U.S. News
Bills would extend practice to other states as safety debate continues
California is the only U.S. state
where zipping between lanes of cars on a motorcycle is legal. But now
other states are pushing to legalize it too. WSJ rides along with
California motorcycle commuters to get an up-close look at lane
splitting.
SAN FRANCISCO—Eric Kondo rides a motorcycle from his home in Alameda,
across the congested Bay Bridge and into the city, every weekday
morning for work. On a bad day, it takes him 25 minutes—about half the
time it takes by car during rush hour.
That’s because California is the only state in the country where motorcyclists are allowed to cruise between lanes of cars, a practice called lane-splitting that is normally used to cut through stalled traffic.
Now, an effort to legalize lane-splitting in other states, such as Washington, Oregon, Texas and Tennessee, is gathering momentum amid a push by motorcyclists and by some lawmakers looking to relieve highway congestion.
Those moves have set off a debate because some traffic-safety officials—and many automobile drivers—see the practice as unsafe. It’s also the latest entry in a long-standing battle over motorcycle-safety laws such as helmet requirements, which are in place for all riders in 19 states, including California, but have been fought or even repealed in many others.
ENLARGEEric Kondo, a Bay Area motorcycle commuter, rides between lanes to get through traffic on the Bay Bridge.
Photo:
Eric KondoMotorcyclists like Mr. Kondo, a 53-year-old who works in
building maintenance at a hospital, say that splitting lanes is safer
for him because it reduces his risk of getting rear-ended while sitting
in traffic.“I can get through the cars, keep moving, and not be a fixed target,” Mr. Kondo said.But some officials worry that it could create more danger on the roads.“We’re
skeptical, and it’s not something that we would encourage states to
do,” said Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway
Safety Association, which represents state highway-safety offices. “With
highway safety we’ve made great progress, but motorcycle safety is an
area where we haven’t been making progress generally speaking.”Pete
terHorst of the American Motorcycle Association, which counts 215,000
riders as members, said opposition to the practice is based on a gut
reaction from car drivers, not on research.There were 4,668
motorcycle deaths in the U.S. in 2013, a higher total than a decade
earlier, although the fatality rate nationally per motorcycle registered
has gone down in the past decade. Still, in 2012, the most recent year
available, motorcyclists were 26 times as likely to die per vehicle mile
traveled as people riding in cars, according to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration.In California, where there are
more than 850,000 registered motorcycles, the fatality rate per
registered motorcycle in 2012 was slightly lower than the national rate.No
one has tracked exactly how many highway accidents are caused by
lane-splitting. But last year, a study from the California Office of
Traffic Safety found that motorcyclists’ injuries were kept down as long
as they split lanes in slowly moving traffic and exceeded the speed of
other traffic by less than 10 miles an hour.“Lane splitting, when done in a safe and prudent manner, is no more dangerous than regular motorcycling,” said
Chris Cochran,
a spokesman for the state traffic-safety office.Further,
the study found that motorcyclists were less likely to die or be injured
in lane-splitting crashes when compared with other kinds of collisions.
ric Kondo talks about lane-splitting in the Bay Area.
Photo:
Emily PrapuolenisA survey by the traffic-safety office released last year found
more than 60% of automobile drivers said they disapproved of
lane-splitting—a slight decrease from the previous two years. Most
disapproved because they said it was unsafe, while some called it
startling, and a few said it was unfair that motorcyclists were getting
ahead of them in traffic.Meanwhile, the number of drivers who
said they knew the practice was legal increased to 61% from 52% in the
past two years, as California officials stepped up efforts to publicize
guidelines for splitting lanes safely.While the state allows the
practice, there is no existing law regulating it. A bill now in a
legislative committee would codify the practice, allowing it to occur at
a speed differential of less than 10 miles an hour in traffic moving at
less than 30 miles an hour.The lane-splitting measures in other
states also set varying limits to motorcyclists’ speed and speed
differential. Most of those bills are also in committee, although
Washington state’s measure passed the state Senate this past week.The
motorcycle association favors bills that legalize lane splitting, even
with speed restrictions. The group is neutral on the California bill.Surj
Gish, 41, a Bay Area motorcycle commuter who runs a website called
lanesplittingislegal.com, said he believes car drivers over the years
have become more accepting of lane-splitting. “I haven’t seen an
intentional cut-off in a long time,” he said.In places with heavy traffic like the Bay Area, motorcycle riders say there are intangible benefits to lane-splitting as well.“I’m
never in a bad mood when I get to work,” said Gwynne Fitzsimmons, 54.
“The other guys are always talking about what a [crummy] commute they
had—they start their day angry.”
That’s because California is the only state in the country where motorcyclists are allowed to cruise between lanes of cars, a practice called lane-splitting that is normally used to cut through stalled traffic.
Now, an effort to legalize lane-splitting in other states, such as Washington, Oregon, Texas and Tennessee, is gathering momentum amid a push by motorcyclists and by some lawmakers looking to relieve highway congestion.
Those moves have set off a debate because some traffic-safety officials—and many automobile drivers—see the practice as unsafe. It’s also the latest entry in a long-standing battle over motorcycle-safety laws such as helmet requirements, which are in place for all riders in 19 states, including California, but have been fought or even repealed in many others.
ENLARGEEric Kondo, a Bay Area motorcycle commuter, rides between lanes to get through traffic on the Bay Bridge.
Photo:
Eric KondoMotorcyclists like Mr. Kondo, a 53-year-old who works in
building maintenance at a hospital, say that splitting lanes is safer
for him because it reduces his risk of getting rear-ended while sitting
in traffic.“I can get through the cars, keep moving, and not be a fixed target,” Mr. Kondo said.But some officials worry that it could create more danger on the roads.“We’re
skeptical, and it’s not something that we would encourage states to
do,” said Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway
Safety Association, which represents state highway-safety offices. “With
highway safety we’ve made great progress, but motorcycle safety is an
area where we haven’t been making progress generally speaking.”Pete
terHorst of the American Motorcycle Association, which counts 215,000
riders as members, said opposition to the practice is based on a gut
reaction from car drivers, not on research.There were 4,668
motorcycle deaths in the U.S. in 2013, a higher total than a decade
earlier, although the fatality rate nationally per motorcycle registered
has gone down in the past decade. Still, in 2012, the most recent year
available, motorcyclists were 26 times as likely to die per vehicle mile
traveled as people riding in cars, according to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration.In California, where there are
more than 850,000 registered motorcycles, the fatality rate per
registered motorcycle in 2012 was slightly lower than the national rate.No
one has tracked exactly how many highway accidents are caused by
lane-splitting. But last year, a study from the California Office of
Traffic Safety found that motorcyclists’ injuries were kept down as long
as they split lanes in slowly moving traffic and exceeded the speed of
other traffic by less than 10 miles an hour.“Lane splitting, when done in a safe and prudent manner, is no more dangerous than regular motorcycling,” said
Chris Cochran,
a spokesman for the state traffic-safety office.Further,
the study found that motorcyclists were less likely to die or be injured
in lane-splitting crashes when compared with other kinds of collisions.ric Kondo talks about lane-splitting in the Bay Area.
Photo:
Emily PrapuolenisA survey by the traffic-safety office released last year found
more than 60% of automobile drivers said they disapproved of
lane-splitting—a slight decrease from the previous two years. Most
disapproved because they said it was unsafe, while some called it
startling, and a few said it was unfair that motorcyclists were getting
ahead of them in traffic.Meanwhile, the number of drivers who
said they knew the practice was legal increased to 61% from 52% in the
past two years, as California officials stepped up efforts to publicize
guidelines for splitting lanes safely.While the state allows the
practice, there is no existing law regulating it. A bill now in a
legislative committee would codify the practice, allowing it to occur at
a speed differential of less than 10 miles an hour in traffic moving at
less than 30 miles an hour.The lane-splitting measures in other
states also set varying limits to motorcyclists’ speed and speed
differential. Most of those bills are also in committee, although
Washington state’s measure passed the state Senate this past week.The
motorcycle association favors bills that legalize lane splitting, even
with speed restrictions. The group is neutral on the California bill.Surj
Gish, 41, a Bay Area motorcycle commuter who runs a website called
lanesplittingislegal.com, said he believes car drivers over the years
have become more accepting of lane-splitting. “I haven’t seen an
intentional cut-off in a long time,” he said.In places with heavy traffic like the Bay Area, motorcycle riders say there are intangible benefits to lane-splitting as well.“I’m
never in a bad mood when I get to work,” said Gwynne Fitzsimmons, 54.
“The other guys are always talking about what a [crummy] commute they
had—they start their day angry.”