It's supposedly illegal here but not many people seem to care, unless theres bad traffic on the highway.
Last summer a cop on a bike saw me in traffic and started flashing his lights telling me to follow him. He says "don't worry I'll go slow" and thats how I got started but i don't do it too often.
One thing you can count on: You push a man too far, and sooner or later he'll start pushing back.
I was just thinking... What if there was an emergency evacuation? Would people still be ana enough to prevent bikers from filtering? (those without much to take with them of course)
One thing you can count on: You push a man too far, and sooner or later he'll start pushing back.
In a serious evacuation scenario, the freeways would probably be stacked with cars six deep in a 3-lane road. No room to split.
In this scenario, I think it would be best to have an M1 Abrams or something similar.
“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”
- Soren Kierkegaard (19th century Danish philosopher)
This is always an interesting subject. I wish it were legal here, but that wouldnt help much with the cagers.
I was in a hurry, and there were two long rows of cars and trucks stopped at the light. The empty left turn lane was just too tempting. I cruised up it slowly and looked for cops. When I got to the front, pulled in front of a minivan in the left hand lane going straight. When the light changed I accelerated briskly to get away from traffic behind me. I look in the mirror and realize that the woman in the minivan is right on my tail. I had room, so I opened it up to get her off me. I had to turn left at the next light and I was stopped in the turn lane when she caught up. She was looking at me and cussing me out behind her closed window. I just smiled at her, I figured there was no sense in making her more angry. I think drivers like this are just jealous. They wish that they could get through traffic like that, but are not willing to accept the risks of riding.
I am still torn between which is safer. In that one case I would have been safer sitting at the back of the line, but in most cases I would feel safer splitting. I am a courteous driver, I let people get in front of me if I see that they want over. Life must suck for them, feeling they have been wronged in some way because somebody got in front of them. I know that was an illegal move, but it wasnt dangerous until she started trying to run me over.
I have done lane splitting a lot, mostly on FWY. I don't normally do lane splitting when I'm on local road or traffic light. I don't do lane splitting when traffic flow over 50mph unless the guy in front of me give me way to pass. I don't do lane splitting when there is no space available or when in doubt. I don't like other ppl to damage any of my properties so I will give the same respect to other properies as well.
It legal here in CA but I also have seen a lot of bikers not splitting lane even at 10-15 mph traffic on very hot day on FWY. I've also seen a lot of idiots flying by at 70-80 mph between car or the idiots that trend to hit object of other cars.
Linesplitting or 'filtering' as it is generally known here, is not only legal in the UK, but with the levels of traffic congestion we have it would be crazy not to do it. Most motorcyclists filter (unless they ride a BMW or Goldwing it seems ). But it does add an extra danger of course, for the kinds of reasons already given, and the law will generally regard any accident which occurs when filtering to be at least some percent of the motorcyclist's fault. Still, it's a great feeling, travelling up between lines of stationary or near-stationary traffic, getting to the front of a queue and then having a clearer lane ahead of you.
Some people do it here at high speeds to get through traffic when both lanes are moving fast but occupied. That's a different level of craziness IMO.
Hud
“Man has no right to kill his brother. It is no excuse that he does so in uniform: he only adds the infamy of servitude to the crime of murder.”
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Bummer.
). But it does add an extra danger of course, for the kinds of reasons already given, and the law will generally regard any accident which occurs when filtering to be at least some percent of the motorcyclist's fault. Still, it's a great feeling, travelling up between lines of stationary or near-stationary traffic, getting to the front of a queue and then having a clearer lane ahead of you.
