It all started with a ride home after work. I and one other coworker have a commute of more than 65 miles round trip every day. Now don't get me wrong, the only good thing about having that kind of commute is the fact that I get to do it on a motorcycle. In good weather or bad, it is still better on a bike, because I get to split lanes and use the carpool lane, which both save me all kinds of time. My ride each way is in the middle of the rush hour traffic - five mornings and five nights a week.
On this particular day, it started like most mornings, I rolled the bike out of the garage and put on my riding gear. Unfortunately, the bike had a dead battery (I did not turn the key all the way off the night before). So after jumping the bike and getting it started, I hit the road. Well, I was about 20 minutes behind in my commute, so I hit the gas. I had about 10 miles down, when, out of nowhere, a small car crossed two lanes and just missed hitting me. I got over into the carpool lane, and I kid you not, less than 5 miles later, as I was passing a car, the car in front of it decided to cross the double yellow lines. Not only did this make the first car hit its brakes, but it also made me hit mine, just to keep from hitting the lane jumper. Lane jumpers are dangerous and frustrating because there are a lot of breaks in the carpool lane that will let you out at the right time. By the time I got to work that day, I had two real close calls.
After having a good day at work, I was ready to get my riding gear on and hit the road. I was about 5 miles into my ride home, when a lady on her cell phone drifted over and crossed into my lane. As she realized that she almost hit me, all she could do was smile. It was not the end of the ride. It was down to the wire, and I was almost home. In the last 6 miles of my day from riding hell - yes, you guessed it - this time a car not only crossed into my lane, but it went though the double yellow lines to get into the carpool lane. The car swerved into the lane so hard, the only thing I could do was swerve into the shoulder and really get into the brakes, just missing the K-Rail and a sign divider. As I regained control of the bike and sped up to yell at the guy, he cut back across the yellows and over two more lanes. That is when I realized he was probably drunk or just stupid. The day in itself was crazy and got me to thinking that maybe I shouldn't have been riding at all that day, or maybe I just ran into all the bad drivers in one day.
I decided I should put the word out about the carpool lane and what is legal in California. It is OK if you pass in this lane when the yellow line is spaced with a white line, as long as you go no more than 10 mph over the flow of traffic and no more than 40 mph over when splitting lanes. I even called the CHP, and they told me that most car crashes in the carpool lane are from one car illegally crossing into the lane. As for bikes, accidents also happen when the bike is passing and is unseen as a car cuts in or out of the lane. However, I still need to point out that just because the line is only yellow paint on the road, it still should be looked at as if it were an actual a wall. It is there so that cars in that lane can keep a pace and not have to slow down because cars are swerving in and out.
This is where you, the bike rider, can help. See, I figure that most of you who ride know this stuff already. What I would like is that you pass the word along, tell people you know to watch out for riders cutting traffic. For the most part, we need to keep the air flowing over the motor so that it does not overheat. This is the first reason riders cut traffic, but really, it just sucks to be stuck in traffic. I hear people all the time saying that if they are stuck in traffic, bikes should be too. If you don't like the traffic, then stop crying about it and get a motorcycle. So, if you're in a car and you see a bike coming, get over if you can. Then tell everyone you know why we do what we do and what they need to do. Be more careful and aware of us, the motorcycle riders. Ride safe.