Research Paper On Lane Splitting
Emma Pedlar
English 151
Alisa Klinger
7 December 2014
Risks of the Fast Lane California is currently the only state in the United States that allows motorcycles to lane split. Lane splitting is an act that motorcyclists perform in order to reach their destination quicker and more efficiently. It has proven to be somewhat beneficial in regards to the amount of traffic and environmental benefits, but it can have severe consequences when done inappropriately or when caught in the wrong situation. Although it may prove to be quicker than sitting through stop and go traffic and has some benefits to the act, lane splitting in California should be made illegal because it causes high risk of injury, can cause further accidents, and costs the state …show more content…
money to clean up after an accident. Lane splitting is specifically in reference to a two-wheeled vehicle moving between lanes of traffic. Motorcyclists created the action in order to weave through traffic and cut travel time. California is the only state to allow lane splitting, sharing, or filtering. Differences between the three actions vary slightly. According to Motorcycle Riding Info, splitting lanes is defined as, “…when a rider is riding between two vehicles which are in separate driving lanes, and are in motion”. Lane sharing is, “… when a rider is riding next to another vehicle in the same lane. They may or may not be moving”. Lastly, lane filtering is, “…the action of riding between vehicles which are in two separate lanes, and are not in motion.” Lane filtering is most commonly performed at stop signs or traffic lights, when weaving through traffic to get to the front of the line of traffic. There is no law against the action; however, if performed in an unsafe manner, the motorcyclist can be cited. Although all three actions are not illegal, they are also not legal. They fall into a gray area that remains tolerable due to the high demand of motorcyclists in the state. Based on data found by Statista.com, “In 2012, there were 787,521.11 registered motorcycles in California.” California is known for its many highways with beautiful scenery for motorcyclists to enjoy while road tripping through the state. Surrounding states, including Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona, had a total of over 300,000 registered motorcycles (Statista.com). With neighboring states having many riders as well, California is awaiting their arrival to enjoy the scenery, including them in the allowance of lane splitting. With this many motorcycle riders in one state alone, it may be difficult to pass such a law, however, with such high risks of injury, the law prohibiting lane splitting, should be strongly enforced. Riding a motorcycle carries risks that driving a car does not. “Each year more than 2,000 people are killed and more than 55,000 are injured in motorcycle crashes” (Motorcycle Helmets). The large amount of fatalities that occur from motorcycle crashes is avoidable. Although the number deaths due to motorcycle accidents may never reach zero, the number can be greatly decreased with minimal change. “In 2007, the fatality rate per registered vehicle for motorcyclists was about six times that of passenger vehicle occupants” (Indupuru). As a motorcyclist, one's body is more exposed to harsh conditions and automatically faces greater risk of injury from the road and surrounding vehicles. In what could be a fender bender in a car, could result in a motorcyclist falling off their bike, and experiencing a wide range of injury. A fender bender on a motorcycle, or being rear ended on a motorcycle can easily result in death. Many motorcyclists believe it to be the worst and most dangerous kind of accident while riding a motorcycle. So, for being the most common type of accident, being on a motorcycle carries an immediate risk of severe injury or death even if performed appropriately. In order to help decrease the numbers found in the data concerning injury and fatality while riding a motorcycle, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) have created guidelines. The guidelines that were founded outlined basic safety and common sense measures that they felt necessary to spread word of to all civilians. However, shortly after the guidelines were posted, a petitioner argued that there was no formal rulemaking, and in order to avoid strongly enforcing the guidelines, the guidelines were removed from the CHP website (chp.ca.gov). Although the guidelines were officially removed from the website, included in their notice of why they did so, some quick reminders remain. Some left include, “Watch your speed. Assume people in cars do not see you. Avoid blind spots in other vehicles” (chp.ca.gov). It is believed to be slightly safer if the motorcycle is not exceeding 10 mph more than the flow of traffic. However, even exceeding the flow of traffic by 10 mph, motorcyclists must still remain under the speed limit, and must obey all other traffic regulations. Based on these guidelines, motorcycle injury can be somewhat preventable and avoidable. Making small changes can decrease motorcycle injury rates, death, and future accidents.
Lane splitting carries a high risk of injury and can cause further accidents.
According to the National Safety Council, approximately 90% of all motorcycle accidents result in injury or death (Motorcycle Safety). Lane splitting is performed in close proximity to cars, making themselves sometimes difficult to see, or unnoticeable to other vehicles whom do not always expect another vehicle to pass them on the road. While roadways are becoming more congested, lane splitting among motorcyclists is following a similar trend, and becoming more popular. It allows them to weave through traffic faster and more efficiently than other automobiles such as cars or trucks. Although accidents may not always be the sole reason of an accident, lane splitting does not help the cause. Drivers can be unpredictable and can change lanes at a blink of the eye with lack of using some sort of signal before doing so. Even with a signal, lane changes made by cars can happen very quickly and unexpectedly. Drivers are often times unable to see a relatively small motorcycle trying to shorten their commute by weaving through traffic. Motorcyclists are becoming too comfortable driving in between cars at high speeds, or simply, at much higher speeds than the surrounding cars around them. Motorcyclists are informed by word of mouth, that if they are to lane change, to do so in the furthermost left lanes, rather than on the right. In addition to all the risks motorcyclists face, if they decide to …show more content…
lane split inappropriately, the surrounding cars expect their presence even less, and their consequences may be more severe. While lane splitting can be done more safely in the correct situations, which may even benefit traffic situations, many motorcyclists are doing this at high rates of speed and when traffic is moving quickly. Lane splitting is not recommended while traffic is moving over 35 mph. An article about motorcycle severity, claims, “We find that congestion diminishes the probability of suffering severe injuries, although its statistical significance only appears for motorcycle causalities (odd ratio [OR] 0.80), which are also more severe due to speed violations” (Albalate). This data displays the significance that traffic helps prevent motorcycle deaths by slowing the riders down. However, even though data has been found to support this claim, it does not necessarily prevent injury or death overall with the motorcyclists that are lane splitting. Motorcyclist injury and death can never quite be fully preventable, but certain actions can be taken in order to help prevent less from occurring. After each severe accident or fatality that occurs, the state must clean up the mess in order to prevent another accident from happening. This can result in costing the state a lot of money to properly clean the mess.
Traffic accidents result in huge costs to the state. In 2000, the state paid a total of $230.6 billion due to accidents (CNN Money). Although not all of these accidents are a result of involvement of a motorcyclist, they do still contribute to the final cost. Car crashes with other cars may be more common than accidents involving motorcycles, but the ending result is usually much worse when a motorcycle is involved, given that the rider and possible passengers are in a much more vulnerable state. In addition to each accident costing the state a substantial amount of money each year, they can also cause more traffic congestion, which can lead to further lane splitting and more accidents. Costing the state more money to clean up after an accident, is a direct connection to costing the residents of the state more money through taxes, or other ways the government can budget the money in. Aside from costing the state money per accident, while cleaning up or waiting for an accident to clear, it causes more traffic, which could lead to further accidents if lane splitting were to occur during the traffic. Having an accident, not only can lead to serious injury or death, but also costs the state a lot of money. Even though there are many negative aspects of lane splitting, there are also some reasons why lane splitting could be a positive action.
The most common car accidents are rear-enders. Motorcyclists are able to avoid these specific accidents by lane splitting. In addition to being able to avoid certain accidents by weaving in between cars, during traffic congestion, motorcycles and cars are not moving very quickly. When motorcyclists lane split, it decreases the amount of traffic by taking themselves out of the overall situation. The surrounding cars do not have to wait for them to filter through the traffic, as if they were another car, and motorcyclists do not have to wait for cars to filter through. Rather, both the cars and motorcyclists can be moving through the traffic at the same time. While lane splitting can help decrease the amount of traffic congestion, it can also help lower travel times for both themselves, and for cars. According to Gizmag, “If 10 percent of drivers were to switch to motorcycles, travel time would decrease for remaining cars by eight minutes”. Lane splitting not only could help lower traffic congestion, but also benefit the environment.
By spending less time on the road in traffic congestion, lane splitting can help decrease the amount of emissions produced by cars.
Emissions are released at all times while cars and motorcycles are on, which results in a poorer environment over time. By cutting driving times for all automobiles on the road, it could even benefit our environment. Some drivers become aggravated when a motorcycle cuts in front or passes. When drivers become angry and try to prevent motorcyclists from lane splitting, it can create even greater danger than if the motorcyclists were to perform the action as normal. However, drivers should stay calm because the lane splitting motorcyclists can actually be benefitting the drivers by decreasing travel time, decreasing the amount of traffic congestion, and helping the
environment.
Lastly, motorcycles can become overheated. Harley Davidson and some older models of motorcycles are not water-cooled. They require air-flow in order to keep their engine cool, and prevent the motorcycles from overheating. If motorcycles were to sit in traffic and not lane split, they have the risk of overheating, and breaking down, which could end in more traffic and accidents for everyone.
Riding a motorcycle can be fun and freeing, while being able to see and enjoy the beautiful scenery of California. By weaving through traffic, motorcyclists can help decrease the amount of traffic and lower the amount of emissions going into the atmosphere by decreasing the amount of time spent on the road. However, by lane splitting, motorcyclists put themselves at a greater risk of injury or death. Being so exposed to the ground and other surroundings, if they were to fall, the consequences may be much more severe than if they were in a car with material around them to protect them. By lane splitting, a motorcyclist is much more vulnerable to injury, or an overall accident occurring, which could result in further traffic, and cost the state a lot of money to clean up afterward. The risks that motorcyclists carry when lane splitting outweigh the benefits; therefore lane splitting is extremely dangerous and is creating higher numbers in death and injury than there need to be.
(1792)
Works Cited
Albalate, Daniel, and Laura Fernandez-Villadangos. "Motorcycle Injury Severity In Barcelona: The Role Of Vehicle Type And Congestion." Traffic Injury Prevention 11.6 (2010): 623. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
Blain, Loz. "Motorcycle Lane Splitting: Better for Riders, Better for Drivers, and Safer than Sitting in Traffic." Motorcycle Lane Splitting: Better for Riders, Better for Drivers, and Safer than Sitting in Traffic. N.p., 27 Oct. 2014. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
California Motorcyclist Safety Program." California Highway Patrol. N.p., 2014. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
Clifford, Catherine. "U.S. Car Accident Cost: $164.2 Billion." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 05 Mar. 2008. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
Doolittle, Robert Prince, Robert T. Brown, and Allan Boshell. "Adolescents And Motorcycle Safety: The Case For Health Advocacy." Pediatrics 64.6 (1979): 963. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
Indupuru, Vamsi. "Identification of Risk Factors Associated with Motorcycle-Related Fatalities in Ohio." N.p., 2011. Web. 2014.
"Motorcycle Accidents: Lane Splitting | Nolo.com." Nolo.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
"Motorcycle Helmets." Campaign: Safe and Sober. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014.
"Number of Registered U.S. Motorcycles by State 2012 | Statistic." Statista. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
Richard. "Splitting Lanes vs. Lane Sharing vs. Lane Filtering." Joomla! N.p., 8 Oct. 2012. Web.
Surj. "Who Made This?" Lane Splitting Is Legal in California. N.p., 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
English 151
Alisa Klinger
7 December 2014
Risks of the Fast Lane California is currently the only state in the United States that allows motorcycles to lane split. Lane splitting is an act that motorcyclists perform in order to reach their destination quicker and more efficiently. It has proven to be somewhat beneficial in regards to the amount of traffic and environmental benefits, but it can have severe consequences when done inappropriately or when caught in the wrong situation. Although it may prove to be quicker than sitting through stop and go traffic and has some benefits to the act, lane splitting in California should be made illegal because it causes high risk of injury, can cause further accidents, and costs the state …show more content…
money to clean up after an accident. Lane splitting is specifically in reference to a two-wheeled vehicle moving between lanes of traffic. Motorcyclists created the action in order to weave through traffic and cut travel time. California is the only state to allow lane splitting, sharing, or filtering. Differences between the three actions vary slightly. According to Motorcycle Riding Info, splitting lanes is defined as, “…when a rider is riding between two vehicles which are in separate driving lanes, and are in motion”. Lane sharing is, “… when a rider is riding next to another vehicle in the same lane. They may or may not be moving”. Lastly, lane filtering is, “…the action of riding between vehicles which are in two separate lanes, and are not in motion.” Lane filtering is most commonly performed at stop signs or traffic lights, when weaving through traffic to get to the front of the line of traffic. There is no law against the action; however, if performed in an unsafe manner, the motorcyclist can be cited. Although all three actions are not illegal, they are also not legal. They fall into a gray area that remains tolerable due to the high demand of motorcyclists in the state. Based on data found by Statista.com, “In 2012, there were 787,521.11 registered motorcycles in California.” California is known for its many highways with beautiful scenery for motorcyclists to enjoy while road tripping through the state. Surrounding states, including Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona, had a total of over 300,000 registered motorcycles (Statista.com). With neighboring states having many riders as well, California is awaiting their arrival to enjoy the scenery, including them in the allowance of lane splitting. With this many motorcycle riders in one state alone, it may be difficult to pass such a law, however, with such high risks of injury, the law prohibiting lane splitting, should be strongly enforced. Riding a motorcycle carries risks that driving a car does not. “Each year more than 2,000 people are killed and more than 55,000 are injured in motorcycle crashes” (Motorcycle Helmets). The large amount of fatalities that occur from motorcycle crashes is avoidable. Although the number deaths due to motorcycle accidents may never reach zero, the number can be greatly decreased with minimal change. “In 2007, the fatality rate per registered vehicle for motorcyclists was about six times that of passenger vehicle occupants” (Indupuru). As a motorcyclist, one's body is more exposed to harsh conditions and automatically faces greater risk of injury from the road and surrounding vehicles. In what could be a fender bender in a car, could result in a motorcyclist falling off their bike, and experiencing a wide range of injury. A fender bender on a motorcycle, or being rear ended on a motorcycle can easily result in death. Many motorcyclists believe it to be the worst and most dangerous kind of accident while riding a motorcycle. So, for being the most common type of accident, being on a motorcycle carries an immediate risk of severe injury or death even if performed appropriately. In order to help decrease the numbers found in the data concerning injury and fatality while riding a motorcycle, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) have created guidelines. The guidelines that were founded outlined basic safety and common sense measures that they felt necessary to spread word of to all civilians. However, shortly after the guidelines were posted, a petitioner argued that there was no formal rulemaking, and in order to avoid strongly enforcing the guidelines, the guidelines were removed from the CHP website (chp.ca.gov). Although the guidelines were officially removed from the website, included in their notice of why they did so, some quick reminders remain. Some left include, “Watch your speed. Assume people in cars do not see you. Avoid blind spots in other vehicles” (chp.ca.gov). It is believed to be slightly safer if the motorcycle is not exceeding 10 mph more than the flow of traffic. However, even exceeding the flow of traffic by 10 mph, motorcyclists must still remain under the speed limit, and must obey all other traffic regulations. Based on these guidelines, motorcycle injury can be somewhat preventable and avoidable. Making small changes can decrease motorcycle injury rates, death, and future accidents.
Lane splitting carries a high risk of injury and can cause further accidents.
According to the National Safety Council, approximately 90% of all motorcycle accidents result in injury or death (Motorcycle Safety). Lane splitting is performed in close proximity to cars, making themselves sometimes difficult to see, or unnoticeable to other vehicles whom do not always expect another vehicle to pass them on the road. While roadways are becoming more congested, lane splitting among motorcyclists is following a similar trend, and becoming more popular. It allows them to weave through traffic faster and more efficiently than other automobiles such as cars or trucks. Although accidents may not always be the sole reason of an accident, lane splitting does not help the cause. Drivers can be unpredictable and can change lanes at a blink of the eye with lack of using some sort of signal before doing so. Even with a signal, lane changes made by cars can happen very quickly and unexpectedly. Drivers are often times unable to see a relatively small motorcycle trying to shorten their commute by weaving through traffic. Motorcyclists are becoming too comfortable driving in between cars at high speeds, or simply, at much higher speeds than the surrounding cars around them. Motorcyclists are informed by word of mouth, that if they are to lane change, to do so in the furthermost left lanes, rather than on the right. In addition to all the risks motorcyclists face, if they decide to …show more content…
lane split inappropriately, the surrounding cars expect their presence even less, and their consequences may be more severe. While lane splitting can be done more safely in the correct situations, which may even benefit traffic situations, many motorcyclists are doing this at high rates of speed and when traffic is moving quickly. Lane splitting is not recommended while traffic is moving over 35 mph. An article about motorcycle severity, claims, “We find that congestion diminishes the probability of suffering severe injuries, although its statistical significance only appears for motorcycle causalities (odd ratio [OR] 0.80), which are also more severe due to speed violations” (Albalate). This data displays the significance that traffic helps prevent motorcycle deaths by slowing the riders down. However, even though data has been found to support this claim, it does not necessarily prevent injury or death overall with the motorcyclists that are lane splitting. Motorcyclist injury and death can never quite be fully preventable, but certain actions can be taken in order to help prevent less from occurring. After each severe accident or fatality that occurs, the state must clean up the mess in order to prevent another accident from happening. This can result in costing the state a lot of money to properly clean the mess.
Traffic accidents result in huge costs to the state. In 2000, the state paid a total of $230.6 billion due to accidents (CNN Money). Although not all of these accidents are a result of involvement of a motorcyclist, they do still contribute to the final cost. Car crashes with other cars may be more common than accidents involving motorcycles, but the ending result is usually much worse when a motorcycle is involved, given that the rider and possible passengers are in a much more vulnerable state. In addition to each accident costing the state a substantial amount of money each year, they can also cause more traffic congestion, which can lead to further lane splitting and more accidents. Costing the state more money to clean up after an accident, is a direct connection to costing the residents of the state more money through taxes, or other ways the government can budget the money in. Aside from costing the state money per accident, while cleaning up or waiting for an accident to clear, it causes more traffic, which could lead to further accidents if lane splitting were to occur during the traffic. Having an accident, not only can lead to serious injury or death, but also costs the state a lot of money. Even though there are many negative aspects of lane splitting, there are also some reasons why lane splitting could be a positive action.
The most common car accidents are rear-enders. Motorcyclists are able to avoid these specific accidents by lane splitting. In addition to being able to avoid certain accidents by weaving in between cars, during traffic congestion, motorcycles and cars are not moving very quickly. When motorcyclists lane split, it decreases the amount of traffic by taking themselves out of the overall situation. The surrounding cars do not have to wait for them to filter through the traffic, as if they were another car, and motorcyclists do not have to wait for cars to filter through. Rather, both the cars and motorcyclists can be moving through the traffic at the same time. While lane splitting can help decrease the amount of traffic congestion, it can also help lower travel times for both themselves, and for cars. According to Gizmag, “If 10 percent of drivers were to switch to motorcycles, travel time would decrease for remaining cars by eight minutes”. Lane splitting not only could help lower traffic congestion, but also benefit the environment.
By spending less time on the road in traffic congestion, lane splitting can help decrease the amount of emissions produced by cars.
Emissions are released at all times while cars and motorcycles are on, which results in a poorer environment over time. By cutting driving times for all automobiles on the road, it could even benefit our environment. Some drivers become aggravated when a motorcycle cuts in front or passes. When drivers become angry and try to prevent motorcyclists from lane splitting, it can create even greater danger than if the motorcyclists were to perform the action as normal. However, drivers should stay calm because the lane splitting motorcyclists can actually be benefitting the drivers by decreasing travel time, decreasing the amount of traffic congestion, and helping the
environment.
Lastly, motorcycles can become overheated. Harley Davidson and some older models of motorcycles are not water-cooled. They require air-flow in order to keep their engine cool, and prevent the motorcycles from overheating. If motorcycles were to sit in traffic and not lane split, they have the risk of overheating, and breaking down, which could end in more traffic and accidents for everyone.
Riding a motorcycle can be fun and freeing, while being able to see and enjoy the beautiful scenery of California. By weaving through traffic, motorcyclists can help decrease the amount of traffic and lower the amount of emissions going into the atmosphere by decreasing the amount of time spent on the road. However, by lane splitting, motorcyclists put themselves at a greater risk of injury or death. Being so exposed to the ground and other surroundings, if they were to fall, the consequences may be much more severe than if they were in a car with material around them to protect them. By lane splitting, a motorcyclist is much more vulnerable to injury, or an overall accident occurring, which could result in further traffic, and cost the state a lot of money to clean up afterward. The risks that motorcyclists carry when lane splitting outweigh the benefits; therefore lane splitting is extremely dangerous and is creating higher numbers in death and injury than there need to be.
(1792)
Works Cited
Albalate, Daniel, and Laura Fernandez-Villadangos. "Motorcycle Injury Severity In Barcelona: The Role Of Vehicle Type And Congestion." Traffic Injury Prevention 11.6 (2010): 623. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
Blain, Loz. "Motorcycle Lane Splitting: Better for Riders, Better for Drivers, and Safer than Sitting in Traffic." Motorcycle Lane Splitting: Better for Riders, Better for Drivers, and Safer than Sitting in Traffic. N.p., 27 Oct. 2014. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
California Motorcyclist Safety Program." California Highway Patrol. N.p., 2014. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
Clifford, Catherine. "U.S. Car Accident Cost: $164.2 Billion." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 05 Mar. 2008. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
Doolittle, Robert Prince, Robert T. Brown, and Allan Boshell. "Adolescents And Motorcycle Safety: The Case For Health Advocacy." Pediatrics 64.6 (1979): 963. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
Indupuru, Vamsi. "Identification of Risk Factors Associated with Motorcycle-Related Fatalities in Ohio." N.p., 2011. Web. 2014.
"Motorcycle Accidents: Lane Splitting | Nolo.com." Nolo.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
"Motorcycle Helmets." Campaign: Safe and Sober. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014.
"Number of Registered U.S. Motorcycles by State 2012 | Statistic." Statista. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
Richard. "Splitting Lanes vs. Lane Sharing vs. Lane Filtering." Joomla! N.p., 8 Oct. 2012. Web.
Surj. "Who Made This?" Lane Splitting Is Legal in California. N.p., 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.