Lane Splitting

An article i found on lane splitting....

by Richard D. Grazia

Lane splitting, like baseball, is a game of inches. In baseball, judging small distances accurately wins games. In motorcycling, it gets you home early and in one piece.

For five years, I have been commuting from Berkeley to San Francisco and back every day, 15 miles along the I-80 corridor and across the Bay Bridge. Often, I lane-split the whole distance, saving about an hour a day in travel time. The tips in this article result from that experience.

If you can ride on freeways fairly comfortably but haven't lane-split yet, practice judging the distance between two stationary objects wider than your motorcycle, then find the midpoint of that distance. That mid-point is where you'll want to be in any lane-split or passing move.

While lane-splitting, you are measuring distances, acting and reacting to your observations. The situation is fluid and changes take place in tenths of seconds or less. When traffic stops, the situation goes static. You become the only dynamic player.

Moving through stopped or slowly moving traffic is actually a combination of lane- splitting and lane-changing. The gap is where you find it; how you use it and avoid contact is the challenge.

Getting Started

Make sure your bike is in tune, has good brakes and good rubber.

Without cars around you, practice riding on lane buttons. Take a firm grip on your handlebars. Riding on the buttons will shake your bike, but it won't tip you over. Get used to the feeling; you'll be riding on the buttons occasionally while you're between cars.

To pass one car in slowly-moving traffic on the freeway, place yourself behind a car that has plenty of space in front of it. (Cars should be running parallel to your chosen car.) Line up to the right or left side (whichever affords the most space) of your chosen car. Make sure you're in a low enough gear to provide adequate roll-on power. Check your mirrors, then look up your route. If it's clear, give it the gas. Pass the car and pull into the forward space. You have just lane-split. When you're comfortable with the one-car pass, up the ante to two cars, then three and so on.

Seeing

Lane-splitting is essentially a hand-eye coordination activity. The operative term here is "eye." If you don't see what's happening around you, you'll never make the right move.

Keep your eyes moving: check the situation way up ahead. Read the intention of the vehicles near you; check your mirrors. Don't stare. At 30 mph, you are traveling at 44 feet per second. At that speed, you travel 4.4 feet in a tenth of a second.

Techniques
Cover the front brake lever with two fingers. If you have to stop, you'll be able to save a bit of reaction time, which translates into distance. Stopping even one inch away from an obstruction is good.

Relax your arms by bending them slightly at the elbows. Remember to breathe. If you become tired, stop lane-splitting for awhile.

Check your mirrors before starting any lane-splitting move. A fellow lane-splitter, closing quickly from behind as you enter the gap, could spoil your whole day. l also periodically check my mirrors while lane-splitting. If I see another lane-splitter coming up behind me, I can decide whether to pull over or speed up.

Control direction and speed with smooth micro-inputs, knees to tank, hands countersteering, hand to throttle. You don't have room for big maneuvers.

When the gap narrows and your move isn't going to work, slow down, drop back into a lane, or stop between lanes if you have to.

Make sure your mirrors and bar-ends will clear van, truck and car mirrors. It's not a major deal when they connect, usually just a loud clacking noise, but it is embarrassing. Other drivers may not like you just for lane-splitting, but tapping their mirrors out of adjustment makes it worse.

Be patient at merges. Other drivers often change lanes here, trying to gain some advantage. That's their illusion. Wait until they settle down. You are the only one who can really take advantage of the traffic situation.

Be wary of solo drivers who use car pool lanes to get ahead of the traffic jam in the non- car pool lanes. At the last minute, they will try to enter the jam; if you are about to make a pass at that point, the results will not be amusing.

When other vehicles, whether signaling or not, start a lane-change maneuver, don't accelerate in an attempt to get past them. Give them the right of way.

Be aware of empty spaces to the side of the car that you intend to lane-split past. Try to go by before the driver is aware of you. Failing that, if the car tries to move over while you're on the side of his car, match the car's move if you have the space. Your other option is again to be patient for a bit. The relationships will change, the car's place will be taken by another vehicle, and you can lane-split the two safely.

Passing another motorcycle which appears to be staying in a lane presents an interesting problem: It's as hard to tell if the rider knows you're there as it is to judge a car driver's awareness of your presence. The motorcyclist has your flickability, however. If you fell certain that the rider is holding steady in a lane, zap past. If you're uneasy about the motorcyclist's intentions, lane-change away and go about your business.

Most drivers place their vehicle near the left side of their lane. They are sighting on the lane divider nearest to them. In most instances, your position should be on the right side of the lane. This will give you the most maneuvering room.

In order to pass between sets of lane buttons without riding over them, sight on the last button of the front set and quickly make your move. Usually, you'll pass smoothly through, or at worst ride over the last button. Whatever you do, don't get hung up on not riding over the buttons. Not hitting or being hit by other vehicles is what's happening.

Speed

The great race car driver Juan Fangio once said, "I drive just fast enough to win." You probably shouldn't ride between vehicles at more than 10 to 15 mph faster than they are traveling. If they're stopped, they are traveling 0 mph.

Cops

Even though lane-splitting is legal in some states, whether you'll get pulled over by the police is dependent on whether or not they feel what you are doing is safe. The catch, of course, is that each patrolman has a different criteria for what constitutes "safe." Ride in a manner which you feel is safe for you. If you get ticketed, plead not guilty and take it to a jury. The ticket is a judgment call. Obviously, you are in the right or you wouldn't have been lane-splitting. Was it safe? Hell, yes! The fact that you're standing in court with all your limbs intact is proof of that. At any rate, keep an eye out for the cops just in case.

Observations

Being aware of the lethal danger you're in and simultaneously ignoring it is a requirement of lane-splitting. This ability is composed of experience, guts and self confidence.

Lane-splitting is as much fun and as challenging as a mile of technical enduro landscape or miles of canyon carving.

The flow of freeway traffic is like a river. Learn to read every ripple and snag in the pattern.

The whole freeway is your playing field. The gap between vehicles is where the game is played.

On a motorcycle, you are in another space- time continuum from other vehicles. No wonder they don't see you.

When you are all going the same speed - cars, trucks and motorcycles - holding position, you are motionless, relative to one another. When you accelerate slightly, the pattern changes, but only at a difference of several miles per hour. (All vehicles are moving at 65 mph., you accelerate to 67 mph. The situation changes at 2 mph.) Moves take place in relative slow motion.

The experienced eye can judge the mid- point of variably changing distances. Rear bumper to front fender of surrounding vehicles. It is a solvable three-body problem.

You will see other motorcyclists lane- splitting. It is a temptation to see who can go the fastest. Deal with the temptation as you see fit.

Henceforth, all car drivers will be known as "Civilians." However, when we drive cars, we will be known as motorcyclists.

Be in tune with your machine; the way it smells, the sounds it makes, the shadow it casts when you ride.

Graduation Day

You have just lane-split all the way home in the rain, in the dark, at rush-hour on Friday night. You've had a great rideSooner or later, it hits even the best rider -- the sudden realization that your approach speed is much too fast for the corner rapidly filling your faceshield. It doesn't matter if you're a commuter cruising home from work or a racer who just suffered a lapse of attention at speed; riding out of this mess gracefully demands attention, skill and mental preparedness. Let's take the problem a stage at a time.

Decide to make it:
Your first emotion should be a firm determination to "ride through the corner". You have to stay mentally strong and supress any doubts, which can quickly explode into panic, and can overwhelm your ability to take charge of the situation. Too often a rider panics and locks the rear brake, losing his ability to control the situation. He then slides off a corner that he could have made if he simply had been resolved to do so.

Some riders simply freeze, and never make any control inputs at all. It's more comon for a rider to crash when he panics entering a corner that he could have completed than it is for a rider to fall trying to corner too hard. Learn to relax and maintain your body position and motorcycle control in these high-pressure circumstances.

Lead with your eyes:
You go where you look, so LOOK UP THE ROAD AND THROUGH THE CORNER where you want to go. Don't let you eyes begin searching for a place to crash. Part of overcoming panic is wrenching your eyes away from the ditch or railing or even the open field looming ahead and putting them where you want to turn. It's also the first step in actually turning that way.

Brake deep, lean hard:
If there's ever a moment when your braking practice pays off, it's now. As long as you have some significant pavement ahead, there is room to brake. The slower you go, the tighter an arc you can ride through the corner. Of course, the closer you come to the edge of the lane, the tighter an arc you NEED to stay there. Given sufficient room and hard enough braking, at some point your speed drops below the point at wich you can safely lean it over and drive through the corner. That speed is probably higher than you realize, however, unless you have spent some time on a racetrack exploring the outer edges of your bike's performance abilities. The only way you will learn how much your bike has left and how to use it fully is to practice.

Learn from this experience:
A close call should reinforce your confidence if you handle it successfully, reminding you that you have a reserve to tap. It should also remind you of your limitations. In other words, either know your road, or slow down.

Good article. I like his advice that you should never go more than 15 mph faster than the traffic. I have a rule that I always go about 20km/h faster than the traffic. So if the traffic has stopped I'm doing 20km/h.

Had a incident before where a car did an unexpected lane change from stand still. Luckily I followed this rule. The car had a nice dent in the door and lost a mirror. I broke my hand guard and had a stiff leg for a day or two.

When i considered using a bike to commute i found this article and tried to put it into practice as best as i could and have been happy with the results, even when a delivery van tried to do the same thing with 4 bike one after the other !!!
We were moving slowly and he tried to change lanes without looking, slammed on brakes and swerved back in, the bike went past and without looking did the same thing again 4 times !!!

Long article - for starters - but is seems that most of what is said is actually quite logic and if you think about it, one would do it naturally as most of the actions and tips are reactionary. I also tend to apply Pieters advice iro the speed travelled in relation to the speed of the surrounding traffic. Also apply this in normal residential traffic as well. LeRoy

Pieter's advice is spot-on. If you take into account that it takes the average person +-3/5 sec to react in any situation then 20km/h is top of the limit. Anything faster can be suicidal.

I tend to look for gaps/spaces in traffic. Gaps draw cars like a magnet. If there is no gap, then there is no chance of an unexpected lanechange - usually.

Generally I'm proud of the freeway motorists' attitude to bikers. They usually move over to give you space - when they see you.

I find that keeping an eye on the front wheels of cars that you are passing in traffic gives you an edge - the wheels have to turn before the car starts moves over...!

Very helpful information - thanks.

Talking about line splitting and visibility is good, but what about the role sound play in the situation?

I believe that sometimes the motorist is not always looking for a light coming from the back, but when hearing a noise from the back will catch his attention. Most of the BMW bikes are very quite compared to some Jap biikes with special systems and this can have an effect in lane splitting. Ant views on this?

pieter1 wrote:.......Most of the BMW bikes are very quite...................

not mine (at least my previous bike)

don't believe a loud pipe plays a significant role in making cages noticing you quicker from behind…….I think in most cases they are only catching a “groot skrik” but that’s when you are already passed them.

I think the lights on the bike and bright gear are far more effective

ps. Bear, we still remember you.........

Yes, I tend to agree. Someone tuned into Jakaranda's afternoon drive with Martin and Reeva will not take notice until they are looking down your tailpipe.

I have however noticed a fair number of bikers riding with brights (high-beam for the British?)... and I'm not even mentioning ANYTHING about the guys on their GSA's with all the spotties!

I'm still of the opinion that it is a bit of overkill, but rather "blind" a motorist momentarily than stare down at your teeth on the tar, hey?...

The most effective tool in being seen, is a coloured lens filter on your light. In traffic, when lane splitting in less than ideal light, bike lights disappear into the sea of car lights.

I have seen guys with their HID lights in traffic and quite frankly you don't see them either until they are right behind you. Obviously in sunlight it is a different story, then the cage drivers usually have their lights off and your lights being on makes a difference. According to accident stats though most incidents of, "I did not see you", especially where the bike is cut off, are in low light conditions.

I have found that the coloured filter is the most effective as a cage driver will see it a lot easier because it is out of the ordinary. My theory was proven in an article written in American MCN where they tested this and it was confirmed that a coloured lens cover is simply the most visible because it is out of the ordinary and your brain has been designed to react to visual stimuli that is out of the ordinary.

I use the orange lens cover sold at BM dealers. Fits the GS and because it adheres with velcro I can just take it off at night. However, I leave it on at night as well because I prefer to be visible. Perhaps if I rode on a street devoid of street lights I may remove it.

Being visible is all about doing something that gets attention. Normal lights on, even if they are on brights, is pretty much what everyone is used to. You have to be a little more creative.

M

I have to agree with the last post. I did the run to Rooiberg with the roadies and the one bike that had an orange filter on the headlight stuck out like a sore thumb. It was just so much more visible.

At this stage the orange, or any color filter over the headlight is agains the law. I however use the orange headlight filter and I will rather take my chances with a fine than to remove it.

On the other hand I do not agree with a noisy pipe to alert other road users of your approach. The poor bloke in the cage will only hear you when you scream past him. This is also the one time that I really swear at bikers because this sudden noise gives you such a fright that you may actually cause an accident.

I fitted Low Beam Clear & High Beam Orange lens protectors over the weekend and ride with the high beam on - it makes a huge difference!!! The first thing you see is the strange orange headlight (almost sun colour) and then the yellow reflective fest later

It is not legal but what most of the guys do is to sate they use it when going off road to see each other in the dust . . . because they are fitted with Velcro you can always rip them off when need be

Anything to stop cage drivers from saying the dreaded words “Sorry, I did not see you”!

See if you can spot me in traffic commuting from Centurion to Brooklyn :-) and see for yourself

Ps. Maybe ADMIN can move this orange lens visibility discussion to a new post topic!?

I also ride with high beam when riding alone, but in a group it might irritate other riders.

Gemmerkat wrote:I also ride with high beam when riding alone, but in a group it might irritate other riders.

No, it's not irritating at all and even if it was, I'll take visibility over irritation any day. The contrary is true. If the following distances between bikes become a bit long, a bike on low beam (dim) tend to “disappear” – read is not visible.

Except during night time, I’m always riding on high beam (bright)

I am not so sure that it is illegal to use a orange or yellow cover over the main headlamp, as it is clearly stated under article 181, Chapter 6 of the National Road traffic Act that it is allowed. (I see amber as similar to orange).
Attached an extraction from the regulation:

http://www.transport.gov.za/library/regulations/1999/roadregs06.html

NATIONAL ROAD TRAFFIC ACT, 1996 (ACT No. 93 OF 1996)

NATIONAL ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATIONS, 1999

CHAPTER VI

FITNESS OF VEHICLES

Colour of lights

181. (1) Subject to the provisions of regulation 170(1), 171(1), 172, 175 or 176, no person shall operate on a public road a motor vehicle which is fitted with or carries on it a lamp which--

1. except in the case of a brake anti-lock warning light to the front of a trailer, emits a light which is not white, amber or yellow in colour towards the front;
2. emits a light which is not yellow or amber in colour towards either side of the motor vehicle; or
3. except in the case of a direction indicator or reversing lamp complying with the provisions of these regulations, emits a light which is not red in colour towards the rear.

(2) When two or more lamps of the same class emitting light in the same direction are fitted to a vehicle they shall emit light of the same colour.

Certain lamps to emit diffused lights

182. Every lamp fitted to a vehicle, other than the head lamps of a motor vehicle, the front lamp of a pedal cycle, spot lamp and fog lamp, shall emit diffused light when in operation on a public road.

Lamps to emit steady light

183. Unless otherwise provided elsewhere in these regulations, a lamp fitted to any vehicle shall emit a steady light when in operation: Provided that an ambulance, rescue vehicle, fire-fighting vehicle, a motor vehicle operated by a traffic officer in the execution of his or her duties, or a motor vehicle operated by a member of the Service or a member of a municipal police service, both as defined in section 1 of the South African Police Service Act, 1995 (Act No. 68 of 1995) in the execution of his or her duties, may be equipped with a device which enables the driver of such vehicle to operate the vehicle's head lamps in such a manner that they flash intermittently.

I'm afraid don't agree with Madnohb.

When I am ride leader, I check on the progress of the string behind me - as often as every 2 minutes. When you are trying to see 8 or 10 lights plus a Sweep at the back strung out over a kilometre or two, having a rider/s in the group riding with high beam (or even worse, high beam and additional riding lights) behind you makes this impossible...

I would ask that, when riding in a group, all riders in the echelon ride with dipped beam, with the sweep only using high beam, for the following reasons:
1. It makes identifying the number of riders behind you easier in your mirror;
2. The Sweep can be identified from a great distance;
3. Any rider in need of assistance can flash headlights and be seen better;
4. Any overtaking rider goes on to high beam and is better seen against the echelon.
5. Any rider wishing to draw a cager's attention can use high beam for a second or two and goes back to dipped beam.

Riding with high beam all the time means that the only way you can attract attention to catch the driver's eye is to DIP your headlight.
I trust the reverse far more...!
The only time I ride on high beam is when leading a group, and when I read a situation that recommends increasing my visibility for a short time in order to catch the eye of another driver - e.g. when I approach an intersection and another vehicle is going to cross my line of travel, I increase my visibility by going to HIGH beam (even alternating dipped and high beam) until I have passed the potential danger, when I go back to dipped beam.

I'm also considering the use of yellow/orange lens covers.
The il/legality is a minor concern, but being seen is my priority...!
French cars use/d yellow headlight lenses, making them easier on the eyes of oncoming traffic, so having them in that country would be useless, but out here they DO work.
What does work even better are headlight modulators which flash the headlamp on both dipped and high beam at over ten times per second.
The light is not constant and that attracts the attention, but doesn't disturb the rider's vision.
After all, when you watch a movie, your brain is processing 24 changing pictures per second. Try looking back into the projector beam...it is most irritating to the eye!
(Headlamp modulators are legal in many of the US states. I'm still doing the research...) (EDIT: SEE PdK's POST ON STEADY LIGHT SOURCE ABOVE)

BTW, for best effect, fog lamps should be mounted at a height of around 300mm above the road or the beams will reflect off the mist and not penetrate below the mist.
I'm looking at fitting inexpensive fog lamps to my Touratech head protectors to meet this requirement...
Of course, that mounting position is likely to cause them to be broken in a fall - that's why they will be inexpensive (sacrificial) ones !
For driving lights, I'll fit the best type + best light source I can afford.

RIDE SAFE - RIDE VISIBLE - RIDE ON !

and I’m afraid I don’t agree with Richard H

…….or maybe we can agree to disagree

or maybe you just pulling my leg

This thread digressed somewhat as the spark here from pieter1 was

“Talking about line splitting and visibility is good, but what about the role sound play in the situation?”


One option was just to ignore certain replies but some of the above remarks/statements nonetheless warrant some “comments”….I think

When you are trying to see 8 or 10 lights plus a Sweep at the back strung out over a kilometre or two

think the key word here is trying as it is extremely difficult if not impossible.....with or without lights. With vibrating mirrors and bends in the road to count the exact number of lights strung out over 2km looking backwards while riding forward?

……..you are a ride lead with special skills my friend.

I would ask that, when riding in a group, all riders in the echelon ride with dipped beam…….for the following reasons…….

It makes identifying the number of riders behind you easier in your mirror;

great, the ride lead can see me………oncoming traffic or traffic I might be approaching is of secondary importance…….I’m feeling safer already - I'm counted

any rider in need of assistance can flash headlights and be seen better

not worth a comment but I'll do it anyway......

any rider in need of assistance will in all probability be next to the road 10 km back. Have you ever stood next to the road looking at an oncoming bike?
It seemingly flashes it’s lights numerous times but it’s all an illusion as a result of the bumps on the road. Now to observe the said while riding and doing so by looking backwards in vibrating mirrors.........wow!

and oh, let’s not forget the ever important job of the sweep…….he must and will make sure nobody gets left behind………

any overtaking rider goes on to high beam

this is surely a joke right?

the only time I ride on high beam is when leading a group

Why is that?

I increase my visibility by going to HIGH beam

exactly the reason why I ALWAYS ride with high beam on



suppose we all just like to be as safe as possible when riding. In striving to do so we form our own opinion as well as learning from others and in the end, adapt the measures which we found to work best for us and with which WE are most comfortable with........certainly imo never to be compromised for the convenience of a ride lead


btw, I fully agree that alternating between low and high beam attracts attention……..irrespective of the sequence. However, without modulating lights, not very practical to constantly ride that way. Therefore in choosing a single light setting to maximize my visibility, I’ll always go for high beam.

I think the most important thing to remember is this;
No amount of high beam, modulators or coloured lens covers will do you any good if the driver of the other vehicle is not looking for you! Drivers can miss you even if you were riding a space ship in traffic with lights flashing all over the place.

If you don't believe me see if a cager that is driving while texting on his mobile even knows you are there.

The high beam low beam debate has been a hot one on many a bike forum for many years. The reality is that in low light, when lane splitting (remember the heading of this post!) high beam will do nothing for your visibility. Bikes often come up behind me in traffic while I am lane splitting and even with HID lights on high beam, you just don't see them till they are right behind you. The cagers experience it the same way, they simply cannot distinguish that it is a bike in the sea of lights behind them.

I used to be a high beam proponent but the anecdotal as well as the scientific evidence is clear, in that situation it makes no difference. Hence why I now ride with a lens cover. IMO and that of eminent motorcycle magazines it is the safest thing you can do for your visibility.

If I may ask, please stick to the topic this had nothing to do with leading rides or riding in normal traffic but pertains to lane splitting. Lane splitting in countries that allow it is the most dangerous activity you can do on two wheels, proven by 2 studies. I think this other discussion is muddying the waters of the particular question. We are all passionate about our safety but lets confine ourselves to the topic at hand and help those riders that do lane split to do so as safely as possible.

Morpheus

morpheus wrote:.......If I may ask, please stick to the topic this had nothing to do with leading rides or riding in normal traffic but pertains to lane splitting. .........but lets confine ourselves to the topic at hand and help those riders that do lane split to do so as safely as possible.

amen brother

GSNieP wrote:
Ps. Maybe ADMIN can move this orange lens visibility discussion to a new post topic!?

oops.. done by tj..
http://bmwclubs.heavenforum.org/riders-and-riding-techniques-f57/dimmed-or-bright-lights-foglights-or-misligte-t617.htm