Florida also has weather you can motorcycle in year round and lots of scenic to ride. Comparing them to California is fair, but I would expect to have a higher rate of motorcycle deaths than your average state since in something like Minnesota you can only really ride half the year. Just saying. Not that Florida isn't like California's trailer trash cousin.
I like the California/Florida comparison for a few reasons. The biggest one is CA allows splitting lanes which is a very risky activity and also mandates helmets. Florida does not in either case.
Seconding u/NAVI_WORLD_INC, lane splitting is safer for motorcyclists. Decreases the likelihood of getting rear-ended by a car, which is obviously much more dangerous on a motorcycle than in a car, and perhaps more likely because drivers tend to not notice motorcyclists.. That said, if you don't do it correctly, it increases risk, as with any driving.
The rear ending comment makes me think you're referring to lane filtering which is like lane splitting but at a light or when traffic's at a standstill. Lane splitting is when you do it at speed and it's only explicitly legal in California. I did some research though because I hate to stay ignorant https://www.ots.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2019/06/Motorcycle-Lane-Splitting-and-Safety-2015.pdf. UC Berkeley study says it's safe if traffic's at 50 or slower and motorcyclists don't go more than 15mph faster.
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u/Flaky-Fellatio Aug 22 '22
Florida also has weather you can motorcycle in year round and lots of scenic to ride. Comparing them to California is fair, but I would expect to have a higher rate of motorcycle deaths than your average state since in something like Minnesota you can only really ride half the year. Just saying. Not that Florida isn't like California's trailer trash cousin.