Rider down on my commute

[Gone in 60]

I'm back to the grind today after being on vacation for a week. Half-way to the office, the car pool lane backed up, and I could see red and blue lights up ahead. Figured it was the CHP nailing single drivers in the car pool, which they occasionally crack down upon.

Unfortunately, as I got closer, I could see that it was a sport bike laying on its side, about to be yanked up onto a flatbed tow truck. No rider standing around and no ambulance, so I surmised that he or she must have been transported already, and this was the final cleanup.

I've been back to this job since January, and this has been the first rider down that I've seen on my route. The bike didn't look too demolished, so hope the rider will be ok. Not something you like to see.

[the Ferret]

How could that be? I thought lane splitting was safe lol

[Gone in 60]

It is, but lane splitting doesn't put a magic car-repelling shield around you... or fix unsafe riding.

[Randy B]

How could that be? I thought lane splitting was safe lol

If he was in the carpool lane he shouldn't have been splitting anyway. In So Cal the CP lanes are set up a bit differently than around me in the bay area. My guess would be that someone probably went to jump into the CP lane and didn't see the biker and smacked into him. Unfortunately it happens much more than it should.

[GoldOxide_imp]

How could that be? I thought lane splitting was safe lol

If he was in the carpool lane he shouldn't have been splitting anyway. In So Cal the CP lanes are set up a bit differently than around me in the bay area. My guess would be that someone probably went to jump into the CP lane and didn't see the biker and smacked into him. Unfortunately it happens much more than it should.

If he was in the carpool lane he shouldn't have been splitting anyway. In So Cal the CP lanes are set up a bit differently than around me in the bay area. My guess would be that someone probably went to jump into the CP lane and didn't see the biker and smacked into him. Unfortunately it happens much more than it should.
I see that between cages and it is carnage.

[Gone in 60]

On this freeway during rush hour, the carpool lane is barely moving, while the normal lanes are just about stopped, so he would have been splitting.

Too hard to tell what happened without seeing it happen, but hope the rider is ok. Would have been a relatively low-speed incident if he was riding with reasonable speed for the condition.

[Randy B]

On this freeway during rush hour, the carpool lane is barely moving, while the normal lanes are just about stopped, so he would have been splitting.

Too hard to tell what happened without seeing it happen, but hope the rider is ok. Would have been a relatively low-speed incident if he was riding with reasonable speed for the condition.

That would be about what happened to me. Traffic was moving about 25 mph and I was at about 30 mph when the guy slammed into me and took off.

[Gone in 60]

Ugh.. another one. Leaving the garage this morning, listening to the news and traffic in my earbud, "there's a motorcycle down on the 55 south at Chapman in the carpool lane". That's where I get on the freeway, and I said a thank you inside my helmet that my wife doesn't listen to news stations on her way to work.

It was a big Victory bagger, laying on its side. Front and rear lights were still on, didn't look damaged, and no plastic debris on the ground, so must not have been a front or rear hit. That's a very tight, slow part of the split, so maybe he bumped someone, or maybe it was a panic stop and he fell over. Wasn't a bike I'd ever seen on my commute.

[the Ferret]

Buddy of mine over on the ST forum got it day before yesterday while lane splitting in CA

accident at 1:11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbVJY4IEI-0

[Gone in 60]

Is he ok??