mika
Still Wondering
I think the trend towards legislation favoring self driving cars will eventually kill lane splitting altogether, as a motorcycle coming through the lanes from the rear is something that they can not recognize easily and the cars are programmed to stay in the center of the lane. They will get confused. It will be easier to ban lane splitting than have the cars recognize the situation.
I am not certain I agree with your assessment. I believe as self driving cars become the norm and more sophisticated future MC riders will take more and more advantage of lane splitting. One of the difficulties with the current generation of these cars is the standardization and programming of the rules of the road, and how to apply them in the real world.
Lane splitting will be one of the future selling points to MC travel becoming the motorized two wheeled version of bicycles and the advantages they have in various urban settings.In the present the rules of the road being developed are v1.0 and we are state law alpha or beta testers.
I have split lanes in states and countries where it is acceptable. I did not feel comfortable doing it because of my Fly-Over-Land cycling roots. Heck we haven’t figured out how to zipper merge. Even if it were legal in my corner of F-O-L cage pilots take great umbrage at riders doing it and you could quickly find yourself arguing with the mud flaps of a jacked up F150, Chevy, CMC or ominously named Ram 4X4, determined to use their plow mounting frame or bush bumper complete with winch, to teach you their rules of the road.
I understand the passion these discussions generate for both sides of the argument. I don’t get to cranked up either way. I do believe this is just the beginning of sorting out the rules of the future road.