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[CVOJOE]

CA Motorcyclist Killed In Collision While Lane Splitting 10:03 pm PDT March 27, 2008

FAIRFIELD -- A 48-year-old Harley Davidson driver was killed Thursday afternoon during a multi-vehicle collision on eastbound Interstate Highway 80 just east of West Texas Street in Fairfield, the California Highway Patrol said.
Around 4:23 p.m., the motorcyclist, a Citrus Heights resident, was driving between the No. 1 and 2 lanes at an estimated speed of 65 mph, according to the CHP. As 41-year-old Kristie Ballard of Vacacille attempted to move her Chevrolet Blazer from the No. 1 lane to the No. 2 lane, she felt the Harley Davidson bump the left rear of her car, the CHP reported.

The motorcycle continued forward and slid sideways before hitting the rear of a Honda Civic being driven by 28-year-old Robert Onorato of Berkeley. According to the CHP, the driver of the bike became pinned between the motorcycle and the Honda.

CHP officials said the motorcyclist died of wounds he sustained during the incident, despite the fact that he was wearing a helmet. Alcohol is not a suspected factor in the crash.

[erniezap]

Well that sucks!  Another cage driver not looking before changing lanes, but it will be the bike's fault even though lane splitting (sharing) is legal in CA.

[Twolanerider]

Not that it matters now; but have to wonder if the bike was in the blind spot for the cage?

[RedDevil]

Not that it matters now; but have to wonder if the bike was in the blind spot for the cage?

Probably a good bet that he was...Interesting that they specifically said "Harley Davidson driver...."  instead of the motorcyclist.

   

[CVOJOE]

"If nobody moves, nobody gets hurt"........as the old movie line goes.

Bottom line is that we all know it's a very risky proposition to begin with and with the limited space for maneuvering, few drivers in heavily armored beasts anticipaticating your presence can ruin your whole lane splitting experience.
In this case it cost him his life to shave a few minutes off the commute...........IMHO it's just worth it and a terrible way to go.


WE ALWAYS LOSE WHEN SOME IDIOT IN A CAGE MAKES A WRONG MOVE. 

[NukeIT]

Lane splitting is legal in cali, just not legal at 65mph.. it is only legal up to 35mph and only if you are not going more than 10mph faster than the traffic.

I split lanes too, but you cant always blame the cagers for the accidents.

[porthole]

I could guaran-effin-tee it that if lane splitting was legal in New Jersey I wouldn't do it. The shoulders maybe - but ride between two cars - no way.

[Capo]

I'm with you porthole- and it's a dang shame and waste for this fella-when I do split lanes I am going slow and traffic is usually stopped-even then during a holiday weekend I-90 stop and go I rode the berm to have a wac job pull his car into the berm just cause he was pi$$ed that I was movin at 10 mph!

[JCZ]

There was a thing in the news about this several years ago, when a CHP motorcycle officer died in simular manner (I don't think he was going 65, though).  So the TV station did a random interview with a number of motorcycle officers from various law enforcement, including CHP.  They stated that there isn't any law governing that as long as they weren't exceeding the speed limit but they all suggested not to exceed ten to fifteen miles an hour faster than the traffic was moving.

Now those that travel I-80 (and most other Calif. freeways during rush hour) know that the traffic can be doing ten miles an hour one mile and then forty miles an hour for the next two miles and then drop back down......so it's hard to maintain that ten or fifteen mph faster than the flow.  We all know there's an inherant risk but it is a way of life with an air cooled motor in Calif.

Ernie, we know a person in your area whose son died last year, following him into a lane splitting situation at a high rate of speed. 

After my accident, I still do it, but I turn all my lights on (driving lights....passing lamps or whateve you call them) and I try to keep it around ten or fifteen over the flow.  A couple days ago, riding home from work, I had a CHP in a car move over for me to get past him.  Of course the next four or five cars (watching him and acting like they aren't) did the same thing.

[grc]

Not that it matters now; but have to wonder if the bike was in the blind spot for the cage?

With the exception of just a handful of poorly designed vehicles, it is possible to adjust a vehicles mirrors so that there is no "blind spot".  Unfortunately, the proper way to adjust mirrors is just one more of those things we no longer teach, or maybe people just pay no attention.  Until driving privileges are denied to those who refuse to learn or to take the responsibility seriously, we will have stupid incidents (notice I don't call them accidents).

No matter who is to blame in a situation like this, the person on the motorcycle is the one who will lose.  Therefore, it is incumbent on the motorcyclist to be proactive in protecting himself.  That starts by being fully aware of his position relative to other vehicles and making a definite effort to stay out of other peoples "blind spots".  I don't see how you can do that and lane split.  Saving a few minutes on your commute isn't worth losing a limb or your life, and just because some misguided people in state government made lane splitting legal doesn't mean it's a good idea.  Last time I checked, the last place to go searching for good ideas was government.

JMHO - Jerry

[porthole]

Last time I checked, the last place to go searching for good ideas was government.

Hello, I'm from the government and I'm here to help 

[grc]

Hello, I'm from the government and I'm here to help 

Yes indeed Duane, one of the scariest statements the average citizen can hear.  The best response would probably be to immediately bend over, grab your knees, and kiss your @## goodbye.

I remember we also had a corporate version of that statement back when I had a job, just change the word "government" to "division" or "corporate".  Results were the same. 

Jerry

[Hoist!]

Sorry to hear about this, and my condolences to the family. If you live in congested area, lane splitting is a way of life. Some can't understand the concept and think it's unbelievably stupid. I couldn't get around here without riding that way sometimes. Pay attention and cover both brakes. Like everything else we do, do your absolute best and things are in the hands of fate, like always.

When I'm in the cage, I'm always on the alert for bikes. If I see one in my mirror, I always slide over and give them room to pass. I would never begrudge a bike for splitting lanes because I can't in a car. I try to help them out whenever possible. If all cages did that, there'd be no problem at all. We have to deal with malicious or clueless cages all the time. Just another part of being an urban biker!

Hoist!

[RedDevil]

Sorry to hear about this, and my condolences to the family. If you live in congested area, lane splitting is a way of life. Some can't understand the concept and think it's unbelievably stupid. I couldn't get around here without riding that way sometimes. Pay attention and cover both brakes. Like everything else we do, do your absolute best and things are in the hands of fate, like always.

When I'm in the cage, I'm always on the alert for bikes. If I see one in my mirror, I always slide over and give them room to pass. I would never begrudge a bike for splitting lanes because I can't in a car. I try to help them out whenever possible. If all cages did that, there'd be no problem at all. We have to deal with malicious or clueless cages all the time. Just another part of being an urban biker!

Hoist!

Howie,
Like you, I look out for bikers in my mirrors when I'm in a cage.  I don't have a problem with bikes lane-sharing in rush hour, stop-and-go traffic, (I see no need for it if traffic is moving 50-60 mph though).   We look for bikers because we are bikers and have it ingrained in our minds to look out for them.  The average non-biker cage driver doesn't have the mindset to recognize a motorcyclist out on the highway, hence the common reason for hitting a motorcyclist: "I didn't see him/her".  In Virginia, because it's illegal to lane-share, we have folks that will intentionally pull over, if they see a motorcyclist trying to do it, to block them from doing it.  I've had a cager in a truck look right at me and decide he wanted the portion of the highway more then I did and moved right into my lane forcing me to hit the brakes and fall back and give him the space.   It's hard on the air cooled engine and causes major delays, but I won't lane-share in Virginia, it's just, in my experience, too dangerous to do.  I'd rather have to pull over and let the bike cool down for a while before I'll risk some yahoo pulling in front of me because he's pissed that I'm getting somewhere 5 minutes faster than him....JMO.

   

[Wrongway]

 Riding a motorcycle WILL make you a better cage driver! You have to be alert to soooooo many things when on 2 wheels that when you get into that 4 wheeler you will see things different. We have been doing it so long that we take it second nature. If you lane share like we do here in Calif. you have to be on HIGH ALERT! Watch your speed, watch EVERYONE else, look way up ahead, antisapate(spelling) what others will do. I have amazed many with predicting what people will be doing next, even changed lanes while telling my passenger that something don't look right, next thing cars are crashing. LOOK WAY AHEAD if you split! Sad to hear another loss