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Lane Splitting - Stupid MN law

BryceC said:
It’s not a penalty. Nobody should have to pay for other people’s foolish choices.
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Excellent.

I look forward to my reduced premiums and taxes since we won't be paying for:
  • lung cancer treatment for smokers (or former smokers)
  • liver treatment for alcoholics
  • injuries to yourself while DUI
  • diabetes treatment of any kind of anyone overweight/obese, etc
This would probably cut Medicare expenses by what, half? And health care premiums by maybe the same? And people will stop smoking, drinking, overeating, etc. Everybody wins.

In case you didn't notice, Marge, I was being sarcastic.

Again, I am all for differentiated premiums based on risk behaviors.
 
Clonehomer said:
This is why I want insurance companies to have the ability to deny coverage when riders that are killed or injured without a helmet. Cause then it wouldn’t cost more for others. Or, have a no helmet wearing addition to a policy that’ll cover them if they are involved in an accident without a helmet. But let the insurance companies handle the bad behavior in a pointed way rather than charging everyone.
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So if drunk Uncle Eddie wraps his truck around a pole and dies? Bummer, his coffin is on you. He was doing something dumb and committing a felony, so we're denying coverage.

There's a HUGE difference between denying coverage and charging a higher premium. But a quick google search suggests (I have to get back to work) that riders in no helmet states DO pay more for insurance than riders in mandatory helmet states. It's priced in. So it's OK to charge me more but then deny coverage?

What if I am riding safely, but someone blows a red light, or rear ends me while I am stopped at a light and it's 100% their fault? No helmet, no payment due to the legal principle of tough noogies?

Lastly, and I gotta get off this, helmets only help sometimes. If I get creamed by a semi at 65 mph -- the helmet don't matter. I wear mine EVERY time because I don't want to break my skull open slipping on sand in a parking lot at 10 mph. That's what the helmet helps with - the smaller accidents.

I would be fine if they made them mandatory, tbh - it's not really any different than seatbelts.
 
RLD4ISU said:
New Minnesota law effective 7/1 allows motorcycles to lane split or filter.

So far I've seen motorcycles split lanes while traffic was doing 60 in a 65 zone and they were too impatient to wait their turn getting around the slower vehicle in the right lane like everyone else. Last night we were at a stoplight with a left turn lane and right turn lane (your only options) and a motorcycle pulls up into the middle of the front vehicles. SOB can't go straight, so now the vehicles have to figure out if he's going left or right?

Beginning to think this is a strategic measure to cull the herd.

(Side note: we've had motorcycles in the past and my husband said he'd never take those chances while on one)

Here's the requirements/rules for lane splitting, but I will guess 95% of the people only heard they can lane split:

  • Lane splitting allows a motorcycle to share a lane with and pass a vehicle in slow-moving traffic at no more than 25 mph, and no more than 15 mph over the speed of traffic. Once traffic gets back up to 25 mph, the motorcycle must go back into their own lane of traffic.
  • Lane filtering allows motorcycles to move through traffic that is stopped, such as at a stoplight or in a traffic jam. The motorcyclist cannot go more than 15 mph as they filter toward the front of the line of traffic.
  • Splitting and filtering are prohibited in roundabouts, school zones, freeway on-ramps and work zones where traffic has been funneled down to a single lane.
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I saw something where someone was actually arguing that lane splitting was safer for a motorcyclist because it eliminated the threat of being rear-ended at intersections and in congested traffic. Apparently, motorists have a hard time seeing motorcycles, even when they are right in front of them. I'm sure they used some form of this argument when they got the bill passed. California, I believe, is one of the few states that allows lane splitting at any legal speed, except in the lane next to the carpool lane. You can't lane split and wander into the carpool lane.
 
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Cyclones_R_GR8 said:
They know the law, they just refuse to follow it. I've seen motorcycles split traffic on I-80 in Omaha at 100+
I've had my motorcycle endorsement since 1977 and seeing riders split lanes when traffic is moving just fine irritates me to no end.

A few years ago we had an idiot going 100 in a 40-45 zone that died when he rear ended a trailer that was stopped at a stop light. His family was whining that there should have been a sign warning him that there was a stoplight. He didn't pay any attention to the signs with the speed limit so why would he have paid attention to that sign?

I see videos online of idiots speeding through traffic, these are the same people that claim someone just pulled out in front of them.
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Last summer/fall, there was a rash of these in CR. Guys flying on I-380 and slamming into the back of vehicles. I think at least 2 died if I remember correctly. The worst ones are on 1st Ave. It's 35mph, but congestion often slows it to 30 or so and multiple times, I'm just following the car in front of me, when a crotch rocket lane splits at 50+. Those people need a clue bat upside the head.
 
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It's the stupidest rule ever. Normal rules: Stay in your lane. Motorcycles: Whatever.
 
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Bipolarcy said:
I saw something where someone was actually arguing that lane splitting was safer for a motorcyclist because it eliminated the threat of being rear-ended at intersections and in congested traffic. Apparently, motorists have a hard time seeing motorcycles, even when they are right in front of them. I'm sure they used some form of this argument when they got the bill passed. California, I believe, is one of the few states that allows lane splitting at any legal speed, except in the lane next to the carpool lane. You can't lane split and wander into the carpool lane.
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Motorcycles can stop a lot quicker than a car can. So drivers of cars should give more space to account for that. But I doubt most car drivers even realize or think about that as they set their follow distance.
 
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I agree they shouldn’t be flying around traffic but I can understand this when it’s slow moving or stopped traffic especially when it’s hot out. If you’re in a car in a jam you can crank the a/c and be fine, a motorcyclist would just be sitting there baking in the heat and if they’re wearing a helmet and protective gear they could be at danger of heat stroke.

Also let’s not pretend this is only motorcycles. I had a dumbass in a pickup fly by me and the car in front of me on 80 in the left shoulder because he couldn’t wait to pass.
 
baller21 said:
I agree they shouldn’t be flying around traffic but I can understand this when it’s slow moving or stopped traffic especially when it’s hot out. If you’re in a car in a jam you can crank the a/c and be fine, a motorcyclist would just be sitting there baking in the heat and if they’re wearing a helmet and protective gear they could be at danger of heat stroke.

Also let’s not pretend this is only motorcycles. I had a dumbass in a pickup fly by me and the car in front of me on 80 in the left shoulder because he couldn’t wait to pass.
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My FIL did a lane split one time in a truck on I35 when two cars were basically matched speeds in both lanes. . Thought I was going to die that day.
 
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CascadeClone said:
Excellent.

I look forward to my reduced premiums and taxes since we won't be paying for:
  • lung cancer treatment for smokers (or former smokers)
  • liver treatment for alcoholics
  • injuries to yourself while DUI
  • diabetes treatment of any kind of anyone overweight/obese, etc
This would probably cut Medicare expenses by what, half? And health care premiums by maybe the same? And people will stop smoking, drinking, overeating, etc. Everybody wins.

In case you didn't notice, Marge, I was being sarcastic.

Again, I am all for differentiated premiums based on risk behaviors.
Click to expand...

That’s the point. Differentiated premiums based on risky behavior isn’t a penalty.
 
I was sitting at a stop light yesterday and two motorcycles zoomed through all the sitting traffic. Scared the **** out of me as the bikes were super loud. What happens if I accelerate slightly when traffic starts moving and nudge one of them? I'm not looking for people to be driving right next to me when I'm stopped.
 
Bipolarcy said:
I saw something where someone was actually arguing that lane splitting was safer for a motorcyclist because it eliminated the threat of being rear-ended at intersections and in congested traffic. Apparently, motorists have a hard time seeing motorcycles, even when they are right in front of them. I'm sure they used some form of this argument when they got the bill passed. California, I believe, is one of the few states that allows lane splitting at any legal speed, except in the lane next to the carpool lane. You can't lane split and wander into the carpool lane.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say its "safer" to lane split, but if you get stuck like that in traffic, getting on the shoulder or off the road entirely is absolutely a good idea. You can google video of bikers getting on the shoulder and within a minute someone plows into the back of the car where they just had been.
 
Clonehomer said:
Motorcycles can stop a lot quicker than a car can. So drivers of cars should give more space to account for that. But I doubt most car drivers even realize or think about that as they set their follow distance.
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Most drivers follow way too closely to begin with and then that habit can get really bad quickly with smaller vehucles.
 
CascadeClone said:
I wouldn't say its "safer" to lane split, but if you get stuck like that in traffic, getting on the shoulder or off the road entirely is absolutely a good idea. You can google video of bikers getting on the shoulder and within a minute someone plows into the back of the car where they just had been.
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i mean, i feel like this is just an example of how common accidents become deadly for motorcyclists. But you could apply that to any number of potential accidents for motorcyles

With all the safety rules we have for regular vehicles, if motorcycles didn't exist and someone invented them today, there's not a chance in hell they'd be legal to sell
 
madguy30 said:
Most drivers follow way too closely to begin with and then that habit can get really bad quickly with smaller vehucles.
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In a city its not like you're given much of a choice most of the time. If you leave the actual recommended gap someone is going to slide into it.
 
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alarson said:
In a city its not like you're given much of a choice most of the time. If you leave the actual recommended gap someone is going to slide into it.
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Yeah that part is a bit tricky but I'm talking in general.

There's no reason to follow someone at 1/2 second on an open highway or in light traffic.
 
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