Most states in the United States forbid the practice of lane-splitting. Yet California allows motorcycle riders to travel in the area between the formal lanes. Some statistics have shown that lane-splitting helps to reduce the amount of risk to which motorcycle drivers get exposed.

How can lane-splitting act as a safety measure?

It allows creation of a buffer between one rider and some of the other drivers on the road. That becomes especially apparent at a traffic stop. A rider on a motorcycle feels safer when sitting in the between-lane section, as opposed to the vulnerable area behind one larger vehicle, while approached by a second larger vehicle.

What are the risks associated with riding between the lanes?

The motorcycle rider might get cut off by a driver that is changing lanes. It is not always easy for a motorcyclist in the between-lane region to move back into the regular line of traffic. Consequently, it might become necessary to make a last-minute move into a different lane.

What types of extra caution can motorcyclists use, in order to reduce the level of risk that has been linked to lane-splitting?

Watch for open doors, when riding along a line of parked cars. The need for such caution was demonstrated multiple times in safety videos. Often there have been incidents when people have got hit by a motorcycle rider, after stepping out of their cars. Many personal injury lawyers in Baldwin Park and Apple Valley have handled such cases in the past.

Refrain from doing any lane-splitting in fast-moving traffic. Actually, the guidelines put a limit on the motorcycle’s speed, whenever it gets taken between lanes. It can go as much as 10 miles per hour faster than the vehicles on the sides, but not any faster than that.

Stay clear of drivers that appear distracted, or that seem ready to make as much time as possible, regardless of what traffic rules might have to be violated. They seldom take the time to check for any possible motorcycle in the immediate area.

Take the weather into consideration, before trying any special move. A motorcycle’s tires can slip on a wet or icy road. In addition, riding on a windy day invites trouble, the wind can make the 2-wheeled vehicle hard to control.

Wear a helmet, and wear clothes that make you easy to see. Most drivers claim that they could not see a given motorcyclist, before hitting him or her. Understand what hazards ought to be avoided. For instance, it makes no sense to steer a motorcycle’s wheels into a pile of leaves. Remember to stay out of the section of the road at the side, the area where drivers pull over and stop. That could contain a hazardous surface, such as a pile of gravel.