[Poll] How many of you lane split or filter? What country/state/province do you live in? Is it legal where you live? What are your personal 'rules' fo

[eru000]

I'd like to put together an informal (and certainly not very scientific) data set regarding lane splitting/filtering. If everyone here could answer a very short question-set, I would be very grateful. Plus, there's a small prize at the end! (check the confirmation page)

---

Please answer these questions
Current responses (unformatted/curated)

---

I'll give it a week (maybe less) to gather enough responses, and I'll post here again with the results. It'll have pretty charts and whatnot, I promise.

Thanks! Also, feel free to reply here as well, to start some discussion (please be civil everyone!). I'll add my own response to start.

 

[eru000]

Summary of my answers (to start some discussion):

* I live in NY, I'm 25 and have been riding for 5 years.
* It's not legal to split or filter in my state/city, but I do anyway.
* I've always filtered as far as I can remember, but I only started being a little more 'aggressive' with my splitting once I moved to NYC.
* I split/filter for both safety and convenience.
* My personal rules for splitting/filtering: I don't split above ~30mph. I keep within ~15mph of traffic. If I fit, I split. I always filter to the front, if there's room, and I stop just in front of the first two cars (so they can see me).

 

[Bagman]

eru000, how much flak do you from driver's? It's not legal up here either, so I don't do it... but I am very tempted in rush-hour traffic DT Toronto, or in stop-no-go traffic on the highways. One of the reasons I don't - because I can just see the road rage from driver's happening.

 

[LimitedEdition]

I've been interested in talking to my local legislators in passing new filtering laws, allowing them in the state of Arizona. I remember seeing a nationwide petition to allow lane splitting and filtering and thinking, this won't go anywhere, but filtering has a good enough reason, low risk, etc. that it could be changed if I talk to the right people.

Does anyone know of a state that has recently updated their laws to allow filtering or lane splitting? All I know is that CA allows it.

 

[eru000]

I've been interested in talking to my local legislators in passing new filtering laws, allowing them in the state of Arizona. I remember seeing a nationwide petition to allow lane splitting and filtering and thinking, this won't go anywhere, but filtering has a good enough reason, low risk, etc. that it could be changed if I talk to the right people.

Does anyone know of a state that has recently updated their laws to allow filtering or lane splitting? All I know is that CA allows it.

Oregon is in the works, from what I understand.

 

[eru000]

eru000, how much flak do you from driver's? It's not legal up here either, so I don't do it... but I am very tempted in rush-hour traffic DT Toronto, or in stop-no-go traffic on the highways. One of the reasons I don't - because I can just see the road rage from driver's happening.

I'm sure there are plenty of drivers who are jealous that I can get through traffic easier The ones who actually do anything, though, are few and far between. I can only recall a few times (definitely less than 5) in the last ~3 years of serious lane splitting where a car (and one time a tractor-trailer) actually tried to get in my way or run me off the road. I actually get a lot more cars moving over for me (either as a courtesy or because they think I'll hit them) than people getting pissed.

You do get the occasional honk, but by the time they can even react, I'm already 2 cars ahead.

So I generally wouldn't worry about road rage.

 

[HeresMyMind]

I've done it a handful of times in traffic under 10mph or at a stop, I do maybe 15-18mph. It isn't legal here in Connecticut. No one has given me any crap about it. 1 time I did it, I'm glad there was a bad accident that shut down the highway and I just squeaked by the break down lane and got off an exit, otherwards the Kickstand would of been down for many hours

-B

 

[bpassmore8]

I do it in northern California. I didn't do it on the freeway fearing some oblivious idiot changing lanes into me...then I got rear ended in stop and go traffic in my truck while she was looking over her shoulder to change lanes and accelerating we had come to a stop again. She was probably doing 25mph. My truck was fine but you can imagine the impact on a motorcycle. From that day on I will split if traffic is going less than 30. I take it relatively slow and stay in first gear so my exhaust is as loud as possible. If i need to get into 2nd gear then traffic is moving fast enough for me not to do it. Around town i will filter if the gap is big enough and i know the light won't change mid way through the filter. I have one of the strobing brake lights so if I can't split I always hit my brakes as the person behind me is coming up on me just for extra visibility

 

[IanLeMasters]

not legal here (florida) So I just don't. I figure if a wheelie ticket starts at $1000 i dont want to know what a splitting ticket is. Nor does my wallet or insurance.

I do wish we could, or at the very least filter, because it was awesome in Okinawa. But since we can't i will not perpetuate any bad image by doing it illegally.

 

[npeifer2308]

Not legal here in PA either but apparently we are gonna be able to ride on red here pretty soon so that should help give us a little more freedom. Anyways, back to the topic on hand. I only filter, never lane split. I filter because I feel motorcyclists should be restricted to sitting in traffic when we are able to fit in between cars. Anyways, that is my for what its worth.

 

[goonanc]

i live in NC. not legal here, but i do it. not gonna sit atop a bonfire in 90F just cos. cover the brake, be extra cautious. mrs goona tried it too and loved it. so now we do. keep an eye out for the police. needs to be legal. my life in my hands

 

[spudrees]

We lane split here in the UK and it is legal. Most people hear me coming and move over in their lane so I can pass. If they don't move I just squeeze through anyway lol