Just curious to see if any of you out there have been observing any trends that might lead to new motorcycle legislation - for better or worse. I noticed that for 2024 Nebraska surprisingly repealed their motorcycle helmet law making it optional for wear. Definitely raised an eyebrow as they still criminalize lane splitting.
I try to stay on the optimistic side for lane filtering eventually passing here in Virginia but seeing how we are one of only two states where radar detectors are illegal, I think it’s fair to say we may just stay in stasis for a while. Anyone else optimistic or pessimistic on new moto laws for this year?
Texas officially made it illegal in 2023, was previously just a gray area.
Yeah, but now it’s official that motorcycles get to have use of their whole lane! Because that was ever and always in question! I often wonder at what politicians are thinking when they create some laws. Did they have someone whispering in their ear that lane splitting was bad? Did someone else propose lane splitting and then another just knee-jerked an opposing bill, and then ‘common sense’ took the lead with the majority? Was it truly as idiotic as a reaction to California being a place where lane splitting is common, and we can’t have Texas being like California, oh noooo!
I have a bit of a theory on this. I think most people associate lane splitting/filtering with sport bikes. Makes sense because they’re narrowers than cruisers/touring bikes, so they can take advantage of this more than those riders. So it can be a negative association type thing where its catering to squids, and that’s not going to go over well in states where people have stronger feelings about protecting an Americana roots.
Purely conjecture on my part tho.
For me it isn’t that. It’s really a matter of when people choose to do it. If traffic isn’t moving or is moving very slowly, I get it. But if I’m moving along at 70mph and a bike comes up splitting my lane and the lane next to me going 75, 80, 90 or whatever that’s just dangerous. It assumes I won’t see something in my lane that needs to be avoided that would cause me to hug one line or the other. I don’t like it when another bike does it to me, and I don’t like it when a bike does it while I’m driving a car either. And it’s definitely not just sport bikes.
I’m guessing some pissant state senator felt his manhood threatened being passed by a bike while stuck in slow traffic and had to put an end to it.
Well that sucks. I know for years Kirk Watson had been trying to legalize it. I guess he was the only one in our legislature that gave a shit.
Crap, that’s not good. I think Texas has one of the lowest motorcyclists per capita though so I can see how it’d be difficult to advocate for legalization.