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Lane splitting

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#1 ·
What's your understanding of the legality of lane splitting? According to my MSF instructor, it's not legal under many of the circumstances that I've seen it done.
According to him, lane splitting was first legalized to allow motorcycles to go the head of the line at traffic lights so they could get out in front of the cars that were stopped, once the traffic starts moving again. He said that lane splitting is illegal when any of the cars being passed is moving.
What is your understanding of the law, and has anyone been stopped for lane splitting under the wrong circumstances?
FYI - A recent poll was taken of drivers in California, where they were asked what things about the traffic bothered them the most. #8 on the list was "motorcycles cheating and taking cuts at red lights". Apparently the general population doesn't know it's legal, and that adds to some of the negative sentiment about motorcycles in general.
I've had sport bikes split lanes between my truck and another vehicle in the next lane while we were both doing 75mph on the freeway. Whether that would be legal is a point of conjecture, but I know it isn't safe. I'm probably more alert to motorcycles on the road than the average driver, but seeing a sport bike try to share the width of the lane with my F350 Crewcab certainly is dangerous, at best.
What are your thoughts?
 
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#3 ·
I don't believe that Lane splitting is legal in NY. Personally I don't think I would try it even if it was legal, there are just to many wako's out there that would open a door, just to be an idiot
 
#5 ·
QUOTE--Apparently the general population doesn't know it's legal,

WRONG. :shock:

Lane splitting is done in California. Legal or not I do not know. I have always heard it got passed there because at one time all bikes were air cooled and would overheat easily in traffic gridlock situations. 8)

I believe it is illegal in all other 49 states. :shock:
 
#7 ·
I used to live in California, but I've never done lane splitting. Never had the need where I lived when I had a bike (Pismo Beach area).

I was told by an LEO that lane splitting originated to allow motorcycles to continue moving forward in congested traffic so that their air-cooled engines wouldn't overheat.

He also said that lane-splitting was legal only if the motorcycle passed the car on the left and in the same lane. If you were in the right hand lane and passing the car in front of you and you happened to cross the line into the left hand lane (both lanes going same direction, of course), you could be ticketed for passing on the right. :roll:

That was 15 years ago. Maybe it's changed since then. I'm in Washington now, and they don't allow it here (that I know of).
 
#8 ·
First of all, lane splitting is not legal in California, but is tolerated. CA. is also the only state in the union that does so. It was first implemented by the CHP officers on motorcycles because their air cooled Harleys couldn't tolerate the stop and go traffic on LA freeways during the warm season. There are written guidelines of how and when one may lane split. As I remember reading them, you may lane split when the traffic flow becomes conjested and impeded. While lane splitting, you may not travel more than 10 MPH faster then the impeded traffic. Whenever I visit CA, I lane split, although I haven't yet tried it with my trailer<G>!


Silverback said:
What's your understanding of the legality of lane splitting? According to my MSF instructor, it's not legal under many of the circumstances that I've seen it done.
According to him, lane splitting was first legalized to allow motorcycles to go the head of the line at traffic lights so they could get out in front of the cars that were stopped, once the traffic starts moving again. He said that lane splitting is illegal when any of the cars being passed is moving.
What is your understanding of the law, and has anyone been stopped for lane splitting under the wrong circumstances?
FYI - A recent poll was taken of drivers in California, where they were asked what things about the traffic bothered them the most. #8 on the list was "motorcycles cheating and taking cuts at red lights". Apparently the general population doesn't know it's legal, and that adds to some of the negative sentiment about motorcycles in general.
I've had sport bikes split lanes between my truck and another vehicle in the next lane while we were both doing 75mph on the freeway. Whether that would be legal is a point of conjecture, but I know it isn't safe. I'm probably more alert to motorcycles on the road than the average driver, but seeing a sport bike try to share the width of the lane with my F350 Crewcab certainly is dangerous, at best.
What are your thoughts?
 
#9 ·
According to the CHP (CA Hwy Patrol) web page, lane splitting is permissable (i.e., legal). CA is the only state where it is legal, however it is still unsafe and stupid in all 50 states.

I've done a lot of riding in CA, and never once did I even think about lane splitting.

Carl
 
#10 ·
http://www.laneshare.com/content/view/24/34/

The practice of lane-sharing has been allowed for decades. Yet, contrary to popular belief, there is no California statute permitting the practice. On the other hand, there’s no law stating you can’t lane-share. In other words, lane-sharing is not legal, but rather not illegal in the Golden State.
 
#11 ·
QUOTE--Apparently the general population doesn't know it's legal,

WRONG.
What other conclusion would you draw from their response, then? If they knew it was legal, they wouldn't feel that way, would they?

When I'm in the truck, I see a lot of lane splitting going on that is very unsafe. The worst case was the example I noted earlier, when a sport bike went between my F350 and another pickup that was along side me on the freeway, while we were both travelling in the 70-75mph range. I saw the bike coming up my right side, and started to move to the left side of the lane to give him more room, but also saw another bike coming up my left side a few feet behind the first one, preparing to pass me on the left. Had I not seen the second bike, I could easily have "closed the door" on him. The irony of this is there were two clear lanes farther to the left of me they could have used. The bikers apparently thought it was more fun to pass under these circumstances than to use the open lanes on the far left.
Lane splitting is indeed legal in California, not merely tolerated, by the way. The DMV manual is vague about when it's legal and when it's not, however.
 
#12 ·
I lived in Van Nuys & rode Triumph motorcycles all over Ca. from 1958 to 1965 when I entered the U.S. Army. Lane splitting was an accepted practice & I did it often,especially in slow moving/stalled traffic on the freeways.
Never did it on a motorcycle as wide as a Wing,but on smaller "bikes" I never had even a "close call" while lane splitting.
Never had a cager open a door or crowd the lane.
Just lucky I guess,
the hobo
 
#13 ·
From the California DMV Page

09.I.06(4) Lane splitting is where one vehicle drives side-by-side or
passes using a lane occupied by another vehicle. It is legal in
California for motorcycles to split lanes, but it creates a
hazardous situation for both motorcyclists and drivers of other
vehicles.
CDH: p. 48

It is legal to split lanes in California and I do it whenever I am there. Splitting lanes has reduced motorcycle fatalities but at the same time it has increased motorcycle accidents.
I would much rather go down and skin my elbow than be smashed between the bumpers of two SUV's.
A side effect of arriving alive by splitting lanes is you arrive early :) In LA traffic you can cover in half an hour what takes three hours in a cage.
The law states that you can ride at up to 35 MPH splitting lanes with traffic when the traffic is moving at less that 25 MPH. When done in that way it is very safe and practical.
Glen
 
#14 ·
Ben There said:
From the California DMV Page

09.I.06(4) Lane splitting is where one vehicle drives side-by-side or
passes using a lane occupied by another vehicle. It is legal in
California for motorcycles to split lanes, but it creates a
hazardous situation for both motorcyclists and drivers of other
vehicles.
CDH: p. 48

It is legal to split lanes in California and I do it whenever I am there. Splitting lanes has reduced motorcycle fatalities but at the same time it has increased motorcycle accidents.
I would much rather go down and skin my elbow than be smashed between the bumpers of two SUV's.
A side effect of arriving alive by splitting lanes is you arrive early :) In LA traffic you can cover in half an hour what takes three hours in a cage.
The law states that you can ride at up to 35 MPH splitting lanes with traffic when the traffic is moving at less that 25 MPH. When done in that way it is very safe and practical.
Glen
I don't think you have that quite right. If the traffic is stopped and you are traveling 35mph, basically you are dead, or about to become that way. I rode my entire youth on CA freeways on motorcycles. While I never had an accident while lane splitting, I NEVER was running +35mph to the flow of traffic. Also, the CVC only allows for +10mph to the traffic flow.
 
#15 ·
biglefti said:
Ben There said:
From the California DMV Page

09.I.06(4) Lane splitting is where one vehicle drives side-by-side or
passes using a lane occupied by another vehicle. It is legal in
California for motorcycles to split lanes, but it creates a
hazardous situation for both motorcyclists and drivers of other
vehicles.
CDH: p. 48

It is legal to split lanes in California and I do it whenever I am there. Splitting lanes has reduced motorcycle fatalities but at the same time it has increased motorcycle accidents.
I would much rather go down and skin my elbow than be smashed between the bumpers of two SUV's.
A side effect of arriving alive by splitting lanes is you arrive early :) In LA traffic you can cover in half an hour what takes three hours in a cage.
The law states that you can ride at up to 35 MPH splitting lanes with traffic when the traffic is moving at less that 25 MPH. When done in that way it is very safe and practical.
Glen
I don't think you have that quite right. If the traffic is stopped and you are traveling 35mph, basically you are dead, or about to become that way. I rode my entire youth on CA freeways on motorcycles. While I never had an accident while lane splitting, I NEVER was running +35mph to the flow of traffic. Also, the CVC only allows for +10mph to the traffic flow.
OK your way then I still agree. So your saying if the traffic is rolling in reverse gear .. needed to be happening in order to be rolling at greater than 35 MPH when you are rolling at 35 MPH then you would not split lanes. I would agree with you in that case. I would not split lanes when traffic is backing up that is for sure. 35 MPH - 25MPH = 10 MPH. we both said the same thing. I just never took into account a situation where traffic would be running in reverse gear on a highway.
Sorry ... just quoting the law.
:)
Glen
 
#16 ·
splitter

I was born and raised in Calif. and i have allways lane split, that might not be the most popular but when its rush hour on the 405 and its 100 degrees, you slit. Also, about 60% of the people will move over and give you room if your not an ass about it. Only about 2% of the people will see you and actually block you. Those are the ones to watch out for. I live in the Antelope Valley about 50 miles morth of LA and about 10 LAPD motorcops live out here. If you get on the freeway behind them in traffic, they will let you get right behind them and they will make a path, they have never even givin me a second look or pulled me over, you tell me? The goldwing is a great lane splitter because of the balance and the smooth motor response. Please dont knock lane splitting if you havent really tried it or your just not comfortable with it. I am, and still go home every night.
 
#17 ·
Ben There said:
biglefti said:
[quote="Ben There":3s4pzv0e]From the California DMV Page

09.I.06(4) Lane splitting is where one vehicle drives side-by-side or
passes using a lane occupied by another vehicle. It is legal in
California for motorcycles to split lanes, but it creates a
hazardous situation for both motorcyclists and drivers of other
vehicles.
CDH: p. 48

It is legal to split lanes in California and I do it whenever I am there. Splitting lanes has reduced motorcycle fatalities but at the same time it has increased motorcycle accidents.
I would much rather go down and skin my elbow than be smashed between the bumpers of two SUV's.
A side effect of arriving alive by splitting lanes is you arrive early :) In LA traffic you can cover in half an hour what takes three hours in a cage.
The law states that you can ride at up to 35 MPH splitting lanes with traffic when the traffic is moving at less that 25 MPH. When done in that way it is very safe and practical.
Glen
I don't think you have that quite right. If the traffic is stopped and you are traveling 35mph, basically you are dead, or about to become that way. I rode my entire youth on CA freeways on motorcycles. While I never had an accident while lane splitting, I NEVER was running +35mph to the flow of traffic. Also, the CVC only allows for +10mph to the traffic flow.
OK your way then I still agree. So your saying if the traffic is rolling in reverse gear .. needed to be happening in order to be rolling at greater than 35 MPH when you are rolling at 35 MPH then you would not split lanes. I would agree with you in that case. I would not split lanes when traffic is backing up that is for sure. 35 MPH - 25MPH = 10 MPH. we both said the same thing. I just never took into account a situation where traffic would be running in reverse gear on a highway.
Sorry ... just quoting the law.
:)
Glen[/quote:3s4pzv0e]

Sorry, when I read your post I thought you were saying that when traffic was moving at less than 25mph (which could include not moving or 0mph) that it was safe to lane split at 35mph. When I read the statement from the CVC it just stated that lane splitting was only allowed when traffic was conjested (my interpretation of conjested is moving at less than posted limits), and that the maximum difference between the speed of the conjested traffic and the lane splitter is no more the 10mph. So I guess we are on the same page<G>! My apology.
 
#18 ·
Re: splitter

KEVBRU said:
I was born and raised in Calif. and i have allways lane split, that might not be the most popular but when its rush hour on the 405 and its 100 degrees, you slit. Also, about 60% of the people will move over and give you room if your not an ass about it. Only about 2% of the people will see you and actually block you. Those are the ones to watch out for. I live in the Antelope Valley about 50 miles morth of LA and about 10 LAPD motorcops live out here. If you get on the freeway behind them in traffic, they will let you get right behind them and they will make a path, they have never even givin me a second look or pulled me over, you tell me? The goldwing is a great lane splitter because of the balance and the smooth motor response. Please dont knock lane splitting if you havent really tried it or your just not comfortable with it. I am, and still go home every night.
I agree. I commuted from Orange County to the LA airport (100 miles r/t) for years in the late 90's . I found that drivers often went out of their way to give space to safely pass. I made it a point to be slow and courteous.

I also rode with many commuters at the same time for years together. Lane splitting in packs also felt "more" safe in my view. The secret I found was to watch the drivers left door mirrors and try to confirm they saw me before I would slowly pass by.

I was always most impressed with Goldwing lane splitters also. I remember many times that they'd be cranking their tunes and riding along waving at the people in cars.
 
#19 ·
biglefti said:
Ben There said:
biglefti said:
[quote="Ben There":1fi85qzz]From the California DMV Page

09.I.06(4) Lane splitting is where one vehicle drives side-by-side or
passes using a lane occupied by another vehicle. It is legal in
California for motorcycles to split lanes, but it creates a
hazardous situation for both motorcyclists and drivers of other
vehicles.
CDH: p. 48

It is legal to split lanes in California and I do it whenever I am there. Splitting lanes has reduced motorcycle fatalities but at the same time it has increased motorcycle accidents.
I would much rather go down and skin my elbow than be smashed between the bumpers of two SUV's.
A side effect of arriving alive by splitting lanes is you arrive early :) In LA traffic you can cover in half an hour what takes three hours in a cage.
The law states that you can ride at up to 35 MPH splitting lanes with traffic when the traffic is moving at less that 25 MPH. When done in that way it is very safe and practical.
Glen
I don't think you have that quite right. If the traffic is stopped and you are traveling 35mph, basically you are dead, or about to become that way. I rode my entire youth on CA freeways on motorcycles. While I never had an accident while lane splitting, I NEVER was running +35mph to the flow of traffic. Also, the CVC only allows for +10mph to the traffic flow.
OK your way then I still agree. So your saying if the traffic is rolling in reverse gear .. needed to be happening in order to be rolling at greater than 35 MPH when you are rolling at 35 MPH then you would not split lanes. I would agree with you in that case. I would not split lanes when traffic is backing up that is for sure. 35 MPH - 25MPH = 10 MPH. we both said the same thing. I just never took into account a situation where traffic would be running in reverse gear on a highway.
Sorry ... just quoting the law.
:)
Glen
Sorry, when I read your post I thought you were saying that when traffic was moving at less than 25mph (which could include not moving or 0mph) that it was safe to lane split at 35mph. When I read the statement from the CVC it just stated that lane splitting was only allowed when traffic was conjested (my interpretation of conjested is moving at less than posted limits), and that the maximum difference between the speed of the conjested traffic and the lane splitter is no more the 10mph. So I guess we are on the same page<G>! My apology.[/quote:1fi85qzz]

Yeah the old less than and up to clause :)
Sorry I got so defensive. I just want to make sure people know that is is legal and it does save lives. I wish it were legal everywhere.
We should not have to stop not pay at toll roads either,,,, but thats another story :)
Glen
 
#20 ·
I just want to make sure people know that is is legal and it does save lives. I wish it were legal everywhere.

Ditto that, Phoenix gets some bad traffic now and then. It really is a time saver.
 
#22 ·
I invite anyone who thinks lane splitting is more dangerous than sitting (remember you are invisible) in the queue to come out to California and ride the 405, the 10 or the 91 in rush hour. At the very least after a half hour, if you have not yet been rear ended, you will be so exhausted you will need to pull over.

In stop and go conditions, I would much rather take my chances in between cars. Incidently, I have read a number of articles debating this subject with quotes by people who actually have experience with it rather than just opinions, and have seen numerous quotes by LEOS who said that they had never seen an accident merely due to lane splitting. The riders who passed on the right and left at 75 mph were not lane splitting, they were speeding and driving recklessly and would be cited accordingly.

That said, I try to avoid conditions where I need to lane split, especially on my Goldwing. The main problem is the width and the extended side mirrors on SUV's and trucks. Also, I find it hardest to lane split on surface streets because the cars are usually not in line. There are always several crowding the left side of the lane trying to see around the car ahead. Freeways tend to work much better for this.

I also have a Burgman 650 and if I was forced to a daily commute in freeway rush hour traffic, this would be my ride of choice. It is a superb lane splitter with automatic electronic CVT transmission and foldable mirrors. The ABS model even has electric tuckable mirrors, so you flip a switch, tuck em and go. Great brake and throttle response, center of gravity even lower than a Wing. The automatic is great in this kind of situation because you don't have to do anything with your feet but put them down when you have to stop and the rider's light workload allows you to focus on the driver's ahead and to the side. Much better passing these at a differential of 10 or 15 mph than sitting in the queue with a target on your back.

On surface streets filtering to the front is very safe because the cars are usually stopped. Since it is effortless to leave them behind at the light, it usually allows you to run in a gap with little or no traffic until you encounter the next queue stopped at the next red light. The reason the cages listed this as a gripe merely reflects jealousy and ignorance of the law. It actually helps reduce traffic congestion to their benefit and certainly is not a danger to them. That said, I suspect loud pipes have a good deal to do with this, because it startles some of them. I have never had any sign of hostility when on the Burgman, which like the Goldwing is very quiet.
 
#23 ·
It is my understanding that most of Europe strongly encourages lane splitting. I've read that in London, for example, that bikes are told to go to the head of the line and when the light turns green, all cages must sit and wait until all bikes clear the intersection. Perhaps this is done to encourage motorcycle usage as an energy saving vehicle (not always true).

I've done some lane splitting in California and also observed quite a few others doing it. It can save you hours of low speed crawling on the freeways.

My conclusion is that lane splitting is not so dangerous as the cowboy mentality of drivers, both in cages and on bikes. In many ways, American drivers don't share the roadway very well. It's an ego thing maybe. :D
 
#24 ·
I've split lanes with the Goldwing and it does get interesting. Definitely keeps you alert. One thing to remember about lane slitting is that it should only be done in the left lane on a multi lane freeway. The reason for this is that the majority uses the left lanefor splitting, if you come along in the #2 lane slitting traffic cars are moving left to get out of your way and the cut off the guy in the #1 lane. I believe it is a courtesy thing. :roll:
 
#25 ·
popular or not.....who cares

I have been riding a motorcycle of some sort or another for over 20 years. My last 4 bikes where I split lanes where a GSXR750, XR650R, VTX1300R & the GL1800.

Of all of these the GSXR handled the best between traffic at high speeds only. Meaning I would find myself going faster and faster because the bike was more stable at speed. The VTX (w/18" apes) was *interesting* . I put it that way because before it had apes it was just OK for splitting because the balance really sucked at low speeds and it really couldn't maneuver that well. When I put on the apes it became a challenge to avoid all of the Ford, Chevy and Dodge truck mirrors as they were the same height as my bar/mirror combo.

I didn't think I would splt on the Wing. That thought lasted about 1 day before I was splitting with ease. The balance on these things is awsome.

The most dangerous thing that I have found about splitting is the person who goes out of their way to stuff you. You learn to look for signs. I look in the car mirrors, look at the person, look at their hands on the steering wheels - or more than likely the one hand on the wheel and the other hand holding the damn cell phone against their head. :(

Because of my travel time, I do have to split traffic about 15 miles on the way home every single day that I ride. You do get good at it but you can't ever let your guard down.

The one bike that I didn't mention splitting on is the XR650R. That's just too damn easy :D ! Being a dirt bike rider for years those things can maneuver, stop and accelerate sweet! Sometimes it is hard to keep the front wheen on the ground though. :twisted:
 
#26 ·
When I lived in Orange county, my understanding was legal up to 45 mph, and the bike could go no more than 5mph faster than the traffic around it. Splitting was legalized for the CHP motorcycle cops. I believe the law states something like no more vehicles in a lane than the lane can safely support. This lets bikes ride abreast of each other too. Now, the rules may have changed, but that was my understanding back in the late 80's.
 
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