A new study by the Office of Traffic Safety found that nearly half of the drivers they surveyed are still unaware that lane splitting by motorcycle riders is legal in California.
The report showed that only 53 percent of vehicle drivers knew that lane splitting is legal, yet 87 percent of motorcycle riders said they lane split. Seven percent of vehicle drivers admitted to having attempted to prevent it.
A motorcycle makes its way between cars during the early morning commute as it travels the 55 freeway south near the interchange with the 22 freeway in Tustin.
MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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The OTS conducted the review in March and interviewed 733 car drivers and 560 motorcyclists.
As to why people weren't aware of the legality, Chris Cochran, spokesman for the OTS, said: "It's likely that, because the law is actually silent about it, it only really comes up regularly within motorcycle circles."
"We usually take note if something is illegal, not when it's legal," Cochran added.
As part of "Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month," law enforcement agencies, including the California Highway Patrol, are reminding motorists through a Caltrans freeway electronic message to "Share the road. Look twice for motorcyclists."
The CHP said motorcycles can travel faster than traffic during congested conditions and are allowed to legally split lanes, meaning they can ride in the unused space between two lines of moving or stationary vehicles. Motorcyclists cannot ride between the yellow lines.
"It's not something we recommend people do, but we understand that people are going to do it because it's legal," said Robert Gladden with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation in a previous interview.
"For a motorcyclist, you need time and space around you," Gladden added. "When you're lane splitting, you decrease your time and space cushion."
Gladden does emphasize that motorists are becoming more distracted and need to focus on the road: "Distracted driving is a growing problem and people are talking on the phone. It's become a larger statistic in freeway crashes and fatalities."
Gladden added that people in cars should give the same priority to driving that riders do when operating a motorcycle.
According to the OTS, motorcycle fatalities have decreased 10 percent from 394 in 2009 to 352 in 2010. The motorcyclist was found at fault in 243 of those crashes in 2010, Cochran said.
As a general guideline, it's risky if motorcyclists share lanes when going above 10 mph or more than the traffic flow, said CHP officer Gabe Montoya.
"It's legal to split lanes but you can't do it if it's going to be in violation of speed limits or if you're going to be going at a speed that's significantly faster than the traffic through which you're trying to move," Montoya said.
"It's unsafe because you're not giving drivers the time to see or acknowledge that you're there, before they make a lane change or other movement," Montoya added.
Contact the writer: amolina@ocregister.com or 714-704-3795
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