A motorcyclist was killed in a vehicle collision on Interstate 80 Friday afternoon just west of Gilman Street in Berkeley.
At about 3:45 p.m., Timothy Walker, 33, of Vallejo, was riding his motorcycle on I-80 when he tried to switch lanes and collided with a second vehicle, according to Sam Morgan, spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol’s Oakland Area Office. Walker’s body was recently identified by the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau, Morgan said.
“There was a motorcyclist traveling — splitting lanes one and two – and there was also a Toyota Camry traveling in lane two. The motorcyclist lost control, was ejected onto the roadway surface and was struck and killed by the trailer pulled by a big rig,” Morgan said.
There were no other casualties in the accident, according to Morgan.
The collision was reported at 3:49 p.m., and the on-scene investigation lasted from 3:50 p.m. until 6:10 p.m., according to Morgan. Because of the police investigation that followed the crash, all highway lanes except one were closed, and eastbound traffic on I-80 was delayed during the evening commute hours.
“(I-80) is a well-traveled thoroughfare,” Morgan said. “It is a very busy roadway because it is the main thoroughfare between the Bay Area and Sacramento, going all the way to New York. We get everything from minor fender-benders to fatal collisions. Collisions are always avoidable when drivers practice safe driving. The motorcyclist in this case was at fault and practicing an unsafe driving maneuver.”
According to a 1999 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 80 percent of reported motorcycle crashes result in injury or death. According to statistics provided by the CHP, from 2005 to 2009, the total number of fatal motorcycle collisions in the state of California totaled 2,229.
Comment Policy
Comments should remain on topic, concerning the article or blog post to which they are connected. Brevity is encouraged. Posting under a pseudonym is discouraged, but permitted. The Daily Cal encourages readers to voice their opinions respectfully in regard to the readers, writers and contributors of The Daily Californian. Comments are not pre-moderated, but may be removed if deemed to be in violation of this policy. Click here to read the full comment policy.
Splitting lanes needs to be illegal already. It’s nerve-wracking enough to drive on the freeway during rush hour without having to worry whether a motorcyclist is going to come speeding between your car and the one next to you, at 30-40 mph faster than traffic is moving.
FYI: it’s already illegal to lane split at 30-40 mph faster than traffic is moving.
Sad. I say this guy around work all the time at Genentech. As I recall (it’s been 25 years), when I was getting motorcycle license, you could only travel 10 mph faster than traffic to a max speed of 25 mph between lanes. Does this sound correct?
That is indeed the law. People (including cops) just ignore it, however.
Here is what is on the CHP web site:
“Can motorcycle riders “split” lanes and ride between other vehicles?Lane splitting by motorcycles is permissible but must be done in a safe and prudent manner”
It is NOT illegal. There are no regulations in the California Vehicle Code that address lane sharing. None! It is not illegal. Whether you get a ticket or not is up to the observing officer. A simple judgement call. They write you up for excessive speed for conditions, over the posted speed limit, or unsafe lane change.