Everything You Need To Know About California Motorcycle Lane Splitting Laws
Have you ever ridden a vehicle in California? If so, you would have seen bikes traveling between your vehicle and the vehicle on the nearby lane. This is known as lane splitting or lane sharing. According to some studies, more than 80% of the motorcyclists tend to lane split while driving. Note that other drivers will not be able to see your bikes at times, in this case, making lane-splitting a major cause of bike accidents in California. If you are involved in a bike accident, make sure to consult a credible motorcycle accident attorney and file a lawsuit. Better, if you can hire a specialized motorcycle lawyer in lane splitting.
Even though all the people in California know about lane splitting, not everyone has all the necessary information. This lack of information also can ruin your accident claims at times. In order to help you out with this, below are some of the important points that you must know about California motorcycle lane splitting.
It is legal
Unlike most people think, it is not illegal to lane split in California. In other words, motorcyclists are not breaking any law or rule by lane splitting. In fact, California is the only American state that did not ban the practice of lane splitting. Unfortunately, a study reports that only 60% of the drivers know that lane splitting is legal in California. However, motorcyclists must abide by the speed rules and other associated laws enforced by their state federation. Otherwise, they will be ticketed accordingly.
Only little data exists on how safe lane splitting is
One of the major causes of issues associated with lane splitting is the lack of data on it, especially its safety. Note that a study reports than around 6000 motorcyclists who crashed in California were lane splitting at the time of the accident. It is to be noted that lane splitting is only safe when the traffic is moving at a speed of 50 mph or less. Additionally, the motorcyclists must take care not to exceed the speed of traffic by more than 15 mph. However, you will have to analyze the per-crash data from the motorcyclists who lane split and does not. Only by comparing the results, one will be able to state whether or not lane splitting is safe.
The reason for lane splitting
Motorcyclists usually consider two main reasons for lane splitting; speed and safety. It is to be noted that lane splitting allows motorcyclists to surf through traffic much faster than other vehicles. Furthermore, many motorcyclists claim that they feel safer when lane splitting since the control is in their hands. Additionally, the chances for lane splitting accidents usually occur when they drive recklessly or neglecting all other traffic conditions.
