AB236, Nevada’s lane splitting bill, has passed the Senate Transportation Committee. The bill was first heard by the Nevada Senate Transportation Committee on April 26th. The bill was then amended to allow lane splitting only in stopped traffic, at no more than 10 MPH and passed the Senate Transportation Committee in a follow-up work session May 17th. It will now go on to the full Senate for a full vote.

As covered in our previous coverage of AB236, the bill originally allowed for splitting up to 30 MPH, at not more than 10 MPH faster than surrounding traffic. The original bill and support, if passed, looked to be an excellent template for other states to follow. This new, extremely limited form is similar to Oregon lane splitting bills SB541 and HB3310 – both of which appear very unlikely to see any progress. Check out the amended text of AB236 below.

Key points from supporting testimony in the first session:

“Most of the world except the United States has lane splitting. It’s kind of a common practice throughout the western world.” – Ernie Adler

Adler stated that statistically speaking, we may save “as many as 100 lives per year” by moving the rider “out of the crash zone,” based on data from the UK. He also pointed out that between cars is a safer position for motorcyclists than behind – “even if somebody is changing lanes erratically.”

Both Daly and Adler added air cooling the rider to the old “lane splitting helps with air cooling” argument.

Las Vegas Metropolitan PD was again represented by Brian O’Callahan. LVPD is neutral on AB236, although the Nevada Highway Patrol has spoken negatively of the bill in the media – surprising, given the California Highway Patrols’s support of lane splitting.

Check out the footage of the first Senate hearing on AB236 for more info:

And here’s the where the amended AB236 passes the Transportation Committee in very limited form.

Here’s the amended bill:

Click to access AB236_Amended-Lane-Splitting-Bill-Nevada.pdf

The progress of AB236 has been widely covered by the mainstream media. TV news shows are running news segments on AB236 and lane splitting, and SF Gate and many other online news outlets are picking up a stories on AB 236.

Stay tuned here, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest information on AB236 and other lane splitting legislation.

Resources from the Senate Transportation Committee hearings on AB236: