safest driving on crowded roads was moving slowly past traffic in the #1 lane, as I didn't need to worry about one side, and I was less likely to get stuck in a blind spot. This of course resulted in tickets. I found highways to be safer than city roads. Rural roads were an occasional problem with morons not being to stay in their lanes, I guess as a result of watching too many car commercials showing the same.
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Rural roads, when you're young, are para-road race tracks. Long spans of distance between you and your destination ..all with their signature twists and curves. You soon learn the body language necessary to navigate them in way too fast a manner. I look back at how I drove my C20 at unrealistic speeds not even challenged by EuroAlloy of the day, encountered another like traveler in a place where I'd be taking up a bit more of the road than normally afforded me, and manage, without any thought at all, to avoid collision. Reflexes and "being one with the machine" as a 20 something is special time. No wisdom ..just skill ..and perhaps, dumb luck. Driving as fast as one can in the space alloted 24/7.
I'm glad that I made it through that time in one piece.
I'm glad that I made it through that time in one piece.
I can remember that as well growing up in rural north Alabama. Several roads only had a total of 1 lane of pavement - the rest was remnants of pavement, rough "shoulder-like". You are correct, no wisdom involved there.
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