Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge California riding - lane splitting

I was in a rental car this weekend driving between Monterey bay and San Francisco (I'm from Ohio). Saw a number of Motorcyclists and was surprised at the lane splitting.

I was a back seat passenger with my friend driving and I tell you...it scared the begeebees out of him and his copilot wife. I tried to act like..."Hey, that's normal and safe if u do it right" but inside thought...."those lane splitters have gonads for brains!!" I don't think i'd try that...although it would be tempting.

I do it once in a while, in stop-n-go traffic, but never at over 30 mph, and only when it's safe to do so. Saves a lot of time in a traffic jam, and there is a LOT of that here in Calif.

Did it the other day, but only because the traffic was stopped at a light, and the group I was riding with was a couple of cars ahead. Never would do it if traffic was moving though.

AmyLee

Just like everything else, lane-splitting can be done correctly and incorrectly. I do it every single day that I ride to LAX(my place of business) or almost everywhere I happen to be going in this megalopolis, and have been doing it since I started riding these crazy things some 40 years ago. And thus, I KNOW when it's safe to perform this manuever and at which speeds to perform it at to(believe it or not)MAKE MY RIDE SAFER than adhereing to "lane discipline" at all times.

The doofuses...er...fellow riders that you encountered D.M. were probably those very same youthful/inexperienced riders who I hear coming up behind me as I'm carefully lane-slitting at approximately 15 MPH faster than the almost stalled or barely moving traffic, and start blipping their throttle to let me know that they want by. So, I move over where my next opportunity to pull in front of a car happens to be, AND THEN watch as said doofus proceeds to lane-split past me at TWICE the speed someone with a BRAIN(that's me) would ever attempt to do it.

Whenever this happens, I always think to myself....."The stupid kid, who has no business being on a bike with 50 BHP, let alone that machine he's on sporting probably 110 ponies or more, is not long for this world, AND is making all EXPERIENCED riders suffer in the eyes of all these cagers surrounding me who will never know, because most of them don't ride motorcycles, how SAFE THIS PRACTICE ACTUALLY IS when done RIGHT!"

And BTW....the C.H.P. AND the local Law Enforcement WILL ticket these riders if they view their "antics" as unsafe and/or done at speeds beyond what someone WITH A BRAIN would consider prudent.

Cheers,
Dwight
(I think I've made my point....Just like many cagers, there are some riders who shouldn't have a friggin' driver's license EITHER)

Is California the only state that tolerates lane splitting?

It's illegal in NYC, but happens so often that I'm pretty used to it. I don't lane split, but I do filter to the front of the line when traffic is stopped.

the drivers around here don't signal, drive without lights, make turns as if they were driving a semi . and over half of them have a phone glued to their ear. that's ok. i'll leave early and arrive in one piece. my brother in law was wearing a bright yellow rain suit saturday. hit from behind by a 79 yr old driver. tom is 300 + lbs . the guy said he didn't see hiM . BROKE HIS LEG, CRACKED A EYE SOCKET AND BROKE HIS NOSE! i'll pass on a lane split around here.

Indy,
Lane splitting actually reduces your chances of getting rear ended at a stop light, but I agree it isn't something I would want to try.

I lived out in Sandy Eggo for many years and my bike was my sole vehicle. I would lane split all the time. As Dwight says though, you gotta know when and how to do it safely. It IS safer if you do it correctly.
Lots of folks would always ask, "What happens if someone gets pissed and opens their car door as you are coming?"
Think about that one a second....what would happen when that 500+ pounds of hot spinning metal jumps into the front seat with you as you sit there with your door open? The biker flies over the door, the person stupid enough to open a door is dead. Never heard of it happening in my entire life, and I'm old.

I used to do it until a few years ago when some lady on the 5 North in Burbank decided to open her door to pour her cold cup of coffee out. I made my point with her with my front fork.
I now ride my bike as I drive my car.. defensively.

If you split lanes you are forfeiting all your rights on the road. No matter what happens, you are at fault. The cars, trucks, whatever have the right to be anywhere in their lane between the lines. You are invading THEIR space.

it should be leagal everywhere!!!!! just one more stupid law. when i was in california i learned to do it (so i didnt get run over) and to this day i do it whenever i know i can get away with it. it just makes sense to me, i have an aircooled engine. in this town where i live now they have bicycle lanes, why cant i ride my bike there????

Well Newt.. I'm glad we have 3000 miles separating us.

I would be afrid to do it here in the NE, I do not think the cagers around here would take to kindly to anyone passing them when they been sitting in stop and go traffic for an hour.

The truckers will stagger the lanes so you can not get by and the cagers will turn into that little lane when they see you coming.

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There is no law in NM one way or the other.

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I think (and maybe one o' the legal eagles here will weigh in) that unless something is specifically prohibited by law, it's legal.

Says here it's legal to lane split in CA
http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/answers.html

I imagine the CA law may be written like some passing on the right laws, with the caveat: "IF safe to do so." I suppose that translates too, if there's a problem, the biker or right turner may be at fault.

SSJones said...
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I think VA might be tolerant on certain roads under certain conditions.
END QUOTE.

No, Virginia does NOT - at least around the Tidewater area you'll get nailed.

This is the Virginia law on the matter:

§ 46.2-857. Driving two abreast in a single lane.

A person shall be guilty of RECKLESS driving who drives any motor vehicle, including any motorcycle, so as to be abreast of another vehicle in a lane designed for one vehicle, or drives any motor vehicle, including any motorcycle, so as to travel abreast of any other vehicle traveling in a lane designed for one vehicle.

However, this section shall not apply to any validly authorized parade, motorcade, or motorcycle escort, nor shall it apply to a motor vehicle traveling in the same lane of traffic as a bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, or moped.
= = = = =

That said, once I was on Route 64 in Hampton headed towards Norfolk and the road was jammed up about five miles before the tunnel. So I pulled my bike over to the left-hand margin (an area about 3-1/2 feet wide) and at idel speed in 1st gear, put-putted along at about 6 mph. As I moved along I eventually came up beside a VA State Trooper in his car who cranked down his window and he asked "Just what are you doing?" I said, "Avoiding seizing my motor in this 98º heat." He smiled and said, "Okay, stay slow." And closed his window. BUT, I was not in anyone else's lane, just over in the left-hand margin.

Stay well & happy.

Dwight,

I learned to drive in downtown Boston at AAA driving school. To me flipping the bird, cutting other vehicles off, stealing parking spaces and yelling out the window while you drive and "farding" at the same time were required

kinda like me learning how to ride a motorcycle in NYC traffic...

We don't call it lane splitting over here,but it's quite common to run to the front of standing traffic,you only get hassle from a few Victor Meldrews,most drivers don't mind the bikes getting thro to the front.

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...Victor Meldrews...

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??????????

As a former Californian transplaneted (unintentionally mispelled, but it works, so I'll leave it like it is) to Arrrrrkansaw, I find it humorous that California will consider laws making it illegal to discipline your kid by smacking a hand or bottom to make a point but will allow lane splitting to continue. 'Lane splitting' is stoopid in any circumstance. The door opening thing may not happen very often, but a decision to change lanes quickly without signals sure does. Talk about a 'squeeze play.' Geez!!!

For those who do it, please let me know, so I can take some life insurance out on your butts. Better odds than the lottery that I'll eventually make some big bucks.

John Ol' Boy....while I fully appreciate your sense of irony regarding some of California's more "inventive" little scemes(I know, I know...sometimes a good whacking is the only way to "grab the attentions" of some of these little brats nowdays...I'm with ya there, ol' buddy), BUT...I think you've been away from El Segundo TOO LONG and appear to have "gone native" there in Arkansas!!!

(You SEE what kind of faulty thinking one can arrive to when they're NOW surrounded by trailer parks???!!!)

Never, never, never have I witnessed anybody opening their door and causing a lane-splitting motorcyclist to crash into it.

And, I've never, never, never heard from any of my fellow motorcylists here(some even live in your old stompin' grounds here John. YEP...El Segundo!) who have actually witnessed this URBAN LEGEND either.(at least not HERE in "laid back" California)

Now, maybe some yahoo in some back-water part of this country might have opened his car door once on a biker("'Cuz he wiz jus' plum tired o' them there motorsickle riders gettin' away with stuff"), but...NOT HERE, Dude!

Cheers,
Dwight
(and BTW...on the contrary, it isn't "stoopid" if you're smart enough to know how to do it right)