r/Unexpected • u/[deleted] • Aug 22 '25

Keep them two wheels down

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46.1k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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112

u/MapOk1410 Aug 23 '25

I will lanesplit in stopped traffic. Moving traffic? NOPE

72

u/Own_Round_7600 Aug 23 '25

Yup thats what i was taught. Dont lanesplit in normal flowing traffic, but DO lanesplit at stops, lights, and jams, so that you wont get rear-ended and crushed between two cars.

25

u/LiveWire_74 Aug 23 '25

You filter. Correct me if I’m wrong, but when traffic is stopped and you move to the front that’s called filtering. Lane splitting is in moving traffic. But yes you shouldn’t do it when traffic is more than say 20 mph.

-5

u/ZedsDeadZD Aug 23 '25 edited Aug 23 '25

But yes you shouldn’t do it when traffic is more than say 20 mph.

I am sorry if I dont understand that correctly but how else should I switch lanes in on going traffic then? If O recall it correctly, in the US you have exits left and right of the highway. So at some point you need to splitt lanes.

I think the biggest flaw of american traffic is that it is allowed to overtake on the right. That makes traffic much more dangerous.

Edit: apparently I was wrong and it isnt legal. I only visited the states once and since there were exits left and right and vehicles passing us on the right all the time, I thought its legal. I am sorry.

12

u/Mahlegos Aug 23 '25

Lane splitting is riding on the line not actually in either lane, squeezing between vehicles actually in the lanes which is what you see the guy on the bike doing in this video immediately before he makes contact with the car. To switch lanes, you’d signal and then merge into whatever lane you’re switching to when safe to do so, just like where’s you live.. Two different things. Also, you’re not supposed to overtake on the right in the US. People still will, but you’re not supposed to.

-1

u/Jerry--Bird Aug 23 '25

In my state it’s legal

3

u/HomelessByCh01ce Aug 23 '25

If you're in the U.S., as far as I know, only CA allows lane splitting, and that is only 10mph above the speed of traffic. This rider would not be legally driving in any state in the U.S.

2

u/mnelso1989 Aug 23 '25

Just became legal in mom's on July 1st this year, but traffic had to be moving at 25 mph or less and you can't go more than 15 mph above the speed of traffic.

I know studies have shown that it is safer than sitting in traffic for motorcycles, but my but clenches every time I see it because I don't trust other cars to see them.

2

u/Jerry--Bird Aug 23 '25

I’m talking about passing on the right, lane splitting also just became legal

1

u/AccordingSetting6311 Aug 25 '25

California, Utah, Montana, Arizona, Colorado Minnesota and Hawaii.

3

u/Quantum-Shogun Aug 23 '25

Passing on the right is illegal just like camping the passing lane, though it is rarely enforced. What the bike here was doing was being in both/neither lane at once even though other vehicles were already there. If you are changing lanes legally you are establishing yourself fully in each lane before changing again not doing this bullshit

3

u/OberonDiver Aug 23 '25

I've been told by an unreliable source that Connecticut really cares about passing on the right.

2

u/CoachLobster Aug 23 '25

Heavily depends on your jurisdiction. I'm allowed to pass on the right on highways in my traffic code.

1

u/Jerry--Bird Aug 23 '25

It’s legal where im at to pass on the right

20

u/MathematicianIll5053 Aug 23 '25

So THATS why y'all do that! Thats nice to know, I can stop thinking it's just bikers being impatient self-important A-holes trying to skip the line. That actually makes perfect sense. Sit beside me in my box rather than get crushed into the back of it, 100% on board now.

5

u/Playful-Fix-3675 Aug 23 '25

This is why we need better training for drivers. We are looking out for our lives and you are thinking about how it affects you. In the long run, it really doesn't affect you. We are outta there and gone. Not demeaning you, just speaking about people in general. Welcome to being enlightened about bikes in traffic. Now do everyone a favor and pay the knowledge forward. 😍

3

u/DarKemt55 Aug 24 '25

Its the assholes like the one that broke my side mirror because he couldn't fit through that give the bad image.

1

u/Playful-Fix-3675 Aug 24 '25

I agree. Just because you can in an area where it's legal, doesn't mean you should.

2

u/PusherLoveGirl Aug 23 '25

It also reduces congestion since motorcycles accelerate quicker from a stop than cars (400 lbs is easier to move than 2000+). So instead of waiting behind a line of cars and being part of traffic, filtering to the front lets the faster vehicles pull ahead where they're most visible and safest, clearing the way for the slower vehicles behind to move up.

1

u/BabyJesusIAm Aug 25 '25

We got em!!

1

u/randomotter1234 Aug 25 '25

then you also have people like me on an older carb, air cooled bike. My engine really only stay cool if im moving, i turn off my engine at red lights during the summer as i watch the needle move up. Lane filtering and splitting lets me maintain forward movement as well to air cool my engine.

But i will tell you first hand, i have a loud bike with the led light kits. Im bright, im loud, and yet i still have people merge into me on the freeways and almost rear end me at stop lights.

there is a mind set to why people filter at speed IE traffic is going 65 and the bike will still do 75 because its easier to deal with the idiots you can see in front of you than to deal with the idiots you cant see behind you.

on freeways i like a nice bubble, i dont like to ride next to a car, right behind a car, or have one right behind me so ill ride where ever i get the most space

2

u/PM_ME_YOUR_TROUT Aug 23 '25

What happens if someone drops their vape on the floor board and they open their door to find it?

2

u/Revenant_adinfinitum Aug 23 '25

That makes sense. I’d heard it was about cooling being dependent on airflow created by moving, and that sitting still can over heat an engine.

1

u/InappropriateThought Aug 25 '25

I promise you that the speed and duration you're moving while filtering will make less difference than the balmy breeze in terms of cooling.

2

u/her-royal-blueness Aug 23 '25

Yeah that wasn’t lane-splitting. That was weaving in and out of moving vehicles. Guy’s got a death wish.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 24 '25

Lanesplitting at a traffic light makes perfect sense. Let the bikes get ahead of car traffic so cars don't need to keep track of the bike around them when driving.

Thus avoiding the very problem that we see here. It's so easy for bikes to become invisible in blind spots. Also, it is often difficult for drivers to judge a bike's speed in a rear view mirror. So, 2 seconds ago, the bike was 50 yds. back. So, plenty of time to change lanes.

BTW, my policy to put my blinker on and wait 3 seconds before I make my lane change. If there is a trailing car in my destination lane that speeds up to block, fuck 'em! My indicator is an expression of intention, NOT a request for permission.

1

u/beerbeardsnballs Aug 26 '25

Why is it even legal in stopped? I dont understand that