marchyman
Cam Killer
Research Excerpts:
When the 2005 bill to legalize lane splitting in Washington State was defeated, a Washington State Patrol spokesman testified in opposition, saying that, "it would be difficult to set and enforce standards for appropriate speeds and conditions for lane splitting. And he said that officials with the California Highway Patrol told him that they wished they had never begun allowing the practice: "The California Highway Patrol's official policy is that lane splitting is "permissible" but must be done in a safe and prudent manner."
There was one high ranking CHP official who was anti lane sharing and made his views known far an wide. I believe the never begun the practice came from that individual. As the practice started decades before he came to power his feelings were somewhat irrelevant. The organization as a whole is not against the practice.
I look for CHP officers to follow when stuck in commute traffic. When they get in front its like the parting of the sea... a wide boulevard opens between lanes and it is not uncommon to see them leading a train of bikes. Funny how the drivers that can never see me almost always have no trouble seeing a motor officer. :wink
In a discussion on the pros and cons it was a CHP officer who opined that the practice was safer in heavy traffic than strictly staying behind the guy in front of you. His reasoning was that most fender benders involve being hit from the rear and that at low speeds cars rarely drifted right or left into other cars. I once looked for statistics on that but came up empty. I tend to believe it, but maybe that's because it supports my lone anecdote of when the car that was behind me ran into the car that was in front of me as I was two or three cars ahead due to splitting when traffic abruptly slowed on the SF Bay Bridge one morning 20+ years ago.