AMA Officials Support Both Oregon And Washington Lane-Splitting Bills

Lane-splitting for motorcycle riders has long
been a debate among many state transportation and safety
departments. According to Rider Magazine, the American Motorcyclist
Association recently announced it would support the lane-splitting
legislation, which is currently being debated in Oregon and
Washington. The two states are strongly considering allowing
motorcyclists to maneuver between cars while on the road through a
well known movement called lane splitting.
Oregon and Washington Bills In Place

Sen. Brain
Boquist, R-Oregon, plans to introduce a new ruling that will allow
motorcycle and moped riders to pass in a lane with the traffic if
everyone is stopped or is only going 10 mph or less. According to
the source, the lane-splitter would only be allowed to reach 20 mph
through the maneuver.
Additionally, Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Oregon, wants to allow lane
splitting as long as the traffic is stopped or is traveling less
than 25 mph. Also, the senator wants to allow motorcyclists to
drive up to 35 mph while traveling between other vehicles, the
source reported.
As for Washington, a bill is in place that would allow
motorcyclists to pass cars in the same lane when the traffic is
stopped or moving 25 mph or less. According to the source, this
bill would only allow motorcyclists to travel 10 mph faster than
the flow of the traffic.
Eligible For Any Type Of Road

Whether it's a freeway,
state road or city street, Troy Costales, safety division
administrator for the Oregon Department of Transportation, said the
new state bill would not limit the type of road a motorcyclist
could lane split on, Landline Magazine reported.
Costales said one of his worries about the new bill is that it does
not explain the different types of traffic congestion and which
situations will allow someone to lane split. He added that there
could be loop holes in the way the current system is set up.
"It could be a traffic signal that has turned red or a stop sign if
there is a queue of cars," Costales told Landline Magazine.
Increased Safety For Motorcyclists

As of right now, the
state that is most notorious for allowing lane splitting is
California. Recently, the AMA ran a report and discovered that lane
splitting actually has a lot of benefits. Even though the stigma of
lane splitting is often seen as "jumping ahead of the line," it's
actually a safer practice for motorcyclists to ease traffic and
ride in a friendlier zone.
The AMA said it would significantly help reduce traffic jam
congestion and that it's much safer for motorcyclists because the
majority of their congested traffic accidents occur from rear-ends
or fender benders. While a fender-bender might not do anything more
than put a scrape on a car, for motorcyclists, it could mean
serious injuries.
Lane-splitting allows riders to avoid sitting in congested traffic
where they are more prone to severe injuries than if they
maneuvered between cars at a low speed. According to the AMA,
lane-splitting in California is a completely optional choice,
which means it's the riders' call to determine if it's safer to
lane-split or sit in traffic. Also, many other countries in Europe
and Asia allow this practice throughout all the roads to create
less traffic congestion.
"Research and evidence suggest that lane splitting may reduce a
motorcyclist's risk exposure in traffic, while helping to ease
congestion," Wayne Allard, vice president of government relations
for AMA said, according to Rider Magazine. "That is why we support
these bills and the motorcyclists who helped call attention to the
need for change."
However, if the new bill passes Oregon could be next in line to
allow lane-splitting and Washington could shortly follow.