Forget ID Helmet Laws...What About These Dangerous Biker Habits?

Last night on a drive home from Garden City to Star, the biker in the lane to our right was in a hurry to get where he was going. It first caught our attention when he started creeping on red. To be fair, a lot of bikers do this so they don't stall traffic. It was what the biker did next that exposed his impatience.

When the light changed and traffic began to pick up speed, the biker tried getting around the car in front of him by white-lining (weaving between the moving lanes at a higher speed). In response, the drivers to his immediate right and left hit their brakes and thwarted the biker's attempt to squeeze between them. A few moments later, the biker made a successful second attempt at white-lining.

Photo Credit: R.A. Valenzuela // N. Glenwood Street, Garden City

Thankfully no one was hurt by the biker's risky maneuver. But that didn't make it legal. Only one state condones white-lining/lane splitting, and it isn't Idaho. It's California.

California was one of the first states to embrace lane-splitting even before it was legalized; motorists and motorcyclists respected the practice for years. In 2016, it was declared legal across the state. California is the only state in America to make lane splitting legal officially.
- Steinger, Greene & Feiner

Both in and out of Idaho's biker community, the maneuver's been a controversial topic for decades. Where a helmetless biker is unlikely to hurt anyone but themselves in an accident, the same can't be said of white-lining. It's understood that many bikers are adept at weaving between cars and car lanes at higher speeds. However, it becomes pretty obvious and dangerous when surrounding drivers lack the same skill.

How do you feel about white-lining? You can email your thoughts and experiences to ryan.valenzuela@townsquaremedia.com.