Proper lane splitting etiquette? (California)

All the resources I've found on the net seem to be focused on the legality and risk of lane splitting, so I thought I'd ask you guys who'd know first hand.

Anyway, when is it appropriate and safe(est) to lane split?

Am I allowed to pretty much slip in between cars at whim?

The reason I ask is because last week I was on my way to a friends house, I came to a point where traffic was piled up pretty far back from the stoplight. Below is a satellite image of the street in question:




The orange line indicates my path of travel
Red line indicates start point of stopped traffic
Blue lines indicate stopped cars at time of lane split start
Green line indicates the position I was in when the signaled turned green and cars started moving forward, while I was still lane splitting.

The part where I cut across into the left turn lane is where traffic beyond was far enough ahead that I could cut in front of the vehicle behind me. (I was prepared to continue straight and do a U-turn later if I needed to).

Anyway, I got a parade of angry honks and 'rude gestures' from motorists when I was stopped and signaling my left turn. Are they just pissed of workers annoyed at ride home traffic? Or did I do something to piss them off that I was at fault for? There was one point where two cars were close enough together that I had a hair on either side and had to squeeze through, but no contact was made.

 

Can't speak for California rules, but here in West Australia it would probably have been alright, although the cutting across the cars to turn left may have caused a little consternation to the cagers and this is always a little open to interpretation by the police. Of course that is your outside lane on the left (our left lane is the inside lane). I would only do that if there was plenty of room. If this is the case then it's probably frustrated drivers cross at an upstart biker getting a head start on them (that's their attitude anyway). So tough luck on them. :smile:

 

people here never signal to turn, and I believe outside of CA it is illegal to lane split, so I dont do it a lot.

I have done it when there was an accident miles ahead and traffic was stopped. It was BOILING out. No way I was just gonna sit there. Most drivers understood.

The harley guys do it through traffic here all the time. Then again, there are way more harley guys up here than sportbikers (at least that Ive seen)

 

From what I understand, lane splitting is when a cager has wheels on either side of the line, therefore in two lanes. What we do, being next to a car in the same lane is lane sharing. Not that that makes it any more legal, because from what I was told, any good cop can ticket you for just about anything nobody drives perfectly. Anyway...
Old friend of mine was CHP until he retired and what he said was this...
You can split lanes up to 10-15 miles faster than traffic up to 35mph. That means you, the biker, going 35, not traffic going 35 and you going 45. CHP usually prefers that splitting goes on between the left two lanes (carpool/fast lane and the one next to it).
Personally, I do it whenever I feel comfortable, or pissed that the cagers sit right next to each other and I can't get past. This may not inspire confidence, but, the four (4) times I've been hit by cars I was:
1. doing 35 with traffic in a lane like normal and a cager changed lanes into me - wrecked my first Duc.
2. sitting at a stop light when car behind me decided she had waited long enough and hit the gas - knocked me right off my YZF.
3. driving down a side street, broad daylight, cager coming right at me (other side of road) just turned directly in front of me - if I hadn't locked up the rear, she would have t-boned me, wrecked my second Duc.
4. in a right hand turn lane, cage decided it needed to make the right turn more than me - tested the frame sliders on my FZR.
Basically, when I was a little younger and rode much faster, paid no attention to the actual rules of the road, I got hit less often. Maybe it was just luck, maybe it was that a moving target is harder to hit. Either way, I think this VFR is my favorite bike yet so I'm going to do what I think is necessary to avoid getting hit by those #%$*ing cagers, within reason of course and I recommend that you do the same.

 

You were OK,

Derstuka gives a good safe layout, although he is wrong on one thing
Yes there is a law on the books for lane splitting, actually 2 of them.
can't quote the laws & the code verbatim, because my law book is @ my CA house.

1st law was signed into law back B-4 most of you were born by then Gov. Jerry (the beginning of the end Commie) Brown.

The law was put into place for "AIR COOLED" M/C's" to keep moving in traffic to avoid break downs from over heating.
Although no speed limit was established for doing this with the exception of not going over the posted speed limit.

W/O going over the posted speed limit you technically can't get a speeding ticket splitting lanes if you don't exceed the posted speed limit:wink:

Where you can get into trouble w/o going over the posted speed limit is that you can be cited legally for exhibition of speed, reckless driving, & or any other endangerment to you or others citations on a officers call ( I know I fought & won several speeding tickets based solely on the written law because that's all he wrote me up for speeding, not EOS or WD, & not exceeding the posted speed limit ).

The general rule with law enforcement on splitting lanes is if your not exceeding 5 mph over traffic w/o exceeding the posted speed in city driving, & driving in a safe matter, they will not give you any crap.

freeway is the same but most allow 10 mph over the speed of slow or stopped traffic.


2nd law is that it is a ticketable offence to pass in the Diamond (HOV) lane, many do it (including me sometimes) but it's illegal.
I've seen it enforced a few times in SoCal, but enforced a lot in central & NoCal.
Another words OK to split lanes in any lane "BUT" the Diamond (HOV) lane !

Hope all helps :biggrin:


p.s. being polite & waving to people (& a verbal thank you if slow enough & there window is down) if they move over for you goes a long way for Good M/C publicity & helps out other riders (kinda makes the cagers feel good also:tongue: ).
Squeezing between 2 cars with less than a inch between each bar ends is kinda rude (legal but rude) & puts a bad taste towards you & other M/C riders & would avoid doing this when possible.

 

So, basically... be safe, use common sense and courtesy, but above all... don't get caught, right?

 

damn you, now your making me take the time to look it up

I just called my cuz (retired LA Sheriff) that specialized in & instructed officers on traffic laws & driving.

he said off the top of his head said I was correct, & will look it up for me.
he also said the 2nd law I quoted is a Federal law not a CA state one & is looking that up for me as well.

Snopes didn't have anything


So -


I'LL BE BAAAAAACK ! :biggrin:

p.s.
I owned a M/C messenger Co. in SoCal & ran a interstate trucking Co.
Anotherwords I was in court alot ,& got to learn the laws & get around them quite well :tongue:

 

Hmmm, I looked at that lane-sharing site and it says that motorcycles are allowed to use the HOV lanes by federal mandate. Is there some stipulation that HOV and normal lanes are not allowed to be lane split between?

 

There allowed in them to use, but "NOT" to lane splt in them.

Example from most HOV lanes in Cali is seperated from the fast lane by simple double yellow lines or Double-double yellow lines & you will see bikes splitting lanes on top of these lines in between cars. that is illegal everywhere because those lines are considered a barrier (invisable wall/armco) & you cannot ride on a barrier.

other lane splitting sharing in the HOV lane that is illegal is, unless noted or a sign allowing it, you cannot pass another vehicle in the same lane.

Thats why theres breaks to exit/enter, or pass.

 

Shuuush,

I'm on my 2nd hr with Sacramento & my 12th transfer

My Dad is looking for my CA DOT book in Cali, so I can show you the pudding !


You know that kind of sounds gross uke:

 

I have been passing many CHP up here in NorCal lane-sharing next to the HOV lane. We don't have the double yellow lines around here; they are just the same broken line like the rest of the lanes. I can understand if there was a solid line not to share lanes but I've never had an issue as long as you are splitting with common sense.

 

Yeah, around where I live there aren't and yellow lined HOV lanes that I can readily think of. In any event the HOV lanes around here are usually just short stretches of on-ramp onto freeways. The 15 North has a pretty long stretch of HOV that is separated from traffic by barriers on both sides, but so far as I can remember it's a normal white liner.

 

Taz, derstuka is right. There is no law about allowing bikes to split lanes because of being air-cooled.
Last year when I was on a trip through southern California I must have split lanes (lane share, or whatever)
for at least 100 miles.
I am so pleased that we can do this in Kalifornia.
A few safety measures that I recommend is that both brakes should be covered at all times.
Daytime....high beam. Keep your loud pipes on low volume.
Be very watchful of the cell phoners, especially the women (it's in their genes).
Soccer moms with a bunch of screaming kids should also be noted.

 

In my limited experience as a rider I've actually seen many occasions of cell phoning soccer moms! Cell Phone, yelling at the kids in the back seat, looking over shoulder/mirror opposite of lane change (or not at all), never thinking of where they need to be early enough (radical moves where roads fork), overzealous braking for hazards hundreds of feet ahead.

Now, that does not bother me as much as the guy I describe below. The soccer mom is just multitasking more than she can handle safely... the guy below is putting me in danger deliberately.

The other thing I've come more apt to notice after becoming a motorcyclist is the rich asshat with too much money and too much car for his/her level of responsibility/maturity/humility. Last week a Shelby Mustang and I pulled to a stop at the same light in adjacent lanes. I'm spy him in my left side mirror, I don't rev my engine or look him in the eyes or anything. The light turns green and being one that likes to get ahead of the pack quickly, I accelerate expediently, but not by any means a race start. I guess he took that as a challenge and he guns it and does indeed pull on me. After seeing a headlight in my left view, I look over my shoulder and he's within' 4 inches of my left foot, coming into my lane (he must have been looking at me, not the curve). I press on the right handle so the clown doesn't clip me off my bike. Since I'm more focused on avoiding the idiot, I forget about my gear and I hit the redline wall; the bike felt like it was going to throw me forward. All the while there's a cell phoner in a perpendicular lane pulling a right, straight in front me not more than 30 feet away. I had to snap to a straight brake hard so the clown on my left goes past, left shoulder check and swerve into the mustang's lane...... the stupid mustang's SOB attitude forced me into a potentially fatal situation.

Seriously, the guy was so full of himself and his mustang it was beyond asshole. As he continues on his way he's cutting in front of cars, lane splitting like he's a bike, forcing others to brake hard and change lanes.... all sorts of highly dangerous and moronic maneuvers.

The only relief I felt after that was that he wasn't discriminating against me because I'm a motorcyclist; he was an asshole to everyone. :frown:

 

You know what is odd is that I drive the 91 between the 15 and the 55freeway a lot and a good portion of that HOV lane is a double-double yellow. Everyday I've been on, without exception, I see MC Cops splittling the HOV lane when the HOV traffic comes to a stop as it often does. I might also add that I pull over to let them pass as they drive faster than 10 mph over, more like 30 (remember traffic is nearly stopped). Any thought on this? Anyone?