New law legalizes lane splitting

California motorcycle riders score big victory



 

 

California is the first state in the nation to legalize lane splitting, a controversial practice by motorcyclists that advocates say decreases the likelihood of a fatal accident.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 51 into law last month, spelling out the do’s and don’ts of lane-splitting in the California Vehicle Code.

Lane-splitting involves “driving a motorcycle . . . that has two wheels in contact with the ground, between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane, including on both divided and undivided streets, roads or highways.”

Previously, the practice was considered neither legal nor illegal and was accepted by both riders and law enforcement.

Thousand Oaks resident Chuck Pedersen is the legislative affairs director for the California chapter of the American Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education, an organization dedicated to protecting the freedom of motorcyclists on the road.

Pedersen lauds the passage of the bill and is glad there’s finally a law that says lane-splitting is OK.

“We would get road rage sometimes when we’re doing this and people don’t understand why we’re doing this,” Pedersen said. “I’ve had a situation where I was on the 5 Freeway in Hollywood and a guy tried to force me into a semi-tractor trailer.”

The longtime motorcycle rider said lane-splitting isn’t only about saving time.

In cases where a bike collided with another vehicle, insurance companies would often say the accident was no-fault or that the blame should be shared because lane-splitting wasn’t officially legal.

“It’s now our right of way,” Pedersen said. “Now, when these accidents occur . . . we expect the insurance companies to look at police reports and say that it was the driver’s fault and not the motorcyclist’s.”

A study conducted by UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center in 2014 found lane-splitting at moderate speeds was safer for motorcyclists than riding behind a vehicle. Lane-splitting would help reduce the risk of rear-end collisions, the study said.

With the new law, the California Highway Patrol is now working with the Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Transportation and Office of Traffic Safety to establish a set of guidelines for lane-splitting.

Motorcycle safety experts will also be consulted.

Pedersen said he hopes the new legislation is a precursor to the legalization of lane-splitting by other states, especially neighboring Arizona and Nevada where bikers like to lane-split because they must endure triple-digit temperatures while stuck in traffic.

“This bill has a lot more potential than we can see right now today,” he said.

Until the new guidelines are set, motorcyclists are being asked to do as they did before the law and exercise their best judgment while riding in traffic.

“If we feel someone is lane splitting and it’s unsafe and we’re able to articulate that, then we can cite them,” CHP Officer Gregg Musgrove said. “It just clarifies everything.”

In his experience, Musgrove said, motorcycle riders generally have proven to be respectful of other drivers when lane-splitting.

“You can’t live in Southern California and be on a freeway without lane-splitting,” the officer said.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *