Arizona Lane Splitting Bill

It’s the dead of summer in Arizona, heat index hits 115, but the heat from your pipes and big bore motor makes it feel like 125 easy. You see the big green highway sign teasing you from just a few miles away “saying I know this is your exit, but you have to wait in gridlock”. If only you were living in California where you can twist the throttle, turn the fork, and burn rubber between the peasants on four wheels.

Well, you might not have to move to Cali for that perk any longer.

Arizona state Senator, David Farnsworth, R-Mesa, has introduced a bill, reluctantly I might add, for the upcoming legislative session in January of 2018.

Senate Bill 1007, was introduced because Farnsworth said his constituents ask for it.

Though he told the New Times, ““I honestly wonder whether it's safe. But I also think, man, what a practical thing for the motorcycle rider, because he's going to get there a lot faster than I will.”

First off, good for you Mr. Farnsworth. You proposed a bill that you don’t like because the people who elected you asked you too. It’s as if he actually understands what an elected official’s role is.

Now if we can get Washington to do the same, maybe things would be different…but I digress as that is a discussion for another topic.

The bill, propose to remove the word illegal from the current restrictions from the law prohibiting lane splitting and ask the Arizona Department of Public Safety to come up with guidelines for educating riders on the new law.

If the law goes into effect, it would allow motorcyclist the freedom to overtake motor vehicles using the same lane. Hence the name lane splitting.

Lane splitting is legal in most parts of the world, but in the U.S. only California has the glorious freedom to bypass traffic. Though Oregon and Washington have bills already submitted but have yet to pass.

Now, the likelihood of this passing in January is slim so don’t get your hopes up too much.

Members of the Department of Public Safety have openly made statements saying that they think it’s a bad idea, as it would lead to more motorcyclist accidents as drivers would be unaware of rider in the same lane.

Former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, echoed this sentiment when she vetoed a similar bill that would have allowed lane splitting for a year, but only in Maricopa County. She stated that it would take longer than a year for drivers to get used to lane splitting.

Furthermore, California did a recent study, showing that 2/3 thirds of Californians did not like lane splitting due to the dangers of not be aware of riders in the same lane (Phoenix New Times).

I think the problem with lane splitting legality isn’t the lane splitting itself, but more of the lack of understanding of what lane splitting is. Riders are not flying past moving traffic at 100 mph. They are bypassing gridlock at a lower controlled speed.

Even though this bill probably won’t pass, maybe this will get the conversation started in more states and we come up with a sensible universal lane splitting law that is safe, and effective for all riders and drivers because nobody wants to sit in traffic, but its profoundly more difficult to do it on two wheels feathering the clutch and throttle while maintaining balance.