Is Lane Splitting Illegal in Florida?
You have probably seen it more than once: the motorcycle rider that takes advantage of the fact that all cars are either driving slowly due to traffic or stopped altogether and rides along the painted lanes, between two lines of cars. That is known as lane splitting and, at least in Florida, it is illegal. As opposed to it, lane sharing is different in that the term is used when a car and a motorcycle are actually sharing a single lane. This is allowed by law in Florida.
Why do motorcyclists engage in lane splitting?
It’s easy to understand why motorcyclists may engage in lane splitting. Knowing that the space their bikes occupy is narrow enough to fit between two vehicles and seeing that long line of traffic ahead of them, almost makes it impossible to resist the temptation to ride along the painted lines. As a matter of fact, if you were to conduct an informal survey and ask some motorcycle riders whether they think riding this way is a problem, many will answer it is not. That they think this is a perfectly safe way to use the road, one that makes all the sense in the world.
What if they have an accident while lane splitting?
Knowing that lane splitting is illegal in Florida, a motorcyclist would first get a ticket. Additionally, what they were doing before the accident may have an impact on their ability to recover compensation from the other driver. To make things even worse, their insurance company may try to use this traffic violation against them and deny their claim.
Why is lane splitting dangerous?
Motorcycles are thinner and smaller than the cars and trucks with which they share the road. As such, it is easy to imagine that they would get into a driver’s blind spot. Not noticing the motorcycle beside it, a car driver might switch lanes in front of it and cause a collision that would leave the motorcyclist with serious or fatal injuries.
What should you do if you were lane splitting and had an accident?
As a motorcyclist in this situation, you may wish to recover compensation from the driver who caused the wreck. You may be injured, and your bike may be a total loss and you might be desperate to get both of these conditions righted as soon and as thoroughly as possible.
However, the high rate of uninsured drivers in Florida may have you turning to your own uninsured motorist policy. Or, if you are found to be at least partially to blame for what happened, the damages you might be entitled to receive may be reduced according to the percentage of fault assigned to you.
And, as mentioned above, if you have to deal with your insurance company to pay your claim, you may be surprised to discover that they will use the fact that you were lane splitting against you.
There is no reason for you to try to unscramble all the legal possibilities of an accident like this one on your own. Having a knowledgeable motorcycle accident attorney by your side can be a life-saver at this time. 1[HS1] -800-Injured is an attorney and medical referral service. For more information on how to get the accident attorney, you need now, go to 1800injured.care.