The video below was taken by a passenger riding on the back of a motorcycle, apparently, but though there is very little other information available about what’s going on in this clip, it has been causing heated debate on line since it was uploaded to the video archive Live Leak on Monday.
The upload came with no info on where or when this alarming incident took place. But what you’ll see — and feel free to skip ahead to about 0:25 in to get to the good part — is a motorcyclist doing what is called “lane splitting,” in other words, squeezing between two lanes in order to beat slow or stopped automobile traffic.
Lane splitting is illegal in every U.S. state except California , but perfectly permissible in many other countries. Because we don’t yet know where the video was recorded, there’s no way to know for sure if the motorcyclist is within his legal rights in this video or not.
But we do know that lane splitting by motorcyclists can really get on the nerves of those of us confined to vehicles with four or more wheels. And one truck driver shows his displeasure by opening his door right in front of the motorcyclist, teaching the guy a lesson, the hard way.
The biker appears to be a bit dazed but otherwise fine, since he gets up and appears alert. But it is unknown what his injuries, or those of his passenger, actually were.
What do you think? Did this lane splitting motorcyclist get what was coming to him?
Or did the truck driver endanger the motorcyclist’s life over a minor annoyance, in what amounts to a road rage incident.
Check out the video and let us know how you see it.
Image: Live Leak
