Photo: Wikipedia
California might be the only State that officially recognizes and accepts lane splitting, but several other areas of the country are making efforts to adopt the maneuver’s legalization. And the latest news comes from Washington.
As previously reported, lane splitting bills were introduced in Oregon, Montana, and Washington, with the latter being the first to come with good news. Senate Bill 5378 passed in the Washington State Senate recently, which is exciting progress for the tired, clutch-gripping, stop-and-go, left hands of the Pacific Northwest riders.
The bill makes its next stop in the House Transportation Committee before moving forward to the floor of the House of Representatives. Should it pass all of the hurdles in its path, it will allow for lane sharing at speeds of up to 25 mph and with a maximum differential speed of 10 mph.
Bill 5378 is looked upon to set a precedent for the rest of the nation’s lane splitting laws, with California being the only state of its 49 comrades that allows such maneuver to be carried out legally.
Already known to most motorcyclists, lane splitting is the safer alternative to being stuck in stop-and-go traffic along with distracted and frustrated drivers. This is backed up by a UC Berkeley study released in May 2015, which provided empirical proof of this by showing that when motorcyclists are able to lane split, they are far more likely to avoid injury in congested traffic conditions.
Not to mention the fact that lane splitting is cutting down on fuel consumption and traffic jams, possibly determining other people to ride during their commute. An extra advantage would be more parking spaces, since motorcycles can be virtually parked anywhere.
A previous version of the bill faced the majority of its opposition that lead to its quick death in the House previously this time last year. If you want to reach out to Representative Judy Clibborn’s office to voice your support for the bill, you can call at (360) 786-7926.
The bill makes its next stop in the House Transportation Committee before moving forward to the floor of the House of Representatives. Should it pass all of the hurdles in its path, it will allow for lane sharing at speeds of up to 25 mph and with a maximum differential speed of 10 mph.
Bill 5378 is looked upon to set a precedent for the rest of the nation’s lane splitting laws, with California being the only state of its 49 comrades that allows such maneuver to be carried out legally.
Already known to most motorcyclists, lane splitting is the safer alternative to being stuck in stop-and-go traffic along with distracted and frustrated drivers. This is backed up by a UC Berkeley study released in May 2015, which provided empirical proof of this by showing that when motorcyclists are able to lane split, they are far more likely to avoid injury in congested traffic conditions.
Not to mention the fact that lane splitting is cutting down on fuel consumption and traffic jams, possibly determining other people to ride during their commute. An extra advantage would be more parking spaces, since motorcycles can be virtually parked anywhere.
A previous version of the bill faced the majority of its opposition that lead to its quick death in the House previously this time last year. If you want to reach out to Representative Judy Clibborn’s office to voice your support for the bill, you can call at (360) 786-7926.
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