AA want lane-splitting banned
While lane splitting is currently legal, motorcycles must travel within the lane lines
The Automobile Association of South Africa says that authorities should consider a ban on lane-splitting by motorcyclists.
Lane-splitting, which is legal in South Africa, refers to a motorcyclist riding between lanes of stopped or slower vehicles to overtake and move to the front of the traffic. While there are still discussions taking place between the motorcycling fraternity and the South African government about how to make roads safer, none of the proposed changes have yet been put in place.
The AA says there are some other basic road rules that motorcyclists are required to follow, including all wheels of the motorcycle must be in contact with the surface of the road at all times (sorry, no wheelies).
Motorcycles must ride in single-file on the road (a lane is considered to be a road).
Only one motorcycle at a time may overtake another vehicle travelling in the same lane.
While lane splitting is currently legal, motorcycles must travel within the lane lines (inside the lane itself), not on the painted lane line and not weaving back and forth between lanes or riding next to a vehicle.
The only exception to this is when overtaking.
The AA says that one of the key things to remember is that a motorcycle is one of the smallest vehicles on the road, and while it may give the rider the opportunity to skip traffic, it increases the risk of death in the event of a serious crash.
Safety needs to come from all road users — drivers need to be more aware of motorcyclists, and motorcyclists must behave as they would behind the wheel of a car.
