This video was posted to a Reddit thread with the caption “why lane splitting can save your ass.” In it, an Australian guy on a motorcycle, not appearing to be going very fast and leaving plenty of room in between him and the car in front of him — hears a squealing sound behind him and turns just as a car rear-ends him, throwing him into the air onto the roof of the car in front of him. It’s pretty harrowing stuff, but on the plus side, at least the guy lived to tell the tale.
I don’t know if I’d say lane splitting is any safer, though, because some a-hole staring blindly down at their phone and not at the road (which I would be surprised if that was not the case here) can happen anytime, whereas personally it terrifies me when a motorcyclist comes up behind me in my blind spot. Lane splitting, no lane splitting, I guess the big takeaway here is just make sure you wear a damn helmet.