JAMIE ROBINSON: We're here in Los Angeles with Wes and
Harlan, and we're going to explain to you why splitting
lanes on a motorcycle is a good thing to do.
Welcome to RideApart.
Wes, you're an experienced rider.
You've ridden motorcycles all around the world.
You've ridden here in America on different states where you
can split lanes.
Now you're in California, and you couldn't while
you were in New York.
What's your take on it?
WES SILER: You know, the first time I ever split lanes was on
my very first riding lesson in London when I was 16.
Very first time I'd ever ridden a bike on the road.
They threw us on these little 125s and were just
like, here you go.
Here's traffic.
This is central London.
So we just went out, straight out of the car park, straight
into traffic.
We did it.
So I've never not split lanes.
That's been a problem with legality sometimes, but it's
just what motorcycles do.
It's just how motorcycles operate.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Now, you're talking about legality
problems in America.
I mean, all over Europe, we can split lanes.
WES SILER: Everywhere in the world, lane splitting is legal
and encouraged because it's a safe, economical thing to do.
It's how motorcycles get around.
But in 49 states outside of California, it's illegal, and
the cops will come down on you hard.
I've got a stack of reckless riding tickets like this from
when I lived in New York.
And none of it was reckless.
All of it was stopped traffic, go to the front of the queue
of traffic.
Just normal, common sense stuff to the rest of us, and
for some reason, those 49 states just hate it.
JAMIE ROBINSON: OK, Harlan, you've ridden in Philly, and
now you're here in California.
So you've actually experienced it also in the States.
What's the change been like for you?
HARLAN FLAGG: Yeah, well, riding in Philly, not
splitting lanes, we took it for granted, you know?
Don't split lanes.
As soon as I moved back to LA, I see all these motorcyclists
riding through traffic, and as soon as I caught on to it and
I felt comfortable doing it, I wouldn't have it
any other way now.
It's really the only way to get around LA.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Exactly.
So I also had started riding motorcycles in London in a
busy, busy city.
And if I'd have been a part of traffic, of the car traffic, I
wouldn't have gotten anywhere.
Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists were just going
through cars, stationary cars all of the time.
It was a shock to the system to me.
It looks dangerous, but like you've said, once you had a go
and you experience it for yourself,
it wasn't as daunting.
It looks quite like you're doing something wrong.
It looks quite aggressive.
It looks like motorcyclists are trying to break the law.
But actually, there's a lot of room out there, and we're just
picking our way through.
WES SILER: If you're sitting low in a car, sheltered from
the environment around you, and a bike comes by 15 or 20
miles an hour faster, it looks like warp speed, and it looks
like this incredibly irresponsible,
dangerous thing to do.
And it couldn't be any more different.
It's safer.
It's more responsible.
On a motorcycle, we don't have crumple zones.
We don't have this built-in safety, so we have to take
charge of that ourselves.
And part of that is splitting lanes, putting us in charge,
allowing us to control our interaction with cars.
Allowing us to control our environment.
And it's that control that gives us safety when we don't
have the whole cage around us.
The width of our vehicle is as wide as our shoulders.
That is the widest point, right?
And so what's that--
two feet, three feet?
And so long as you've got a good four feet or five feet
wide, which is what the gap is between most lanes, it's more
than enough, and it's just fine.
Just plenty safe.
And then what we also do is we sit up so high on bikes, and
our vision is so unobstructed that it's very easy to spot
when a car is going to change lanes.
So it's not out of control.
It's not reckless, it's not dangerous.
It's natural, and you're in control, and it's a very safe
thing to do.
JAMIE ROBINSON: At the end of the day, we're in control.
If an accident happens because of an irresponsible car
driver, we have to take some responsibility for that
because we're on a motorcycle.
I don't expect--
there's some things that are out of our control, of course,
but we have to be ready.
WES SILER: When I get on a motorcycle, I'm taking my life
into my own hands.
That is a decision that I'm taking by riding a motorcycle,
not operating a nice, big, safe SUV, right?
So even if some cute girl is sexting her boyfriends and
runs into me, I have to accept that's my fault because it's
my life on the line, not hers.
So it's my job to make sure that it
doesn't happen, not hers.
She can be a bad driver all she wants.
It's my job not to let her run into me.
I have to spot that ahead of time, take proper maneuvers to
avoid it, and just not let it be an issue for me.
JAMIE ROBINSON: And as a motorcycle rider, I've found
as well-- which is sometimes quite hard-- but you have to
let things go.
WES SILER: Yeah.
You can't get angry.
JAMIE ROBINSON: If you get angry because something
happens, unfortunately, your concentration is totally taken
away, and you'll end up in an accident further down the
road, because you're still reliving the one that you've
just had behind.
So we have all of these challenges, and that's part of
the fun and enjoyment of riding a motorcycle.
OK.
So let's get on the road.
Let's go ahead and show some lane splitting.
And let's show it sensibly, show how it's done, and have
some fun on motorbikes.
How about that?
WES SILER: No crashing, Jamie.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Wes, you're the one with injuries, man.
No crashing?
What's he talking about?
He's Mr. Crasher.
WES SILER: Go, go.
There was a study done in Belgium, and they determined
that if only 10% of car drivers switched to
motorcycles, all traffic, all congestion
would drop 40% total.
So you can imagine, we're riding here today
in LA, if just 10%--
because this is a motorcycle city, but here
not even 10% ride--
if 10% switched, 40% less traffic in LA?
JAMIE ROBINSON: Amazing.
WES SILER: It'd be night and day, you know?
JAMIE ROBINSON: It'd be like going back to 1970.
WES SILER: And it's really not dangerous.
It's actually safer than sitting in traffic.
The big motorcycle safety bible, the biggest study ever
done on motorcycle safety was the 1981 Hurt Report.
And it determined that 2/3 of all motorcycle car collisions
were caused by the driver, not the bike.
And the most common of those are rear enders, right?
The one thing we don't have the ability to escape on a
motorcycle is a rear ender.
If we're set still, and a car comes up behind us--
JAMIE ROBINSON: It's a very bad situation for
motorcyclists, the rear ends.
WES SILER: We can't see it coming, and it'll
probably kill you.
Because that's a big, two-ton vehicle coming
up and hitting you.
You've got a bit of leather on.
It's going to hurt.
And lane splitting completely removes rear
enders from the equation.
Puts you in charge.
On motorcycles, your safety is up to you.
And it's your skill and your awareness and how careful you
are that equals your safety.
And lane splitting allows us to build that safety back into
our riding.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah, absolutely.
You see, the road also opens up as you lane split.
Opportunities open up.
And it's not that I'm searching for them, but they
just naturally happen.
HARLAN FLAGG: It's like you have your own lane.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah, exactly.
HARLAN FLAGG: The motorcyclist has his own lane.
He's out of the car's way, the cars are out of his way.
And it really just, it opens the road.
You can actually just see how much more efficient it is,
because you can fit motorcycles in
between every lane.
More cars on the road, I mean, the same amount of people that
would be otherwise taking up all those cars.
WES SILER: Every time one of us splits lanes, you get to
work faster.
We are helping you.
This is a good thing.
Don't hate us.
The US Department of Transportation did a study.
They looked at motorcycle accidents in California and
then compared them to Texas and Florida, which, same
year-round riding, same demographics ride, right?
But in Texas and Florida, you don't have lane splitting.
In those two states, deaths caused by rear end collisions
to motorcyclists are 30% higher than in California.
And that's not a statistical anomaly.
That is a huge figure.
So 30% less of us are dying because cars hit us in
California because we have lane splitting.
JAMIE ROBINSON: And also, you really can read the road
that's happening ahead, and you can see the cars, and
you're just aware of everything around you.
And when I'm in an actual lane of a car, and I
can't see the driver--
WES SILER: And you're blocked because there's a van or
something in front of you.
JAMIE ROBINSON: --it's so much more difficult to see
what's going on.
And on a motorcycle, we don't have the comfort of a
shell around us.
If we crash, we're likely going to be hurt if we're
involved with another vehicle.
I've ridden in London, just like yourself.
And lane splitting, like you said, straight out of the test
bay, you're doing it straight away.
It's how we're brought up.
It's not that we feel that we're doing anything wrong,
it's just that that's the way it is.
And that's the same throughout Europe.
I got to Asia, and it's exactly the same in Asia--
in fact, probably more so.
They ride bikes wherever there's a gap.
And I don't see any motorcycle accidents, and people are just
getting on with it.
WES SILER: But motorcycles make a great form of
transportation.
I'm riding the fastest bike here today, and I'm still
probably getting 50 or 55 miles per gallon, which is
roughly what a Toyota Prius gets, right?
The big difference is, I'm moving.
I'm never sitting still, except at a red light.
That Toyota Prius is sitting in traffic
for extended periods.
And even a Toyota Prius, even in these hybrids, they get
zero miles per gallon when they're sitting still.
JAMIE ROBINSON: I mean, but motorcycles around any city,
around any town, around any village, a
great mode of transport.
I mean, so many different bikes as well that's out there
for whatever choice you make.
If you're a commuter, I mean, you're on an electric
motorcycle today.
HARLAN FLAGG: Yeah.
I'm riding an electric bike, and I ride electric every day.
That's how I get to and from work.
That's how I go to my friend's house.
I run my errands on it.
WES SILER: When was the last time you bought a tank of gas?
HARLAN FLAGG: You know, I--
WES SILER: I like that you have to think about this.
JAMIE ROBINSON: I'm annoyed by that.
WES SILER: If you're watching this show, when was the last
time you bought a tank of gas, and how much did you spend?
And Harlan can't answer this question.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Another good thing that we need to do as
well, they don't teach this in the instructor classes for
novices, but really about covering the brake.
WES SILER: Yeah.
So you're ready to react.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Ready to react.
WES SILER: In a split second.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Absolutely.
WES SILER: There's no time between taking your hand off
the handlebar and going for the front brake.
You can't always keep your fingers hovering over the
brake lever, but two fingers, just keep resting on top of
the brake lever.
And if you need to use that front brake, you can go ahead
and use it without having to go like that.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah, one finger, two
fingers, whatever it is.
WES SILER: I always keep my right foot over
the back brake lever.
I always have my left hand covering the clutch so I can
whip the clutch in real fast if I need to.
And that all of a sudden takes all the little maneuvers that
we do-- not just slowing down, but changing direction real
fast, or you're dodging something, whatever it might
be-- it just helps you do that at low speed.
You really need to have that really fine degree of control
because you want to be smooth and you want to be careful.
JAMIE ROBINSON: I mean, I've got a friend who goes to work
every day, and he says he's got Netflix on at the first
set of traffic lights.
And he watches a movie on his way to work.
Now, I was astonished about that.
I was like, what?
And he was like, well, traffic's bad.
What else am I going to do?
I get bored.
And I'm just like, you need to get a motorcycle.
That's what you need to do.
But we have to take responsibility.
When we're putting our helmets on, there's lots of people on
the road that are not paying attention 100% of the time.
WES SILER: Lane splitting is safer.
That's statistically proven, right?
Lane splitting reduces congestion for everybody,
including car drivers.
It is a common sense, practical, safe thing for
motorcyclists to do.
More states of America should allow it.
More riders should learn how to do it safely.
HARLAN FLAGG: It's a way for them to avoid dangerous
situations.
It puts them in control of the situation.
It keeps them from being just a vulnerable target in a sea
of automobiles.
JAMIE ROBINSON: I totally agree.
And having ridden, again, motorcycles around the world,
and seeing how efficient people, motorcyclists are
around the world, and how we're just getting through
traffic, especially in congested cities, it just
reduces that congestion so much.
I mean, it's a no brainer, almost.
And we've got great roads here in America.
If we could allow it in some other states, I really see it
as being a positive thing for us.
And maybe they can actually, at that point, look upon the
helmet law as actually--
WES SILER: Maybe get a few more of those passed.
JAMIE ROBINSON: It's just, that's where more lives can be
saved, I'm sure.