OFF THE WIRE
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1272010
San Diego Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Jeff Nadrich Comments on
Proposed Lane-Splitting Review
>PRWEB.COM Newswire
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) May 28, 2013
The California Office of Traffic Safety is conducting a yearlong
review of motorcycle crashes, and the data will specifically look out how many
such crashes involved—or were possibly caused by—lane-splitting, this according
to a new report from the Press-Enterprise. Lane-splitting is the process by
which motorcyclists drive along the lane dividers, squeezing between vehicles.
California is the only state in the nation that allows this practice.
According to the Press-Enterprise, three motorcyclists have
already died this year due to lane-splitting in the Inland Empire alone.
“Because lane-splitting has become a hot topic and motorcycle fatalities have
been a problem for years, we wanted to do a more in-depth look at the crashes
and add lane-splitting as a variable that hasn’t been looked at before,” Office
of Traffic Safety spokesman Chris Cochran told the Press-Enterprise in a
telephone interview. “We want to have actual hard facts. Is lane-splitting
dangerous or not? There’s no good data on it.”
As the Press-Enterprise points out, the sudden focus on
lane-splitting may have something to do with the rising number of motorcycles on
the road. In 2001, there were about 500,000 registered motorcycles in the state,
and by 2010, that number was up to more than 800,000, this according to the most
recent available CHP data.
San Diego motorcycle accident lawyer Jeff Nadrich believes that
while motorcycle safety is paramount, all motorists bear bear a legal
responsibility when it comes to lane-splitting. According to Nadrich,
“Lane-splitting is perfectly safe under most circumstances, and in fact, it can
actually prevent many accidents from occurring. But quite often, other drivers
just aren't on the lookout for motorcyclists, and that's where we run into
trouble.”
Nadrich urges anyone who has been involved in a motorcycle to
contact a qualified legal professional right away.
