Lane Splitting in Utah

[mickeym3]

Hadn’t heard about the legalization (with restrictions of course) but sounds good to me. 

 

https://www.cyclenews.com/2019/03/article/utah-legalizes-motorcycle-lane-splitting/

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

Given the typical SLC area Utah driver is rather unaware and unsophisticated, while the ends of the bell curve are fat with extremely cautious and borderline-reckless drivers, I'm scared.  They're faces are stuck in their phones while driving, stopped at lights, and while approaching.  On the one hand, it'll help those of us who have to pay nearly constant attention to our mirrors, when stopped at lights, while introducing risk if filtering. 

Honestly, I may continue to manage the rear-end risk by monitoring and being ready to split a lane, to get out of the way, whether legal or not.

[mickeym3]

Utah needs a hands free phone law...since enacted here in Georgia I’ve noticed far fewer instances...not 100% mind you but definitely better. In fact, all states should ban cell phone use in the car.  

[eddd]

That isn't lane splitting, and if you use this new law to filter to the front of the line you'll just be pissing off people who are uninformed.  

[wbw6cos]

It reads:  ........"legalizing the filtering of motorcycles between lanes of stopped traffic...."  Guessing that is how the bikes will do it thereby pissing people off anyway.  It may be a start until the general motoring public gets used to it, then it could expand to include actual lane splitting (in the moving fashion.)

[AZgman]

We need driver re-training as part of this effort! SLC drivers are freakin nuts.

[wbw6cos]

8 hours ago, AZgman said:

We need driver re-training as part of this effort! SLC drivers are freakin nuts.

 

 

When you really think about it, people just renew their license every 4 or 5 years.  How many laws, roads signs, traffic patterns (diverging diamond interchanges, round-a-bouts, etc) change and people do not really have a clue?  I think, at minimun, a 10 or 20 question quiz should be in order.  As a commercial driver, I have to take a test every 4 years regarding Hazardous Materials, even though I have not hauled any since '08 (last couple of times, I have had to read the manual first.)  HA

[Green RT]

In Mexico, where I live, motorcycles seem to be exempt from all traffic laws, not de jure, but de facto. They always filter to the front of the line at lights, often go through red lights instead of waiting, park wherever they feel like, and generally ignore rules. This behavior of motorcycles is expected by other motorists and ignored by the police.