CHP Lane Splitting Guidelines

It's time for other states to allow this too. Making it legal doesn't make it mandatory. If you don't feel safe doing it, don't. I was very anti lane-splitting for a long time due to IL laws and growing up that way. I'm convinced it's safer (when done properly) and cars are used to it.

Those seem like reasonable guidelines. I'm glad there are some laws down against cars impeding splitting.
 
Trial in Sydney NSW,only for filtering, not lane splitting,Minister Announces Lane Filtering Trial - Motorcycle Council of NSW but at least it`s a start:thewave:



BDazzler said:
It's time for other states to allow this too. Making it legal doesn't make it mandatory. If you don't feel safe doing it, don't. I was very anti lane-splitting for a long time due to IL laws and growing up that way. I'm convinced it's safer (when done properly) and cars are used to it.

Those seem like reasonable guidelines. I'm glad there are some laws down against cars impeding splitting.
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So after my California trip I will say that most drivers in CA allowed me to split even at speeds over 65 mph.

I was going down the 405 and if I positioned myself like in the diagram in the space between lane 1 and 2 then the lane 1 car would often go to the left as much as possible and the lane 2 car would stay center in their lane. It was easy to split at high speeds.

However, there were occasions that the driver in the lane I was in would obstruct the part of the lane that I could split on. I would just change a lane or two and get around them. I don't get why people want to act like highway wardens to obstruct traffic so they stay closer to the speed limit. In fact most major highways are designed to be able to handle speeds up to 100 mph and land a airplane on them.

My dream future would have adjustable speed limits where digital signs calculated out the safest speed based on traffic flow and weather conditions. Imagine that if at 11 pm after a clear sunny day the sign said 90 mph. How awesome, right?

After getting back to Arizona I will say getting through traffic is a lot more frustrating and I don't feel as safe as being able to keep moving and dodging traffic
 
I am really looking forward to retirement and getting back to California. I know that I have been punished long enough having to sit in traffic constantly worried about another person running into me because they "didn't" see me in stop and go traffic.

I lane shared safely for almost 10 years in California and it is an option not mandatory. If you don't feel safe doing it, stay in traffic and enjoy your ride.

Many people share lanes too fast and it makes others look badly; however, I don't judge a group by a few exceptions.
 
My first time lane sharing down in California was a real wake up call. It's just so logical, it should happen everywhere

mabbott said:
Many people share lanes too fast and it makes others look badly; however, I don't judge a group by a few exceptions.
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Agreed. You may not judge but others do and that's why it's important to abide by the lane sharing rules. The more often selfish people just do whatever they please, the more likely it is that something like this is taken away by the nanny state
 
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I would hope the police would try to crack down on the individuals that split dangerously and also crack down on cars that try to stop splitting and cause worse danger for everyone. Perhaps an education program when renewing a drivers license letting car drivers know that every motorcycle that splits gets the cars to their destination faster too by not taking up space in the lane.

I'm sure this all costs money and won't be able to happen the way it needs to, but it's a thought. I'm not sure how to get IL in on the splitting/filtering idea. I think they are trying to pass a medical marijuana law in IL now, so why not lane splitting? :looseit:
 
It's weird, because I've always been in California. So it's just so common to me, I can't imagine it NOT being allowed. It only took me a couple weeks of riding to do it. And sure, there's still the people that like to move as CLOSE to me as possible in their lane to block me from splitting. But, those are the same people that usually get their doors kicked in, or mirrors broken off from more aggressive riders.
 
theunderfighter said:
It's weird, because I've always been in California. So it's just so common to me, I can't imagine it NOT being allowed. It only took me a couple weeks of riding to do it. And sure, there's still the people that like to move as CLOSE to me as possible in their lane to block me from splitting. But, those are the same people that usually get their doors kicked in, or mirrors broken off from more aggressive riders.
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I would absolutely LOVE to see someone block a lane splitter in a car and then get their mirror booted off. hahaha!
 
theunderfighter said:
It's weird, because I've always been in California. So it's just so common to me, I can't imagine it NOT being allowed. It only took me a couple weeks of riding to do it. And sure, there's still the people that like to move as CLOSE to me as possible in their lane to block me from splitting. But, those are the same people that usually get their doors kicked in, or mirrors broken off from more aggressive riders.
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When I moved here last Sep, I started splitting lanes the 1st day. It just makes so much sense and safe too..
 
Did you ever see the video of the guy in the UK, he gets cut off and then brake checked repeatedly, so he pulls up next to the guy at a light (filtering) and does this like hammer fist down on the mirror and it falls right off, then he keeps filtering and takes off. I'm gonna go try to find it.
 
I live in the UK and until recently I never realised filtering (lane splitting) wasn't legal in a lot of other countries. One of the reasons I love biking is that I don't have to wait in traffic! Seems like a "no brainer" to me.

Steve
 
OneSizeFitsAll said:
It's even more fun to live where lane splitting is not needed. I only have to lane split when I am anywhere Sacramento / Bay Area south.

Norcal rocks!
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Lane splitting in Sacramento is way worse than in the Bay Area. In the Bay Area they have bad traffic all the time and the drivers look more for splitters. I know I have been cut off way more in Sac than in the Bay. That being said... I can't wait to get back to Cali!
 
i64X said:
I would absolutely LOVE to see someone block a lane splitter in a car and then get their mirror booted off. hahaha!
Click to expand...

I saw a guy in a huge HD that was pushing peoples passenger side mirrors forward when they blocked him or rode to far in the right side of the lane. While it was hilarious, it is also kinda dumb, cause now these drivers cannot use that mirror to look back and see me coming as well.

I have been lane Sharing for a year and a half now in Socal, and I love it. There are some guys who split slower than me, and for the most part they move over and let the faster bikes by, and there are some who split faster than I do, and I do my best to let them by. It is amazing how Motorcyclist are so much nicer to each-other than drivers are.

I find this diagram to be interesting, however this info needs to be updates in the Drivers handbook:
California Driver Handbook - Sharing the Road

It looks like the Motorcycle guide book has been updated, at least the online version:
Motorcycle Handbook


I have a few questions for those of you who live in California and who are comfortable lane sharing.

1> How do you determine what is 10mph faster than the flow of traffic.

2> Do you feel unsafe passing faster than 10mph faster? For me personally when traffic is fully stopped I feel safe traveling about 30mph, which can vary from being 10-30mph faster than traffic depending on the exact speed. I think it is more dangerous to be constantly worrying about my exact speed while splitting, I prefer to keep my eyes on the road and the traffic patterns. Things like gaps opening up in one lane and watching for cars from the next lane possibly changing lanes without indicating to get into the said gap are more of concern for me than whether or not i am 10mph faster than traffic.

3> Thoughts about splitting above 30mph?

This is the first time i have seen this in writing, when I took my test nearly 2 years ago there was nothing about speeds at which to split at in the motorcycle handbook. I actually feel safer splitting at speeds above 30mph, and here is my reason why. When cars are traveling at a steady speed above 30mph they are less likely to suddenly change lanes, at least that has been my personal experience.
 
39mph or less.

I look down at my speedo. If we are now going 30mph, I start splitting and stay at 39mph.

In CA I see morons splitting going 65mph when traffic is 55mph. HUH???

Did I already write the story on last Thursday's CG Bike Night scar on EB Hwy 80? (How do you find ALL your own posts or replies?) A MC member on his custom Busa gave ALL motorcycles a bad name.

:wtf:
 
No Wonder Cars do DUMB Things

So last Thursday evening, I am in the fast lane at rush-hour traffic on EB Hwy 80. I pull up behind an orange slammed Busa with a rider in Colors just starting to lane split.

The left lane is maybe 15 mph. As we split at 25mph an old red beater four door sedan cuts from the middle lane to the faster left lane. The Busa locks up his brakes, riding his horn. I swerve to go around him. At a dead stop the cage driver flips the Busa off, so the Busa rider starts yelling and pounding on the right front passenger window of the car. I pass on the right.

Not 10 cars up (and now at 25mph) another car pulls left into me. I have a break in the lane, so I swerve to the fast lane. He sees me and goes back to the middle lane, waving his arm like he is apologizing. (I lost count of all the nice drivers who moved over to let me split, when they heard me coming for the next three miles.)

An hour later at CG Bike Night I see the Orange Busa. I ask the MC member what happened after I passed him on the right. He yells, "Yea! This guy saw it," to his MC friends and girlfriends. He pulls a big hand-full of large steel ball bearings from his right jacket pocket and says, "Thats all right. I f*cked up his car." :tdown::tdown::tdown:
 
Klurejr said:
I saw a guy in a huge HD that was pushing peoples passenger side mirrors forward when they blocked him or rode to far in the right side of the lane. While it was hilarious, it is also kinda dumb, cause now these drivers cannot use that mirror to look back and see me coming as well.

I have been lane Sharing for a year and a half now in Socal, and I love it. There are some guys who split slower than me, and for the most part they move over and let the faster bikes by, and there are some who split faster than I do, and I do my best to let them by. It is amazing how Motorcyclist are so much nicer to each-other than drivers are.

I find this diagram to be interesting, however this info needs to be updates in the Drivers handbook:
California Driver Handbook - Sharing the Road

It looks like the Motorcycle guide book has been updated, at least the online version:
Motorcycle Handbook


I have a few questions for those of you who live in California and who are comfortable lane sharing.

1> How do you determine what is 10mph faster than the flow of traffic.

2> Do you feel unsafe passing faster than 10mph faster? For me personally when traffic is fully stopped I feel safe traveling about 30mph, which can vary from being 10-30mph faster than traffic depending on the exact speed. I think it is more dangerous to be constantly worrying about my exact speed while splitting, I prefer to keep my eyes on the road and the traffic patterns. Things like gaps opening up in one lane and watching for cars from the next lane possibly changing lanes without indicating to get into the said gap are more of concern for me than whether or not i am 10mph faster than traffic.

3> Thoughts about splitting above 30mph?

This is the first time i have seen this in writing, when I took my test nearly 2 years ago there was nothing about speeds at which to split at in the motorcycle handbook. I actually feel safer splitting at speeds above 30mph, and here is my reason why. When cars are traveling at a steady speed above 30mph they are less likely to suddenly change lanes, at least that has been my personal experience.
Click to expand...

I've been splitting lanes in Los Angeles for the past 10 years now, I never look at the speedometer, no time for that at all, safety is the ultimate goal & that doesn't mean going slow, its getting out of the way of other traffic & passing them when it feels safe to do, in surface streets between stopped cars you have to go fast enough to gain directional stability or you'll end up clipping car mirrors, how fast? fast enough to not disturb them in their stupor :)),Great clutch/ friction zone control & being in the right gear at all times are the basics of lane splitting, also using the elasticity of revving and winding back with engine braking.

On freeways yes I do split lanes at high speeds 70 to <80 mph (you don't want to pass a car doing 70mph and then go 75mph in front of it, when traffic is flowing splitting is done only just to avoid drivers that are not paying attention & sitting like sand bags in their cars, (the ones that cannot hold a line & keep vearing in their lane, or the ones that follow other cars too close like idiots, or the ones who are not sitting properly with their head in the middle as if they are looking at the navigation system at the center of their dash board, surprisingly the ones on the phone don't make sudden moves)

all lanes of the freeway are dangerous but especially the Rt lanes were people enter & exit, the Lt lane is usually where I ride but I am very careful to notice an impending car pile up & one or two cars making a sudden lane change to avoid the pile up.

on freeways bikers mostly respect each other, the faster more skilled ones go first, riding behind them makes it safer since car divers are reminded of bikes when they see the first one pass, sometimes we alternate as if to check each other's skills, bikes with side bags are given the least priority in lane splitting and are expected to give the right of way, skinny bike go first, the Harley guys don't even play that game with sports bikes, they know they are wide, slow and clumsy, some try but soon give up & let us pass.

If I clip someone's mirror I do stop & see if I caused any damage, it happened once & the driver was surprised I stopped & had a lot of respect, no damage occurred but it is the right thing to do, some of these mirrors cost $500 to replace, a small scratch in a Mercedes car door can cost <$2000.

with lane splitting you pass fast & don't linger in front of the car you just passed even if that means braking the speed rules, safety comes first.

We look at 5 cars ahead not just the one car in front, this gives an idea how the traffic is going to flow, say if the 5th car is braking expect all cars behind it to also brake and one of them is going to do a quick lane change then look in the mirror after the fact, I would get out of that lane and find a safer route.

I feel like I am riding a bar of soap in traffic, going though the least resistance routes and usually I am the first in a red light and 1/4th city block away when the green come on.
Kids in cars love bikes, the look of wonder in their eyes is priceless, I always try to wave at them (future riders).

Here the most annoying thing to car drivers is loud exhaust not bikes splitting lanes, I love my bike quiet, sneaky & fast.

The most dangerous thing in lane splitting is other lane splitters, we think we're alone & don't expect other lane splitters to be around.
 
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