Photo: www.ocregister.com
A new petition asking that lane-splitting become legal in all the 50 continental states was initiated on the White House website. The petition needs 100,000 signatures until April 12, 2016, so if you feel like getting involved in making the roads safer, you are invited to sign it and spread the word.
If news about this initiative spreads across the ConUS, it looks like having one hundred thousand people signing this petition until the deadline is quite an easy goal. One does not have to actually own or ride a motorcycle to sign this petition, so that's why we encourage you to talk about this with pretty much all your friends, relatives, and people you get in touch with.
Now, we guess you all know how fierce the debate about whether lane-splitting is indeed safer for motorcyclists and helps to decongest traffic or is just an excuse for mindless riders to speed between the lanes can become.
Lane-splitting and filtering law initiatives have been stopped in the US before, as well as in other countries around the world, in Europe and Australia. Lane-splitting has both diehard supporters and strong opponents, but things are more complex than "my truth is truer."
In fact, traffic specialists such as the California Highway Patrol have expressed, more than once, their strong belief that lane-splitting, when done correctly and in a responsible manner, helps to fluidize traffic and keeps the motorcyclists safer.
As the CHP cannot make laws, the whole lane-splitting thing remains in an informal shape, treated as a set of traffic safety recommendations. Most of those who oppose making lane-splitting legal are not riders, nor have they ever ridden a bike. More than preoccupied with the legal aspects, these fellows are afraid of irresponsible riders speeding between the lanes and crashing.
Likewise, they are also afraid that the presence of a rider between the lanes when THEY might make an illegal or reckless maneuver puts everybody at risk, with the difference that, in this case, the drivers would be at fault.
And then, there are those people who get unnerved when they see a rider passing them in dense traffic, even though these chaps are actually GONE from their way in a matter of minutes and this means fewer vehicles on the road.
Yes, we're huge lane-splitting supporters here and not afraid to show it. And we urge you to head over to the White House site and Sign the Lane-Splitting Petition.
Now, we guess you all know how fierce the debate about whether lane-splitting is indeed safer for motorcyclists and helps to decongest traffic or is just an excuse for mindless riders to speed between the lanes can become.
Lane-splitting and filtering law initiatives have been stopped in the US before, as well as in other countries around the world, in Europe and Australia. Lane-splitting has both diehard supporters and strong opponents, but things are more complex than "my truth is truer."
In fact, traffic specialists such as the California Highway Patrol have expressed, more than once, their strong belief that lane-splitting, when done correctly and in a responsible manner, helps to fluidize traffic and keeps the motorcyclists safer.
As the CHP cannot make laws, the whole lane-splitting thing remains in an informal shape, treated as a set of traffic safety recommendations. Most of those who oppose making lane-splitting legal are not riders, nor have they ever ridden a bike. More than preoccupied with the legal aspects, these fellows are afraid of irresponsible riders speeding between the lanes and crashing.
Likewise, they are also afraid that the presence of a rider between the lanes when THEY might make an illegal or reckless maneuver puts everybody at risk, with the difference that, in this case, the drivers would be at fault.
And then, there are those people who get unnerved when they see a rider passing them in dense traffic, even though these chaps are actually GONE from their way in a matter of minutes and this means fewer vehicles on the road.
Yes, we're huge lane-splitting supporters here and not afraid to show it. And we urge you to head over to the White House site and Sign the Lane-Splitting Petition.
Google News