Study shows lane splitting a life saver

Two California riders lane spitting. From Wikipedia Commons

The same thing that could get you a reckless driving ticket in Virginia appears to be saving lives, limbs and property damage in California and across Europe.

Lane sharing -- also known as lane splitting or traffic filtering -- is not a hazardous activity indulged in by a few reckless riders but a safe method of protecting riders against rear end collisions and a way to increase efficiency of traffic flow. That's the word from two West Coast studies, including one by the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The studies are being circulated by Andy Goldfine of Rider Wearhouse and Ride to Work fame and seem to indicate that lives could be saved if riders were allowed to drive between cars and arrive at the stoplights.

"The significant safety benefits of lane sharing and filtering have long been intuitively known by experienced riders. But getting non-riding political leaders -- and the American public -- to accept this has been impossible (except in California)," wrote Mr. Goldfine, a proponent of commuting on motorcycles and using them as a regular mode of transportation.

"In comparison with other countries around the globe, the U.S. is the only industrialized nation that does not commonly allow traffic-filtering or lane-sharing for motorcycle riders," wrote Steve Guderian, in his study titled "Lane Sharing: A Global Solution for Motorcycle Safety."

"In some states lane-sharing is expressly prohibited," he wrote. "The exception to the traffic-filtering prohibition is California where lane-sharing is routinelypracticed by a high percentage of riders in congested traffic conditions. Yet, despite significant traffic congestion and a higher number of motorcycles on the roadway, with the high number of motorcycles lane-sharing, the statistics show California has one of the lowest rates of rear end motorcycle collisions."

Mr. Guderian's study shows California has fewer motorcycle deaths involving a motorcycle  rear ending another vehicle and "significantly fewer deaths from a motorcycle being rear-ended byanother vehicle. "

The Oregon study echoes the findings.

"Allowing motorcycles to move more freely through traffic could help reduce overall congestion, and potentially reduce some types of motorcycle crashes," the study says. "In some cases, it may also reduce motorcycle riders’ travel times and create an incentive for people to switch travel modes. This switch could be environmentally beneficial as motorcycles have much greater fuel efficiency than automobiles, emit less greenhouse gasses, and also contribute less wear to the roads and infrastructure."

The Oregon study quotes a European study that showed of 921 crashes investigated involving motorcycles and other cars, four, or about 0.4 percent, were cycles "traffic filtering" to get to a light.  In comparison, 26 -- 2.8 percent -- of the accidents occurred while the motorcycle1  was stopped in traffic with a speed of zero, and 452 -- 49.1 percent -- occurred with the bike moving in a straight line with constant speed.

"These findings suggest that, despite the legality of lane-sharing in the study areas, crashes with lane-sharing related behaviors make up a relatively small percentage of total crashes," the Oregon study concludes. "The majority of motorcyclists in the study were traveling straight with 90% of the vehicles they crash with being in front of them."

In a British study, about five percent of riders involved in accidents were lane splitting and other drivers twice as likely to be at fault, the Oregon report states.

Issues with lane sharing include vulnerabilities of the motorcycle to other traffic.

"A motorcycle traveling between rows of moving vehicles in the same lane is vulnerable to different threats, such as vehicles suddenly changing lanes or opening doors," the study states. "Lane-sharing motorcycles also travel over road surface that is not designed for prolonged traffic, including painted lines, road seams, and reflective markers. Additionally, lane-sharing riders have encountered vehicles that intentionally maneuver to block them from advancing in an effort to have them “wait their turn.” Vehicle passenger safety is also of concern as lane-sharing may reduce an operator’s ability to predict, and therefore, react to traffic."

Mr. Guderian's study concludes that a lane-splitting bikes faces different risks than one stopped at an intersection behind other vehicles.

"Comparing the collision dynamics of a rear-end impact to a motorcycle involved in a lane-sharing accident reveals
that lane-sharing represents a safer overall situation for motorcyclists," Mr. Guderian wrote. "A motorcycle that is
lane-sharing is no longer exposed to the full-force of a rear-end impact. Rather, the dynamic is more similar to a sideswipe lane-changing impacts, which is an incomplete force contact."

With changes in the economy, concerns about the environment and gas consumption, Mr. Goldfine says riders  have more power to change laws than before. Virginia's recent decision to allow bikes to turn left after they wait several cycles at traffic lights, is one example.

"Shifting economic, social and cultural factors are providing new opportunities for riders to advocate change. For example, to reduce urban congestion, save energy and lower accident rates any municipal government could legalize lane sharing and filtering on all of the local roads and streets within it's boundaries," Mr. Goldfine noted. "Wouldn’t that be nice in your city?"