Matt Worrel, of Lakewood, Colorado, is seeking to get an initiative on his state's 2008 ballot, to make lane-splitting legal.

According to KKCO 11 News, specifics of the law would allow motorcyclists to "weave in and out of traffic" under the following conditions...

Motorcyclists are only allowed to weave through cars if they are traveling at less than half the posted speed limit, and they can only pass at ten miles more than the slowest moving car.

Labels: Motorcycle Lane Splitting Laws

Take a look at this video, and you'll understand why it's important for states to legalize lane-splitting...

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/..../ VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

A off-duty Arizona highway patrol officer slammed his car into the rear-end of a motorcycle on I-17 in Phoenix. The guy sitting on the motorcycle was catapulted off of his bike, and then run over by a semi-truck.

Because the State of Arizona does not permit lane-splitting, the motorcyclist was forced to sit in traffic and put himself at risk. Had the law permitted him to split lanes, this would have never happened.

Arizona seriously needs to legalize lane-splitting, considering how congested their freeways are in the Phoenix-metro area.

Labels: Arizona, Motorcycle Lane Splitting Laws

What's the proper thing to do when a biker wants to pass another biker within the same lane?

This question came up on a forum, where a Ducati rider bitched and complained because a group of Harley riders wouldn't let him pass by...

So I am on the Ducati board and they are bashing Harley riders left in right. One guys says he was driving down the Blue Ridge Parkway and a bunch of Harley Riders were doing the speed limit and they wouldn't pull over the right side of their lane so he could pass them in their lane. So he had to pass the unskilled riders by going over the yellow line. Then he bitched because he gave him the finger.

Labels: Motorcycle Lane Splitting Laws, North Carolina, Riding Etiquette

The NBC affiliate in San Diego aired a segment during its television news program about why lane splitting is legal.

Click here to see the video.

The people who created the segment took the time to explain that lane-splitting is safer for motorcyclists, and even said that it helps keep air-cooled engines cooler. But they forgot to explain that the California Highway Patrol actually lobbied the State Legislature against an effort to illegalize lane splitting.

As biker bloggers, particularly us California ones, we often talk about how lane-splitting is beneficial to everyone. But preaching to the flock doesn't help much. We need more videos like this one from NBC San Diego to explain it to the masses.

Labels: Motorcycle Lane Splitting Laws

Yesterday morning, a San Francisco-based morning radio show announcer told his listeners that he felt it was unfair for motorcyclists to split lanes in heavy traffic.

In California, it's not illegal to lane split.

So he called for drivers to open their doors when they see a biker splitting the lane, coming up from behind.

Several bikers expressed their anger at the announcer on a Bay Area motorcycle forum.

Interestingly, immediately after calling for Jihad against bikers, his show cut to commercial which happened to be a spot for a local Yamaha dealership. The dealer learned about the announcer's remarks, and placed calls to the radio station, spoke with station manager, and got them to announce an on-air apology.

Thanks to fellow biker Hyrise for letting us know.

Labels: Biker Discrimination, Motorcycle Lane Splitting Laws