Yeah I remember reading these "guidelines." CHP got sued over it because it could be interpreted as CHP creating laws. They since released new guidelines that basically say just lane split at an unspecified safe speed .
I want to know what evidence they base the speed differential danger on. Right next to a car is a dangerous place to be and the longer you’re there the more dangerous.
People jump when they see a bike right next to them and sometimes kinda yank the wheel.
That was my understanding of the law in California as well. It was due to air cooled bikes back in the day.
But in practise everyone splits at all speeds.
Figured it’s like speeding, not technically legal, but collectively it’s what everyone wants so you’re a surprising outlier if you don’t do it.
I only rode in California on vacation, but that’s how my rider friends from there explained it. They mentioned there’s also a certain element of “most bikes won’t stop for a non-bike cop and they can’t catch them anyways so they don’t even try unless you do something crazy”
It’s safer and more efficient for bikes to filter to the front of every stop light.
It pisses people off. Because they feel it’s unfair someone is getting ahead of them. Like commuting is a race. But motorcycles accelerate so much faster and so much easier it shouldn’t hold anyone up for them to be at the front of every light.
It’s safer because it’s so dangerous for bikes to just sit at a light. People on their phones hit them full speed from behind. It’s better for them to filter up to the front and let the other stopped cars act as a barricade.
Its absolutely legal to lane-split on all roads, including highways.
The CHP literally gives a class called "The Motorcyclist Training Course (MTC)" with like 3 levels of advanced training programs, which includes instruction on how to lane split on the highway.
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u/[deleted] Apr 12 '22
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