I was exaggerating when I implied no one would buy a bike if lane splitting is forbidden.
But its so natural, a second nature almost for bikers here, I think a prohibition would have some influence on sales in a (western) Europe thats so densly populated and where cars are stuck in traffic jams during the week in the day.
Californians laugh at the rule? Europeans do not?
You should see how many bikers here follow those set speedlimits
, including me.
Its a matter of common practice.
In the US you dont know the concept in legal practise.
Every action that implies the practice would be answered with a negative reaction because its not known and its forbidden.
I'm not even surprised that its not accepted by the public in the state where its legal.
It will take long practice and a
serious change of mindset to make it normal behaviour in daily traffic..
As your long explanation shows, you perfectly describe lane splitting from the standpoint of a car only.
Mindset.
The study/studies you refer to are American?
If I were in America, I wouldn't lane split either, heck no
Cagers don't know the practice, so they don't expect a biker next to them, thus they would not anticipate lane-splitters.
No wonder studies show there is an increase in side swipes of motorcycles and rear end collisions by motorcycles when lane splitting.
So I bet European studies show the opposite.
Cagers here know it and behave accordingly.
Quote:Since it has been going on in Europe and California for so many years, residents of those areas have become accustomed to it. In the rest of the United States it would take another 30 or 40 years for drivers in those states to become accustomed to it, and in the meantime, there would be a lot of animosity and accidents (darn safety thing rearing it's ugly head again). I suspect eventually it will become accepted practice in this country, but probably not in my lifetime.
so true
(08-24-2016 11:43 AM)EmptySea Wrote: There seems to be an assumption that European motorcyclists are safer and/or better riders. I don't necessarily dispute that, but I have never seen any factual comparisons.
lol funny.
Who said that and where did you read that?
I certainly do not acknowledge that statement