WEBVTT

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<v SPEAKER_1>If you're a rider from most of the world, this episode might seem a bit odd, as lane filtering and splitting has been the norm.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But if you're based in the United States, this is still an evolving issue.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I wanna talk a little bit about some of the different terms that we often hear about this.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And one of the most common ones is lane filtering versus lane splitting.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I'm gonna give a definition that I think is appropriate to us.

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<v SPEAKER_1>This also represents what a lot of the legal definitions are across the country.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And that is that lane splitting is when a motorcycle rides between two lanes of moving traffic.

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<v SPEAKER_1>This differs from filtering, where the motorcycle only rides between the lanes when traffic is stopped or moving slowly.

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<v SPEAKER_1>However, in both cases, the path of the motorcycle is essentially on the dotted lines.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And as such, it's sometimes called white lining or stripe riding.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Most jurisdictions either require or recommend that the speed differential between the rider and the cars that is passing are no more than 10 to 15 miles per hour.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Let's look at how this fits into some of the broader history around the globe.

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<v SPEAKER_1>In most of the world, as I mentioned in the introduction, filtering and or splitting is fairly common, if not legal.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Motorcycles are also a larger percentage of the vehicle population, and anything that can reduce the traffic impact is viewed as a benefit.

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<v SPEAKER_1>When you consider how many more motorcycles are sold in Asia at about 40 million per year versus the US with only half a million motorcycles sold each year, it makes sense that motorcycles are considered with a higher priority in those regions where they sell more often.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Similarly, in Europe, where motorcycles were still thought of as a more frugal transport than cars, especially with the very high gas taxes, motorcycles do get some special benefits to encourage their use.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, in most of the United States, both filtering and splitting haven't been legal.

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<v SPEAKER_1>In fact, at least 40 states had laws that explicitly make lane filtering illegal.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Our traffic laws are written with a priority towards cars and trucks.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And with the exception of the HOA lane, exception for motorcycles and sometimes lower tolls, motorcycles often have the same limitations as cars.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So if a car can't split lanes, neither could a motorcycle.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, if we think about the United States, probably the state that has the highest number of motorcycles in it would be California.

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<v SPEAKER_1>California with the freeways is kind of known for having a little bit of traffic at times.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The warmer temperatures and generally drier weather that you'll find in California does help increase the number of motorcycles that are found in the state.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It is why it has the number one number of registrations for motorcycles in the whole country.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, due to this prevalence of motorcycles, there was a little bit more awareness of motorcycles in general traffic conditions.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And the opportunity of reduced traffic actually made it such that lane splitting was tolerated in California by the California Highway Patrol.

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<v SPEAKER_1>They did have certain guidelines.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Generally, it was below 40 miles per hour.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And it did rely a lot on the individual officer's discretion.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But it wasn't until 2016 that a law was put on the books, giving more clarity to the rules and explicitly making lane splitting legal in the state of California.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now recently, efforts by advocacy groups in the US have begun expanding the states in which lane filtering is available.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Utah allowed the practice beginning in 2017.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Hawaii passed a law in 2018 that aimed to support the traffic bypass, but not in the typical riding on the dotted line in filtering that's most familiar to everybody as they think of lane filtering.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Instead, what they do is they allow two-wheeled vehicles to use the shoulder during traffic.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It's at least a start.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I wonder what they do with trikes.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Maybe it's implicit into there, but that is one of the states that is adding it in.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And if we think in even just a few years ago, Montana made lane filtering legal in 2019.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this was followed by Arizona passing a law that allowed lane filtering in 2022.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So we've had a number of states since California that have continued to add in lane filtering into this.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And there's two more that came in just this year.

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<v SPEAKER_1>In fact, in just a few short weeks, Colorado is making lane filtering legal within the state.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And Minnesota passed a law earlier this year where they're gonna also be making lane filtering legal throughout the states.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So we now have seven states where the practice of some variation of lane splitting, lane filtering or shoulder use is legal for motorcycles.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And at the same time, there's about six states where it isn't explicitly illegal, but it's up to local police judgment.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now I'm not a fan of that sort of ambiguity.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So hopefully those states will decide one way or the other soon.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now eight other states are considering making filtering legal, including a couple of my neighboring states like Connecticut and Massachusetts.

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<v SPEAKER_1>If you had a little further south than where I am, Virginia and Maryland are also considering making lane filtering legal within the states.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And as you had West, Missouri, Texas, Oregon and Washington are all considering it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So this is becoming a much more widely available capability, or at least it has the opportunity to.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, there is some controversy about this.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And generally speaking, who's in favor or against lane filtering is often a divide between car drivers and motorcyclists.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Though there are some motorcyclists that are against it as well.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now for car drivers, much of the argument against it deals with traffic and sort of feeling left out.

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<v SPEAKER_1>If a motorcyclist is able to split lanes and bypass a lot of traffic, but the car is stuck in it, there can be a frustration of, why do they get to skip traffic?

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, another argument is that it can surprise drivers as they aren't expecting a bike to pass them that closely.

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<v SPEAKER_1>An often used example is sport bikes splitting lanes at well over the speed limit.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this is often well beyond the 10 to 15 mile per hour speed differential that's typically required or suggested by most lane filtering and splitting laws.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, for the motorcyclists that are against lane filtering, it's usually an argument of safety.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The belief is that because cars aren't used to it, they don't look in their mirrors and might swerve into the bike.

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<v SPEAKER_1>There may also be a belief that some of the jealousy of skipping traffic could cause motorists to intentionally move in front of the bike.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this might be somewhat similar to the rolling coal that some trucks or diesel trucks are common to do against, let's say, a Prius.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So there may be a little bit of road rage that's a part of this.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I understand where some motorcyclists are coming from.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The thing is, it's not just about the negatives and about the controversy.

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<v SPEAKER_1>There's also some of the benefits.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, there have been studies that have been done about looking into lane filtering and seeing what the results of it are.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And generally, these have found that it is safer for motorcyclists.

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<v SPEAKER_1>In particular, the odds of being rear-ended in stop and go traffic is greatly reduced.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And overall, riders who lane split were injured less often than those who avoided lane splitting.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, UC Berkeley study in 2014 validated these likelihoods of injuries.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It also found that most who were lane splitting did so on weekdays during commuting hours.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, perhaps some of the reason why we're seeing a reduction in injuries for those who actually were doing splitting is that the riders who are practicing every day by commuting were safer riders anyway.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, there are some legitimate concerns about this, especially in regions where filtering has not been the norm.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And especially in areas like where I am in the Northeast, where it tends to be fairly seasonal in terms of the riding.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So drivers aren't used to seeing as many motorcycles on the road, certainly aren't looking for them to be splitting between lanes.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So there is an awareness aspect.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But as drivers do become more accustomed to it and awareness is a part of normal driver training, these issues will likely fade away.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, another benefit is reduced traffic.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, of course, the motorcyclists themselves are benefiting from skipping out on the traffic.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But what most drivers don't realize is that by effectively taking the motorcycles out of the traffic, overall traffic is reduced as well.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Keep in mind a bike is a much smaller footprint than a car or truck.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But if we don't have lane filtering, we effectively use the same footprint as other vehicles.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We have to take up the whole lane, the space is used up, so we're pushing all of the traffic that's behind us just as far back as a car would do.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So a bike in traffic with no lane filtering takes the same space as the car, and traffic just continues to grow longer and longer and longer.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But if we do the lane filtering, the bike is effectively taken out of that, and everyone's able to collide up.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, you have to think about how many motorcycles are on the road.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So if they're only, let's say, 10% of overall vehicles, you may see a 10% reduction in the traffic backlog.

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<v SPEAKER_1>If it's a smaller percentage, it'll be a smaller percentage, but it does effectively remove them from there.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So it is an advantage.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, another benefit is a lot of us ride motorcycles that are air-cooled.

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<v SPEAKER_1>In particular, in the United States, motorcycles like the Harley-Davidson's are traditionally air-cooled V-twins.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And these motorcycles, while they have an amazing simplicity to them, and that's why they're so appealing to a lot of riders, those types of engines do not do well in stop-and-go traffic.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Lane filtering allows the bikes to continue to move and get airflow over the cylinders, which is keeping the engine in the correct temperature range.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, when you think of the rider in those same warm conditions, they also benefit from not being stopped in hot weather.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We are not in a nice air-conditioned car, so our only cooling opportunity is airflow as we're actually moving along.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, I've been stuck in some traffic even just recently where it was literally stop and go.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I was bumper to bumper traffic, and it was really hot out, and I'm on a bike.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And of course, it's not legal to split lanes in New York state, and it was narrow lanes because of some of the roads construction going on.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I was essentially stuck in that heat.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Not a very fun experience.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I think if we're able to get rid of some of the limitations onto this, it can actually have some positive benefits.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So let's wrap up a little bit and think about what does this actually mean?

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<v SPEAKER_1>So this is my personal opinion, and I'd love for you to share some feedback if you happen to disagree with it, but I think lane filtering should be allowed throughout the United States.

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<v SPEAKER_1>However, I do agree with keeping the speed differential reasonable.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Blowing between cars at high speed differentials is both very surprising to the drivers, and it can cause them to overcorrect, thus causing another accident.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So sport bikes that are blowing by 40 mile, 50 mile an hour differential, splitting between the lanes, it's not a great idea.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It's just, it's a very risky situation.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And that's just in terms of surprising the driver, and then the driver may crash into another car.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We also have to consider that if the motorcyclist is trying to thread the needle between two cars at such a high speed differential, the odds of them misjudging it and hitting that gap incorrectly goes up dramatically.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So they could actually crash into the vehicle.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And with such a high speed differential, huge injuries, lots of damage.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But I think if it's done reasonably, like less than 15 mile an hour speed differential, the surprise factor is reduced, and we still get all of the benefits.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Traffic is reduced for everyone.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We talked about earlier before of some of the controversy and why some people actually think that it would be a bad idea, because some motorists, some drivers might actually get angry at the motorcyclists and say, well, why do they get to split?

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I think if we do the correct amount of education to sort of say that traffic is reduced for everyone, this has less of an issue that comes into it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And because that traffic is reduced, now people are gonna say, hey, wow, that's getting out of my way, that motorcyclist, they're not holding me back any further.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It's a win-win for everybody.

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<v SPEAKER_1>When you think of the fact of the engine overheating that we discussed as well, the fact that motorcyclists are less likely to be rear-ended by an inattentive driver and stop-and-go traffic, and maybe, just maybe, all the car drivers seeing these motorcyclists filtering through traffic with ease might encourage them to get a bike themselves.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So it could actually be a huge sales boon by seeing the very big benefits of actually riding a motorcycle in your regular commute.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, I do want to differentiate, though, because in the United States, as we talked about in the last episode, motorcyclists tend to ride for leisure here.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And as a consequence, not as many are doing commuting where they're more likely to run into these sort of traffic situations.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So it's not gonna be as huge of a change for most people as they may think until more motorcyclists start riding for commuting purposes.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And when you're in a state like California where the weather's usually nice all the time, it's a lot more encouraging to actually go ahead and do it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So my hope is that maybe by making this legal in most of the country, another benefit comes in to riders who will say, hey, you know what, for me to actually get on the bike and ride to work every day, it's actually worth it because I'm going to get that benefit of eliminating all of the traffic, and you'll see more things that will come into it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>This is not just me who is in favor of lane filtering.

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<v SPEAKER_1>In fact, the American Motorcyclist Association also supports lane splitting, and they really encourage you to get involved with your local representatives to encourage them to pass laws like what we're seeing of these roughly eight states that are considering it right now for them to continue to pass it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I would encourage each of you to reach out to your local representatives and say, hey, this is something that you'd like to see happen.

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<v SPEAKER_1>As always, take a look at the show notes for any sort of links that you'd like to see about all of these new laws that are coming into there.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And I'd also encourage you to share a text to the show.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I'd love to know what do you think?

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<v SPEAKER_1>Do you believe lane splitting or lane filtering should be legal?

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<v SPEAKER_1>Do you disagree?

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<v SPEAKER_1>I would love to know what your thoughts are.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Thanks so much for listening to the Throttle & Roast podcast.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We'll see you next time.