Knocked Over While Lane Splitting

[xmasons]

Lane splitting takes a fair amount of skill, mental endurance, and buddhist zen. If you follow the CHP lane splitting guidelines, you'll do fine with practice and discipline.

The Scenario

While splitting during weeknight commute traffic leaving San Francisco on Highway 80 from the 101 split towards the Bay Bridge, I was hit. More specifically, it was a love tap that pushed me over. The outcome is minor, but I think it's worth reviewing again for those who split during commute hours.

The Details

One of the gotchas that experienced riders will tell you is: always beware of open spaces in traffic lanes. Inattentive drivers may quickly change lanes. Some use turn signals, many don't. You can anticipate this behavior.

In my case, the gap between vehicles in the left lane opened while I progressed between the lanes. The vehicle to my right bolted into that lane while I was next to it. The speeds were slow on both our parts (nearly stopped traffic, and I going less than 10 MPH than surrounding traffic). Kiltered off balance, I tipped the bike.

The Results

Motorcycle falls over, go boom. Nothing bad though, as our speeds were reasonable. Driver stopped in traffic to see how I was doing, and I returned in kind to see if he was okay having knocked over a motorcyclist. He received a brief lecture and a request to look before he moved into lanes, not jerk into them. Poor guy.

What I Could Have Done Differently

Unsure about how I would have predicted his actions. I've ridden for years, many of those lane splitting. I've had my fair share of inattentive drivers who quickly switched lanes, many without signaling. When you're next to a vehicle when a spot opens up in the other lane and they suddenly switch? I'm not sure you can predict that or take too many evasive actions.

What I Did Right

Gear (ATGATT): Blah, blah, Aerostich, blah. My choice; no lecture.

Cognizant Riding: I was riding up to my skill level in a manner that I felt comfortable in the present situation. If I felt that the conditions were off (raining; darkness) or personal reasons (tired; emotionally distracted), I would not be lane splitting.

CHP Guidelines: Following the guidelines can reduce a potentially serious incident into a minor one. No more than 30 MPH? Check. Less than 10 MPH than traffic? Check. Even though I tipped over, the correct speed allowed me to do so in control.

Situational Awareness: A brief check to see if you are injured or are in further danger of becoming injured. Vehicles immediately stopped, if they weren't already stopped due to traffic.

Accident Check-In: Sounds strange, but always see how the other person is doing. They're probably pretty shook up about what happened. They're human too. See if they're doing okay.

Compassionate Education: Casting blame while in the middle of rush hour traffic is not productive. If there is damage or injuries, let insurance handle that. A simple, "I need you to look behind you when you change lanes next time," is sufficient. I suspect he'll do so in the future.

 

[Abunai]

I had an suv pull that stunt on me years back. As I was approaching the quarter panel of the vechicle, I saw the suv swinging over. The next thing I know I was forced to the debris side of the freeway. Looking back, it feel I rolled the dice that day as I don't think I would ever be able to dodge a similar situation.

What I Could Have Done Differently?
I don't usually blame the bike, but in this case, maybe a lighter bike would make lane splitting more manageable. I rode between cars with a the 250 and 1000, and I rarely split with the 1000.

 

[kongjie]

I find myself more and more moving over into the open spot and resuming the split further ahead, rather than continuing directly up the middle. Otherwise, it's really just a matter of time before someone swings out in front of you.

 

[jdhu]

I find myself more and more moving over into the open spot and resuming the split further ahead, rather than continuing directly up the middle. Otherwise, it's really just a matter of time before someone swings out in front of you.

+1, I like this technique. Even if it's for a car length or two.

 

[Cincinnatus]

I find myself more and more moving over into the open spot and resuming the split further ahead, rather than continuing directly up the middle. Otherwise, it's really just a matter of time before someone swings out in front of you.

I do this all the time, for the following reasons:

1) I'm more visible to #2-lane drivers who have a better angle to judge my approach

2) I'm approaching the next vehicle ahead in the #1-lane at an angle/swerve, sitting at the back of their head (between the driver's side mirror and the rear-view mirror), and my movement laterally right is a cue for them to move left when I go right (think a backwards 7).

I have a pair of Clearwater lights (Darla's) which put out 2,000 lumens each, and I know they light up the area. In extremely dense traffic, I flash the lights quickly and the lane opens up like in "Bruce, Almighty". Huge increase in available space. :thumbup

 

[SFSV650]

OP, what was the position of your bike relative to the car when he began go move?
Your front axle in line with their rear, your handlebar in line with their wing mirror, other?

 

[JurisRider]

Great post. You're obviously a seasoned rider, doing all the right things, and still got bit. I think about this a lot when I am splitting, and every time I pass a gap the hair stands up on the back of my neck.

The only thing I'd add to the points above is that I will sometimes slow down so that I'm "safely" positioned between two cars just behind the gap and wait for it to close up (or sometimes I can use a car as a shield to cross the space). A lot of gaps are transitory and go away as soon as someone speeds up or changes lanes to fill it in.

 

[sportbiker929]

480watts of light on the front of my bike certainly helps being seen!

 

[xmasons]

OP, what was the position of your bike relative to the car when he began go move?
Your front axle in line with their rear, your handlebar in line with their wing mirror, other?

Handlebars just in front of the rear tires. My front tire touched the rear door.

 

[antidote]

A few days ago a rider on 101 (if I recall) just got killed being knocked over between the tires of a semi truck.

Be careful of open spaces in adjacent lanes but still need to be careful even if lanes next to you are blocked.

 

[kmaggy]

480watts of light on the front of my bike certainly helps being seen!

:thumbup this! also, IMO a lot of lane splitters think that revving while lane splitting help as far as visibility or being noticed. There is a doppler effect to sound waves that are coming towards you vs. sound waves that has passed you. You are better off toggling your high/low beam to get noticed by the upcoming cars/trucks. To read more about the doppler effect http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/sound/u11l3b.cfm
:afm199

 

[latindane]

The title is eerie given the recent fatality in 101. The doppler effect affects light waves as well, just that the proportional change of their speed is minimal and so that effect is not really noticeable. But even when it IS noticeable, the Doppler effect on sound waves just means that your revving will sound more high-pitched when you are approaching than when you are leaving. Point being?

Being obnoxious either South-Park-HD style or by riding around with your high beams in traffic is a bad kind of attention. Flashing your highlight when it might help somebody relatively far up ahead see you, or using the horn when that somebody is relatively close is fine, but defensive riding (awareness, appropriate actions like slowing down or accelerating) is a much better bet to get you home in one piece IMO.

 

[JakesKTM]

When you're next to a vehicle when a spot opens up in the other lane and they suddenly switch?

Whenever possible I follow the departing vehicle out of it's lane moving almost in cadence to its lane change to get into the opening first. That is our biggest advantage. There is a sweet spot in the timing when even the most impatient drivers do a cursory check before moving and you will come into their view if you are already in the opening. The only caveat is when the departing vehicle changes its mind and you should always be prepared fro that.

I've always felt this move closes up options for fast lane changers and gets distance between you and them.

 

[duffyduzz]

I've skimmed this thread, so if I'm repeating what someone else has said, I apologize. Yes, when there's an opening next to the car you're going by, get into his visibility quickly, accelerate if you must. I tend to watch the front wheels of that car, as when you see them move, that split second that it takes the car to respond to the driver's input could make all the difference. If you're behind and in a potential blind spot, either slow and stay there for a second or two to know what the driver is doing, or do the above, accelerate into view. I lane split all the time, for some 40 years now and have never had an incident. (Knock on wood))) ~

Also, I do want to add; it's when one gets in a hurry, that things can go badly very quickly. Patience, Grasshopper, is the best medicine. I figure, as long as I'm making good progress; I'm getting to my destination way sooner than all these cagers already, why do I want to rush things and potentially die in the process...??

Duffy @ DUFFYDUZZ Promotions

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Duffyduzz-Promotions/165214016979397

 

[xmasons]

I've skimmed this thread, so if I'm repeating what someone else has said, I apologize. Yes, when there's an opening next to the car you're going by, get into his visibility quickly, accelerate if you must.

The situation wasn't approaching a lane that was currently open on one side, but rather the lane opened up while I was next to it and the person in the opposite lane moved into the now open lane (with me being in the way). Unfortunately accelerating would have made the situation worse.

 

[Mr Pepsi]

Lately, I find myself "covering" my horn with my left thumb so I have it at a microseconds push just in case I see movement in my direction.

 

[fast4d]

I got knocked on my ass last year by someone diving into open space in adjacent lane.

after 8 years of daily commute of 100 miles it is bound to happen. I no longer pass if there is space on one side without moving completely into the open lane, giving me a bit of a buffer. or I'll wait until the vehicle is adjacent to another one.


yeah, finger on horn button and modulators pulsing.....

 

[vought]

I find myself more and more moving over into the open spot and resuming the split further ahead, rather than continuing directly up the middle. Otherwise, it's really just a matter of time before someone swings out in front of you.

I've been doing this as well. It helps. +1.

 

[IAmA M0t0r Ridεr]

If I see a gap opening in nearly stopped traffic, but I'm not quite there yet, I start honking, beep, beep, beep in a crescendo if the gaps is too high and one lane is too tempting for cars to try and merge, so I beep until I'm clear. Of course if someone is signaling, I'd slow down and let him take the spot.

It's annoying, but it saved me a lot of times in the past.

 

[donjumpsuit]

This is typically called puddle jumping.

I responded to this thread because I was in my cage the other day and almost knocked down a biker in a similar situation.

And I asked myself (as both a biker and a driver) is there anything I could have done as a car driver to protect the biker in that situation, and there absolutely isn't, which means it's all on the biker.

I was in the left lane (not carpool), and the driver in front was going slow (texting? on Phone?) and leaving plenty space in front of them, allowing many other drivers to cut in front and continue on.

I got into the rightish lane, and spent time slowly waiting my turn to pass him.

When I saw I had the opportunity, I raised speed and whipped in front of him before traffic caught up to prevent it. When I say whipped, it wasn't violent or disrespectful.

However at the same moment as I have just planned this whole thing over the course of three minutes, a biker was splitting carpool and left lane just happened to be there at the same time.

Luckily he knows the unwritten law on puddle jumping, or my car is a mini and not a SUV. Either way I almost dropped him.

The take home is that whenever I saw this on a motorcycle, I planned for another car driver to take that place. As I approach the "puddle" I look at the driver who may attempt to occupy it. It's all in the defensive handbook. You can tell if that driver is trying to jump into that space if you are aware, which you certainly need to be when splitting.