Its a sad case for the individual and his family, but looking at the larger impact, I wonder how many hours and money are lost each year due to lane splitting motorcycle fatalities closing roads down. Lane splitting should be outlawed. It puts everyone at undue risk and the impact to our economy is evident in all the lost man-hours.

So without KNOWING the facts you came to the conclusion he was lane sharing? Lane splitting is already illegal. Just wanted to know where you got that imformation from the article.

You cannot tell by this report, you need to look at other sources. Go find it. Hint: chp.gov.
Your welcome for providing more info but try not to be such a snip next time.

Lane-splitting is not addressed in the California Vehicle Code. As a result, the California Highway Patrol has taken the stance that it is legal. California is the only state in the US to allow lane-splitting.

Source: Web Link

But we don't know if this incident happened because of lane-splitting. All we know is that it is a tragedy every time someone is taken away before their time.

There is no further public information, whether at dmv.ca.gov (the correct website of the CHP) or otherwise that indicates how this collision happened, who was at fault, or whether the motorcyclist was lane sharing at the time.

Lane sharing is not illegal in CA. More importantly, motorcyclists are just as much at risk from inattentive drivers when riding alone in a lane as they are when lane sharing in a responsible way (if not more). Those harmless looking fender benders where one car driver panic stops and the inattentive car driver behind him or her crumples their respective bumpers would be deadly for a motorcyclist. Anyone who regularly commutes on 101 knows how frequently those incidents occur.

Legal lane sharing is safe when done responsibly and gives motorcyclists more options to avoid accidents when necessary. This isn't an opinion, and legal lane sharing in CA isn't a pilot program. It's been this way for years for a reason.

I suspect that those who oppose it either resent the fact that motorcyclists move through traffic quickly, while they are stuck in stopped traffic in their cars, or they perceive it as more dangerous than it is because they are often startled when a bike passes their window. If it's the latter, one might want to ask oneself if he is checking his side mirrors as frequently as he should.

If it's the former, then I can only say learn to ride, so you can get in on the good times of bearing all of the responsibility not only for your own behavior on the road but for the behavior of every car driver around you.

While I am personally opposed to lane splitting,we don't have all the facts here. Second, lane splitting IS legal in California now and specific rules like max speed and so forth were established. So it is here to stay, at least in California.

You're all correct about the facts not being available and we do not know if lane splitting was a factor in this accident.

But whenever a motorcycle is involved with a larger vehicle (and Heaven knows a dump truck is a LARGE vehicle) the motorcycle loses. It sure did in this case. A traffic fatality is considered a crime scene until all investigative work is done, ergo, the closure of all those lanes on Highway 101.

Lane splitting is illegal in 49 of our states but is legal in almost all the rest of the world. Statistically speaking it is not particularly dangerous and, in fact, rear ending of motorcycles occurs a lot more than lane splitting accidents. Lane splitting almost entirely eliminates the chance of being rear ended by a vehicle.

In any event it's a sad state whenever anyone is seriously injured or killed on our roadways.

It doesn't matter whether lane splitting is legal or illegal. The fact of the matter is lane splitting is a risky move and it could end in fatal accidents. We don't know what happened in this specific accident. I think Motorcyclists should stop blaming car drivers for the risk they face while riding on freeways. Why can't motorcyclists realize that it is hard for someone in a car to see them under certain circumstances and avoid that kind of riding so that everyone is safe. Motorcyclists behave as though they have more rights to ride on freeways no matter how heavey the traffic is . That is the kind of attitude that puts them at risk. common sense and patiece is the key to safety of everyone's lives. however

24 years is so young. Rest in peace. My deepest sympathy for his family and those that loved him. My heart goes out to you.

CHP report states that lane splitting was involved in this fatal incident. Look it up.

I know lane splitting bugs people and many think it's illegal or should be.

They're ill-informed.

Simple fact is that lane splitting is legal and it is safer.

30 seconds of research will point you to numerous studies (that you likely won't read because they conflict with what you think "ought to be") that show, in quite certain terms, that the practice is safer than riding within the lane when done properly.

Rule of thumb being no more than +15mph over the speed of traffic not to exceed 35mph.

That it is allowed in CA is one, among very few, regulations that this state gets right.

Many of the posters here claim that lane splitting is illegal in California. They are completely wrong. It has never been made illegal and recently has been given full legal status.

UC Berkeley did a study and found out that motorcycle riders are actually SAFER if lane splitting is an option. Motorcycles are extremely maneuverable and with their amazing acceleration can easily find safe areas to drive, but only if they weren't locked into traffic like an automobile.

Given that lane splitting is both legal and safe(r), then I think the outlandish statements from the motorcycle haters say A LOT about themselves. They are crappy, careless and incompetent drivers and are scared that running into a motorcycle will cause them to suffer a vehicular manslaughter charge. If it was just another vehicle, it would most likely just be property damage.

Rather than punish responsible motorcycle riders, let's go after all the incompetent drivers out there. Strictly enforce all traffic laws, such as turn signal, complete stops, posted speed limits and distracted driving. Can you imagine a world where cars could actually be able to stop in time before hitting the vehicle/motorcycle ahead of them? Or rather than writing out text messages, they would be able to see the pedestrian crossing the road and stop in time?

Too often in Town Square, there is such a big kneejerk reaction against the victims (pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcycle riders). Time for the auto drivers to take responsibility for their bad driving...and their over-confidence.

I would like to see increased requirements to earn and keep a drivers license. Defensive driving should be key and it should be refreshed every five years or even less.

MSW and Bad Car Drivers are absolutely correct (whereas most of the other comments are off-base). To quote from the abstract of the May 29, 2015 paper “Motorcycle Lane-splitting and Safety in California”, by Thomas Rice, PhD, Lara Troszak, MA, and Taryn Erhardt of the Safe Transportation Research & Education Center, University of California Berkeley:

"Lane-splitting motorcyclists were also injured much less frequently during their collisions. Lane-splitting riders were less likely to suffer head injury (9% vs 17%), torso injury (19% vs 29%), extremity injury (60% vs 66%), and fatal injury (1.2% vs 3.0%). Lane-splitting motorcyclists were equally likely to suffer neck injury, compared with non-lane-splitting motorcyclists. "

Lane sharing or splitting, which is legal in California, is not only safe if done responsibly, it is (based on the data) much safer than not doing so. I have been riding safely for 45 years, and I am much safer riding 5 mph faster than traffic between cars in stop & go traffic on the freeway than remaining in my lane behind a car, where I am susceptible to being killed by the inattentive driver behind me who is looking at his or her cellphone.

I also do not like the idiots who race between lanes at 60 mph (or more than 15 mph faster than traffic). But compared to inattentive texting drivers, at least these idiots are only risking their own lives.

Similarly, when a bike comes up next to you at a red light, it is NOT to get anywhere faster. It's simply to get ahead of the pack of cars, as that is a whole lot safer than riding next to a car. I cannot tell you how many times I have been next to a car when the driver (focused on texting, or changing the station, or doing their make-up, etc. - basically anything besides DRIVING) suddenly swerves into my lane.

Let's share the road, people. That rider you kill could be your son or daughter, brother or sister, or your physician......

There seems to be many accidents at this section of 101. I am just going by what I recall from my daily commute on 101N. I recall seeing accidents around this Moffet Blvd stretch of 101 several times a year. Are there public records of accidents giving date, time, location, circumstance? Does the DMV and CHP track these?

101 has been very treacherous commute this summer. The construction around University Ave exit has caused some extensive back-ups, and sharp, unexpected merging situations. The number of dump trucks and double carriage gravel trucks on 101 lately seems much higher than usual too. Very sad and tragic to see a young person lose their life due to the poorly managed traffic situations on this highway.

I think it's important to distinguish between mature, careful riders who wend their way cautiously through slowed or stopped traffic, and lunatics who ride hunched over their lawnmower rice rockets at 90 mph with their eyes closed and count heavily on drivers to move their side mirrors out of the way. Let's not tar every rider with the same brush.

As a frequent rider on our highways and byways, I think I've seen it all. If outlawing lane-splitting would allow even one cocky dumb young kid to reach another birthday, I'm for it. This wouldn't mean that we couldn't stop between lanes. We just wouldn't ride there. Alternatively, we could outlaw small bikes on freeways. Either would suit.