What is Lane Splitting?
"Lane splitting is when a motorcyclist drives between lanes of slow-moving or stopped traffic. Lane splitting is most common in heavy traffic, allowing the motorcyclist to pass cars without changing lanes. This maneuver is also used to assist with blocking uncontrolled lane changes by other vehicles, both for the motorcyclist’s safety and as a courtesy to allow more space for other vehicles to maneuver. Lane splitting makes up a small percent of all motorcycle rides, but can be a helpful tool when dealing with heavy traffic.
Motorcyclists should always be mindful of their surroundings. While lane splitting , motorcyclists should maintain the highest level of awareness of traffic conditions, allowing for proper spacing between the rider and surrounding vehicles, especially large trucks. Even while lane splitting in slow-moving traffic, the motorcyclist should maintain enough room to pull over and allow a vehicle to pass when necessary. Motorcyclists should also be cautious of sudden movements from other drivers, such as speeding around corners or passing into the same lane the rider occupies. The rider should look for markers on the road that indicate limited space or objects that could interfere with the rider, helping to increase comfort when maneuvering between lanes."
Oregon Lane Splitting Laws
Currently, lane splitting is illegal in Oregon. This is true no matter where you are riding in the state, including multi-lane roadways with different speeds (freeways). There have been attempts to change the law in the past, but thus far they have not been successful.
You will not receive a ticket for lane splitting in Oregon. However, you may be ticketed for speeding or reckless driving if you are riding outside of traffic flow. Even though you cannot be ticketed for "lane splitting", you can still be ticketed for being in violation of the general rules of the road.
It is worth noting that the majority of states do have laws regarding lane-splitting which are considerably less restrictive than Oregon’s. For example, California passed new laws in 2016 to make lane splitting legal in certain conditions. Riders are now able to legally travel between traffic lanes without concern of being ticketed (if they follow the law). California law places restrictions on how different the speed can be between lanes, and when and where splitting may take place.
Past and Present Lane Splitting Legislation
Over the past few years, a number of legislators have proposed bills to make lane splitting legal in Oregon. None of those bills has made it out of committee so far. This means that even though it is officially recommended, the practice remains illegal in Oregon, which is a very confusing situation. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have floated legislation without success on this issue. Recent bills addressed lane filtering or specifically lane splitting.
The Oregon Legislative Assembly has introduced or adopted more than 320 bills and 19 resolutions in the 2017 session alone. None of them directly addressed changing the law on lane splitting. The 2019 session is now underway, and so far, no bills directly referring to lane splitting are under discussion.
That doesn’t mean lawmakers aren’t talking about the issue in other ways. Even when they themselves have not introduced legislation related to lane splitting, both democratic and republican lawmakers have made statements on the floor of the Legislature or to local and state news media in support of lane splitting.
One key consideration is whether Oregon’s lane splitting law is keeping roads safer through its deterrent effect. If Portland’s mayor says that the city has many dangerous drivers, that might help shine a spotlight on the law as legislators make decisions about what to do from here. The number of registered motorcycles in Oregon stands at 143,472 as of September 2017. How is the law being received among motorcyclists in this state? That’s an open question. The fact that lane splitting is legal in California has raised a number of questions for lawmakers because it’s clear that the practice is not a major traffic hazard in the state.
Lane Splitting Safety
Lane splitting carries both risk and reward for the motorcyclist and other road users.
Motorcyclists weaving between lanes in congested traffic run the risk of being clipped or run over while getting around stopped vehicles. Other risks include what happens if a lane-splitting motorcyclist miscalculates the time it takes for the vehicle in front to accelerate, causing the bike to be rear-ended at speed by a driver behind?
On the other side of the argument for banning the practice, opponents point out that lane splitting can be safer than remaining at a stop in a vehicle that’s more likely to be rear-ended. And they say that lane splitting can reduce gridlock.
Benefits are difficult to quantify. How do you prove a negative? Advocates have argued that Christine Smith, the motorcycle officer for the Portland Police Department, said in 2011 that lane splitting helps her and fellow police officers on motorcycles move freely through heavy traffic and reduce congestion.
The Oregon Department of Transportation has said that allowing lane splitting could increase crashes if it encourages inattentive motorcyclists to travel between lanes without concern for other road users.
Opponents have pointed to a 2015 report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Their research showed no reduction in lane-splitting crashes, and the analysis states that lane splitting increases the complexity of the driving task and poses greater risks.
In a 2012 paper, researchers in California found that lane-splitting is extremely popular with motorcyclists, with more than 80 percent of survey respondents approving of the practice and citing reduced "hot" left turns and rear-end collisions at stops among key safety benefits. Other safety benefits include easier access to motorcycle parking and potential reductions in traffic congestion, they concluded.
Lane splitting advocates have tried to pass legislation to legalize the practice in Oregon in the past but have been thwarted by lack of support from Oregon State Police and AAA Oregon/Idaho. This summer, a new bill that would have made lane splitting legal in Oregon for the first time in at least 60 years failed to pass Senate approval. Oregon would have been the first state in the Pacific Northwest to allow lane splitting if the new bill had passed. Washington and California are the only two states where lane splitting is legal.
It’s worth noting that several local governments in Oregon have made lane splitting legal. Lane splitting is permitted in Portland and Tigard, but not in Eugene.
Best Practices for Motorcycle Lane Splitting
In the context of Oregon’s new law on lane consideration for motorcyclists, there are a few tips and recommended best practices that any motorcyclist should consider before splitting lanes. As Oregon became the 5th state to legalize lane splitting, we receive many calls from motorcyclists who have been hit while carrying out the practice legally. They ask us a lot of questions, and now we pass that on to you:
- Be respectful. Lane splitting has been viewed as somewhat "disrespectful" by drivers in the past. Make sure you’re respecting traffic laws and the rules generally of the road. You should not be speeding, using your cell phone or other distractions, and it may be a good idea to wave to the motorists you are passing by. Be polite and aware of your surroundings.
- Stay aware. You must always pay close attention to the regular commute drivers around you. They can be distracted by their phones and other things behind the wheel . In addition, you should avoid lane splitting in situations where drivers are making sudden stops, and where you might get sandwiched between vehicles. Make sure before you take on the lane that the lane is a safe distance ahead of you, and that there is not another vehicle alongside you that will catch up to you quickly.
- Know your surroundings. Keep an eye on puddles in the roadway, drain pipes, and potholes – all would be hazards to you while going between lane lines. Wait and avoid making any decisions when you are in the blind spot of a motorist and don’t jerk or speed too much forward to do your lane splitting.
- Keep to your speed and don’t linger. Be sure to watch your speed when lane splitting and stay smooth and even in your movements. You don’t want to jerk or speed once you’ve gotten between lanes. Motorists are trained to see you, they just need to look up and see you!
Important Information for Drivers of Motor Vehicles
Lane splitting poses a potential hazard to all motorists on roadways, both those who are in cars and those who are riding on motorcycles. In addition to remaining attentive and aware of their surroundings, car drivers should be prepared to yield the lane when lane splitting occurs. Yielding allows for a smooth merging of lanes, facilitating a process that is ultimately safer for both motorcyclists and vehicle operators. Unfortunately, many drivers rarely yield the lane so it is not surprising that lane splitting by motorcyclists can be especially dangerous.
The Oregon State Police recommends that motorists pull to the right when traveling on busy, multi-lane roadways to provide a safe passing lane for motorcyclists. Drivers should always signal and check their mirrors before changing lanes. When and if a motorcycle is approaching the motorist’s lane, the motorist should slow down to facilitate a potential merging of lanes.
Motorists must be particularly careful when lanes on busy roadways are merging. When merging lanes converge to a single lane through construction zones, for example, motorists must exercise caution. Motorists need to slow down, allow room, and let motorcyclists safely exit their lane whenever possible to mitigate the risk of collisions.
Lane splitting may not be an inherent danger but the practice calls for an increased degree of attentiveness from everyone on the roadway. When a rider does lane split, motorists should yield the lane and refrain from aggressive driving to avoid serious motorcycle accidents.
The Public’s Perceptions
As with any controversial issue, public opinion and perceptions surrounding lane splitting can vary considerably. Generally, non-motorcyclists and those who are uncertain about the practice view it as reckless and illegal, while motorcyclists tend to firmly believe that it is a long overdue practice whose time has come.
Automobile drivers in particular generally believe that lane splitting is reckless, regardless of who is doing it, and that even the most cautious motorcyclists are all outlaws risking their lives on speeding machines. However, studies indicate that lane splitting is essentially benign, and that the vast majority of motorcyclists pay careful attention to their surroundings and drive cautiously.
For example, the University of California Berkeley studied 6,000 separate motorcycle accidents, and their report to the California State Legislature found that "lane splitting reduces the risk of collision with passenger vehicles, particularly rear-end collisions… The trajectory for most motorcycles struck by passenger vehicles occurs at the side of the motorcycle, an area where lane-splitting would be expected to provide a benefit."
In the past few years three separate online surveys have been conducted on lane splitting: one on the Allstate blog, one on a motorcycle forum called Adventure Rider, and another on the CCW Tactical Forums. The Allstate survey revealed that 54% of participants thought lane splitting should be legal, and another 29% favored legalizing motorcycle lane splitting if it were done safely. Similarly , the Adventure Rider survey was essentially the same, with 57.9% of respondents stating that lane splitting should be legal, 11.8% stating that it should be legal under certain circumstances only, and the rest holding out against it entirely. In the survey that was conducted on the CCW Tactical Forums, 85% of the 924 participants stated that they would pass on the highway if the cars ahead were at a standstill.
Even while supporting the practice of lane splitting, the public has been careful to distinguish its support into two subsets, essentially noting that the practice should be allowed, but also emphasizing the need for strict safety regulations. For instance, the Allstate endorsement came along with certain conditions, such as "Perhaps if lanesplitting were accompanied by some additional training about the extra dangers involved in this practice, and if the practice were kept to areas with sufficient lateral space, and riders understood that speeds should be low," one motorcyclist wrote, "then I’d be all for it."
That statement largely encapsulates the sentiments of those who indulge lane splitting safely, but who believe that the practice causes unnecessary danger when done improperly. While the undifferentiated, broad statements about lane splitting still come from all corners, these sentiments at least provide a measure of comfort to those who have supported lane splitting in the past, and a guide for safe lane splitting in the future.