Lane Splitting

[Metalfyre]

http://www.nzblokes.co.nz/lane-splitting-on-motorbikes/

 

I just came across this video on FB on lane splitting that I thought is too good not to share. The video is an excellent, informative watch that I would recommend to any rider new or seasoned. Lane splitting aside, it touches on the attitude every rider should have; taking responsibility for your own safety and managing your own risks rather than expecting drivers to watch out for you, letting it go even if someone just tried to wipe you out with an abrupt lane shift...do watch it and pass the word. More awareness means more riders survive to ride another day.

 

And further, this video highlights the importance for more awareness and skills regarding lane splitting..especially amongst riders. You're safer when you do it. And you may cause danger not only to yourselves but to others when you don't. Here are a few points derived from my own experience and what I've observed of riders on the road regarding lane splitting (disclaimer..my own opinion):

 

1) Reduce the time spent inside blindspots: This may sound like 'duh logic', but many times I've seen riders sticking to the rear corner of a vehicle that they are not confident they can pass. The driver is not going to see you in that blind spot, and the longer you stay there the more likely he's going to forget about your existence. Doing this also causes an obstruction to riders who are lane splitting behind you, dangerous because the 'rear corner hugger' forces them to dwell inside the blind spots of the car behind...or between 2 cars where there's less space. If you don't think you can pass, move over slightly and follow the outside wheel from behind. The driver can now see you in his rearview mirror, and other riders can pass.

 

2) Enforce your own space: One of the reasons lane splitting is safer is that it creates space for the rider. It may sound counter-intuitive since lane splitting means you're riding between vehicles with a couple of inches of clearance, but it's not. Imagine you're following behind a car. In this situation the space you have is your following distance to the car ahead and the space beside you. We'll ignore the space behind since we're talking about space that is usable to a rider, and most bikes can't reverse quickly. The space a rider has in this situation is dependent on the car ahead, and would resemble a box/rectangle. Now, switching over to lane splitting, the usable space at the sides decreases, but the space ahead is multiplied since you virtually have one 'lane' to yourself. So if traffic is heavy, lane splitting creates far more space for a rider than following traffic.

 

However, many riders stay on the road markings even when there is no traffic around them. Lane splitting is a maneuver riders use to overtake, and is effective because riders possess a greater spatial awareness as discussed in the video. Drivers do not have this advantage, and if a rider forces them to overtake while occupying the lane splitting 'lane', there's less margin for error. The white paint between lanes also has crappy grip...especially in the wet. Create space for yourself when you can, and occupy a lane if there is no traffic around you.

 

3) Spatial awareness is a biker's greatest asset. Exploit it: Some riders subscribe to the fallacy that having no side mirrors (or small ones) help you to lane split better. This cannot be further from the truth. Your mirrors provide you with information, and removing them handicaps you. Having to turn your head constantly to check means less time with your eyes in front. Also, your mirrors are your best guide while lane splitting, and seasoned riders use them to gauge whether there is sufficient space to proceed. A slight misjudgment will at most result in your mirrors smacking against a car's side mirror. Without your mirrors, the thing that smacks into the car's side mirror will be your handlebars. You don't want to be losing directional control whilst lane splitting. In short, side mirrors provide riders with more spatial awareness, without which the task of arriving at point B safely becomes that much harder. Riders need all the help they can get.

 

4) Be predictable: Everything involving road safety has to do with predictability. Signalling in advance, travelling at a constant speed...all these help your fellow road users to map out their own future actions. Weaving in between lanes whilst lane splitting is far less predictable than going in a straight line. The latter also involves less road users, meaning less drivers have to make sense of what the rider is doing and react accordingly...which translates to a lower probability that a driver will miscalculate. Weaving or failing to signal may get you there faster (or save you 1/4th of a joule of finger energy), but it increases the risk of miscalculation. In the same light, a driver who inexplicably brakes when the road ahead of him is clear isn't one a rider wants to follow behind. Keep clear of unpredictable drivers.

 

Remember...you chose to ride and take up the risk. Your safety and well-being are your own responsibility, and it's up to you to manage the risks. Ride safe, fellow riders!

 

Please feel free to discuss, debate or contest any of my points.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Metalfyre
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[karedi]

Thanks @Metalfyre. Very informative post. And thanks for your insights as well. Must make this a sticky.

 

 

Ride on

[hydrop]

But lane splitting in Singapore sometimes quite scary. Cars suddenly do stunt like switch lanes and some bikers just tailgate and squeeze you out if you are not fast enough for them.

[zulu4]

thanks for sharing