Lane-Splitting

[Mark Edwards]

What is the status of the issue of motorcycle lane-splitting in Florida? Do members of the club do it or expect me to do it? I read it is legal in California explicitly since January 2017, and not explicitly illegal in 13 other states, but that it is legal all over Europe. Is there any coverage of this in the motorcycle safety courses?

I brought up what happened to me out on I-75 going South a few months ago when a guy blew by me on a Suzuki Hyabusa at  110 mph on the right of me, inside my lane, while I was in the right lane doing about 75 mph, north of Brooksville a few miles.  Within seconds he lane split four cars positioned in a square pattern and scared them bad.  After he went by, two cars veered out of their lane in knee-jerk reaction into the emergency lane.   It damn near caused a crash.   This guy did this on purpose.  
Has this happened to other club members?

Comments on lane-splitting?   Preferences?

Mark

[mikecook]

Mark: I see your post is almost a year old.  Just visiting for something else and saw it.  For what it's worth - it is specifically illegal in FL.  I used to teach the MSF course.  FL Law states only one vehicle in a "lane", which technically would mean even at a stop light, you're not allowed to be side by side.  But that should never get enforced.

Yeah, folks blowing by you are a severe danger - what if you happened to move in your lane (which you're entitled to do), not seeing the other rider coming up.  Spooking the other drivers as he did is a natural consequence.

I read another state is considering "lane filtering" which comes with a set of rules, which makes it safer for everyone, e.g., only when traffic is under a certain speed (3o mph?), and only a certain differential between drivers and motorcycle (25 mph?).  Looks like it was written for stopped or VERY slow traffic, maybe to keep bikes from overheating, and letting them avoid stopping and starting in a traffic jam.  But getting those rules out to everyone, and then having folks know and abide by them is a stretch.

Mike Cook