Where is it ok to lane split? .. or NOT

[Signman]

Lane splitting, lane sharing, or even “filtering”, I’ve gotten so used to it here in California, I don’t even think about NOT doing it, even in other states. That’s were the problem lies. “Is it legal in this states?”

I do most of my “other state” riding in Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Colorado. Is it legal to share the lane in those states? Is there a “list” of states where its not legal?

 

Thanks

[David]

Techically, only California. But I do it other places that are more open to it. You have to be careful, though. It pisses most motorists off, who think that driving is a constant contest of not letting anyone else have an advantage.

[SageRider]

Specifically NOT legal in Nevada.

[Signman]

Specifically NOT legal in Nevada.

What? I see Gleno do it all the time.

[casticus]

Except for the Police...I have a former co-worker who works LVMPD and he said that either the city of Vegas, or Clark County, wrote an ordinance allowing the PD Motors to do it so they could get through traffic in an emergency....

[Carnadero]

Specifically NOT legal in Nevada.

Yep, I've seen a few CA squids rudely find that out during past Hot August Nights....

[90%angel]

Here is a website devoted to lanesharing. It might give you the info you are looking for.

LaneSharing.org

[duckbubbles]

A bill to allow lane splitting in Texas was introduced during the last session of the legislature. It didn't go anywhere.

 

I am in favor of it, but I also think there would be some injuries and probably fatalities here because of the "It's mine lane and I'll do what I want with it" mentality many people have around here.

 

I don't do it, although I've seen some split lanes here. That usually takes the drivers by suprise, but I think if it were widespread, some would keep an eye on their mirrors to screw with somebody splitting lanes.

 

Just my opinion.

 

Frank

[Peter W]

I agree with the getting accustomed to widespread use of it. It's been common in CA for such a long time that people expect it, although the loud-piped type tend to still surprise cages. I commute 70 miles round trip and split probably 16 or more of those miles, and have done so for 20 years. I find that a although there are the vast number of unaware drivers, there are a surprising number of drivers who actually see you in their sixes and move over to let you by, either to protect their precious cages or as a courtesy. I always wave appreciation if I can. Bottom line is we in SoCal live with it as a given. Very infrequently do I get a dissenter, but I do, like the idiots who then try to share you, but I just blast away. The rule on splitting is vague, intentionally I think, but if I ever got pulled over for splitting I would tell the LEO that I would do it again so as not to put myself in a position to be re-ended by an inattentive driver.

 

Pete

[russell_bynum]

I ever got pulled over for splitting I would tell the LEO that I would do it again so as not to put myself in a position to be re-ended by an inattentive driver.

 

Same here. I was sitting in traffic once when I heard the sickening sound of tires screaming behind me. The guy just barely stopped in time and would have flattened me like a pancake. That's when I decided that lane splitting probably wasn't such a bad idea after all.

[Carnadero]

The guy just barely stopped in time and would have flattened me like a pancake.

Any reason in particular for this individual's inattentiveness to the task at hand?

[russell_bynum]

The guy just barely stopped in time and would have flattened me like a pancake.

Any reason in particular for this individual's inattentiveness to the task at hand?

 

LOL!!!!

 

Take your pick.

 

Playing with the radio.

Turned around to swat the kids.

Looking down at cupholder to grab Latte

Cell phone

Poor reaction time

drug-induced stupor

Temporarily blinded by the reflective patch on my Roadcrafter

Accidentally hypnotized by the droning talk show host on NPR

 

How should I know?

 

The most common accident on the freeway is a rear-end collision.

[Motorfiveo]

California is like a different country....

In all other places, it totally pisses people off. I can say if your caught splitting in Tx, you stand a pretty good chance of going to jail. (esp if you tell the officer you WILL do it again! )

[Signman]

Okay, I’ve gathered from your replies and from other threads that it is a NO, NO to split in Nevada, Texas & Utah. ( No word about Arizona or Colorado as of yet )

 

Looks like California is the only state that will tolerate sharing, sooo when I leave the Republic of Callyfornia and go visiting the rest of the USA, I’ll just have to be more patient. . . and that's okay

[russell_bynum]

California is like a different country....

In all other places, it totally pisses people off.

 

So what? Let them be pissed. By the time they see me and get pissed about it, I'm already gone.

 

I can say if your caught splitting in Tx, you stand a pretty good chance of going to jail. (esp if you tell the officer you WILL do it again! )

 

I'm not going to intentionally ruffle feathers, and I'm not going to split "just because" when I'm somewhere that it isn't legal. But if I feel like that's what I need to do to maintain my wellbeing, then I could care less if someone doesn't like it. And I'll be very happy to be alive to have a conversation with a LEO about it on the side of the road. A traffic ticket is better than a funeral.

[mcp1553]

Sounds like most of you are on the West Coast, but for anybody reading on the East Coast, in Maryland it is specifically listed that (other than LEO) you can't lane split or lane share.

[azkaisr]

NO GO IN AZ

[PAndie]

I was riding north from phoenix, heading home to seattle w/ my new (to me) R1150RT and split lanes in heavy traffic - 5mph or less, backed up behind an accident at 6am, traffic crawling and heat building. That day reached 110+. I split lanes some there as a way to save my clutch hand and keep the sweat to a minimum, when an older man in a huge shiny white pickup truck unmarred by dirt or dust edges me out. I passed in a different lane and later find myself behind him again, splitting up the middle, still at 5mph or less. He edges towards me against a car in the next lane. I think the fact that my horn sounds like a car surprised him - he backed off and I passed, though he almost hit me. 30 minutes later we're back to the frontage road past the detour, heading back to the highway which is completely unoccupied save the biker down on the road, covered by a body bag held down by local red rocks. 150 feet ahead is his (her?) bike, smashed up, in the ditch.

 

Quite a stark reminder for me on day one of riding my new touring machine, heading home at the start of 1900 miles, that there are assholes out there, and they'd rather hit you for fun than go to a movie. Traffic in phoenix, on completely full highways, moves at 85mph, and they're mostly college students and folks over 70.

 

Note to self - keep head up, eyes open, and an escape route in mind at all times.

[SDMike]

Helped a buddy ride his older Kaw. from Phx to the PNW. We did the first leg to my house from Phx. He split, so I did too. No one seemed to notice and/or care.

 

YMMV

 

M

[W. Mazelin]

Last I heard, only California and Washington D.C. allowed lane splitting. Texas was going to but they wussed out at the last minute.

[Kevin McKenna]

Though I have never rode in CA before, but when I'm out there stuck in a rental cage and observe the lane spliting, either you guys are more proficent at it then I or I actually think each lane may be one foot wider then ours back east? When I commute to NJ from PA and "attempt" (confronted with same mental problems as above postings) to lane share, it seems like my RT just makes it through

[upflying]

Although I lane split frequently, I can predict future California legislation prohibiting it.

Not a day goes by when I hear of a traffic report of a "motorcycle down" somewhere on the Bay Area freeways during commute hours..basically all day. One can assume that lane splitting is frequently the precursor to the accident.

[Bob Palin]

Although I lane split frequently, I can predict future California legislation prohibiting it.

Since the CHP rather strongly supports lane splitting I doubt that.

Not a day goes by when I hear of a traffic report of a "motorcycle down" somewhere on the Bay Area freeways during commute hours..basically all day. One can assume that lane splitting is frequently the precursor to the accident.

What evidence do you have to support that assumption? Most of the crashes I have seen in California over the years have not involved splitting at all (I lived and rode (commuted) in the Bay Area for 20+ years and San Diego for 2 years)

[leikam]

When I'm in the cage, I hear those "motorcycle down" reports too but I hear more car accidents reports. Perhaps CA will ban road use altogether?

[upflying]

Although I lane split frequently, I can predict future California legislation prohibiting it.

Since the CHP rather strongly supports lane splitting I doubt that.

Not a day goes by when I hear of a traffic report of a "motorcycle down" somewhere on the Bay Area freeways during commute hours..basically all day. One can assume that lane splitting is frequently the precursor to the accident.

What evidence do you have to support that assumption? Most of the crashes I have seen in California over the years have not involved splitting at all (I lived and rode (commuted) in the Bay Area for 20+ years and San Diego for 2 years)

Why does the CHP support lane splitting? If the CHP needs to do it (obviously they do), they can have legislation written to allow only emergency vehicles to do it.

I said, "One can assume lane splitting is frequently the precursor to the accident". I was intentionally being vague and ambiguous because I don't have evidence. If motorcycles crash during commute traffic, what is the most common reason why they go down? How do you "go down" while creeping along at 5 mph between a cage doing the same in front of you and behind you?

When the CHP gets tired of taking lane splitting collisions and the cage commuters get tired of sitting in stopped traffic while a lane splitting accident is investigated, I predict there will be some legislation introduced. Abuse it, you lose it.

[Bob Palin]

Why does the CHP support lane splitting?

I think that's a question that those who are opposed to lane splitting need to answer. I base my claim on several published articles quoting the CHP and on several visits of CHP officers to various motorcycle club meetings.

 

My assumption is that the CHP want lane splitting legal on the freeway to avoid having to get their own legislation, I doubt they care about bikers getting anywhere more quickly. However, several officers have encouraged riders to split at lights and at other stops because it is so dangerous to sit exposed at the back of a line.

[Deadboy]

Why does the CHP support lane splitting?

I think that's a question that those who are opposed to lane splitting need to answer. I base my claim on several published articles quoting the CHP and on several visits of CHP officers to various motorcycle club meetings.

 

My assumption is that the CHP want lane splitting legal on the freeway to avoid having to get their own legislation, I doubt they care about bikers getting anywhere more quickly. However, several officers have encouraged riders to split at lights and at other stops because it is so dangerous to sit exposed at the back of a line.

 

Close but the real reason (according to their leg guy) is that an officer would have to have his lights on to split if it was illegal for the rest of us. I do not know the specific code but somewhere it basically says whatever an officer can do in his car/on his bike without his lights on must be legal for the rest of the driver/riders also. One of those feel good pieces of legislation that someone felt the need to put in place a long time ago apparently.

 

An no, no other states (or DC) allow sharing....then again CA doesn't specifically either....they just allow two vehicles in the same lane at the same time. You can get a reckless or negligent ticket if you are really try, but those are pretty rare.

 

To quote the CHP's website:

 

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.

 

http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/qanda.html

 

FYI some draft language to outlaw splitting in CA. was sent to leg council this year, but a quick phone call convinced the potential sponsor the outcry would have been overwhelming. Sometimes it isn't what you know but who you know....

 

 

[JonathanE]

Although I lane split frequently, I can predict future California legislation prohibiting it.

Not a day goes by when I hear of a traffic report of a "motorcycle down" somewhere on the Bay Area freeways during commute hours..basically all day. One can assume that lane splitting is frequently the precursor to the accident.

 

Howdy Bob. I think we met once at Roburt's.

 

I'm kinda surprised that you believe the above. With your experience, I certainly would never discount your opinion, so I am taking note of an opinion that doesn't match mine at all. As a daily moto commuter and frequent lane sharer through the major parking lots on my commute, also called the Caldecott Tunnel approach and the Oakland Maze, I have never felt at all in danger of injury or accident while "splitting lanes". I have been nearly run over many a time by oblivious drivers changing lanes on the freeway without looking or turning left in front of me while on city streets or rural roads. I don't get to hear about all of the accidents that occur every day, like you do on your radio, but I can count on the fingers of one hand how many motorcycles I've seen down, and that includes bikes I've seen down while not riding/driving in commute traffic.

 

The attention (or perhaps more accurately stated: "lack of attention") that I receive from the CHP seems to encourage me to make gentle forward progress through heavy traffic on our freeways. This allows me to be in better control of my personal safety. I am only making this subjective judgement of the CHP's attitude since I have never been stopped by a CHP while riding, and I've been observed and/or passed by many a CHP motor officer. I try to make a practice of appearing to be a safe and responsible rider, but I almost always maintain forward progress through traffic, whatever speed it is travelling at. As you are no doubt aware, when traffic is not congested, it tends to move at 75 to 80 mph around here. I don't even get a look when a CHP passes me doing 80. I did get a wave once when travelling, uhh, "slightly" above that.

 

I also once got cited by an Oakland motor officer, but I was not riding in a financially safe manner that day and deserved the feedback he gave me.

[Stir]

If motorcycles crash during commute traffic, what is the most common reason why they go down? How do you "go down" while creeping along at 5 mph between a cage doing the same in front of you and behind you?

When the CHP gets tired of taking lane splitting collisions and the cage commuters get tired of sitting in stopped traffic while a lane splitting accident is investigated, I predict there will be some legislation introduced. Abuse it, you lose it.

 

It is more dangerous to be end to end with the cars. You have motorists yakking on the phone, putting on makeup, reading the paper or doing something other than the job of driving. I would rather be between the cars than end to end with them. A 5 mph fender bender will break the back of a motorcyclist. The CHP understands that. You post seems to put the blame on the lane splitting cyclist. In San Diego, I don't see motorcyclists abusing the lane sharing.

 

There is a remant of that "no cuts" mentality from Kindergarten. What the kiddies don't realize is that I and other California cyclists are improving their commute, not contributing to it. When people point out they can't believe that lane sharing is legal, I point out the benifit to them. They always say, "Oh, I've never looked at it that way."