OFF THE WIRE
Not law (yet); the bill is moving forward
As we documented back in January, lane splitting bills were introduced in Oregon, Washington and Montana, with good news incoming for Washingtonians. Senate Bill 5378
passed in the Washington State Senate this February 28th, which is
exciting progress for the tired clutch gripping, stop and go, left hands
of the Pacific Northwest.
The bill makes its next stop in the
House Transportation Committee before moving forward to the floor of the
House of Representatives. Should the bill pass all of the hurdles in
its path it will allow for lane sharing at speeds of up to 25MPH and
with a maximum differential speed of 10MPH. Bill 5378 is looked upon to
set a precedent for the rest of the nation’s lane splitting laws, with
California being the only state of its 49 comrades that allows lane
splitting legally. Already known to most motorcyclists, lane splitting
is the safer alternative to being stuck in stop and go traffic with
distracted and frustrated drivers. A UC Berkeley
study released in May of 2015 provided empirical proof of this by
showing that when motorcyclists are able to lane split, they are far
more likely to avoid injury or worse in congested traffic conditions.
A previous version of the bill faced
the majority of its opposition, that lead to its quick death in the
House previously this time last year, so make sure you reach out to
Representative Judy Clibborn’s office at (360) 786-7926 to voice your
support for this bill.
