State of the Union: Lanesplitting

Lanesplitting continues to gain headlines in the US, with another state supposedly looking at legalizing the practice.

Lanesplitting has been in the news consistently since California gave a weak-kneed go-ahead to the practice last summer. Since then, four US states — Texas, Washington, Oregon and Montana — have introduced bills to legalize lanesplitting, and now another state is considering the issue.

The Deseret News reports Utah‘s state legislature is now considering a lanesplitting bill that has already made it through the House Transportation Committee.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Gage Froerer, who had a motorcyclist help him present the bill’s case to the state legislature. They gave the politicos the typical benefits list for lanesplitting: improved commuting, added safety for riders, environmental friendliness.

The legislature is done sitting this week, so this bill is unlikely to pass on this go-round. But this is just the start. If this doesn’t pass this time, expect to see another attempt in the future.

However, lanesplitting is a lot closer to being legalized in the state of Washington. That state recently passed Senate Bill 5378, which would allow low-speed lanesplitting on multilane highways with medians. The bill’s next stop is the state’s House of Representatives. If it passes there, then lanesplitting will be allowed in a second state, meaning the US will finally be catching up to the rest of the civilized world. Except, of course, Canada, where no provinces are talking about legal lanesplitting — yet.