For most Orlando motorists, a commute on a weekday along I-4 to downtown means a lengthy crawl through slowing and stopped traffic. Occasionally, you may see a motorcycle riding between lanes. This practice, called “lane splitting” is legal in California and has become a way of life and a perk of owning two wheels instead of four.

Inasmuch as maneuvering between lanes of traffic can be dangerous, only the State of California considers lane splitting legal. Those on the West Coast, find many rationales for lane-splitting: Some motorcyclists do it to evade traffic or to conserve gas and lower emissions; others say they’re helping to ease congestion or keeping their air-cooled bikes from overheating. But almost all lane-splitting bikers say that the strip between lanes is far more secure than the “sandwich zone” between bumpers. Bikers also said they can better anticipate accidents by lane-splitting.

According to the state Office of Traffic Safety, there were 397 motorcyclist injuries and fatalities out of 9,472 incidents in 2005 resulting from bikers making unsafe lane changes, passing improperly or following another vehicle too closely, all characteristics associated with lane-splitting. In Florida, we will need to consider whether car accidents and motorcycle accidents would be reduced by following the practices on the west coast.