Ok here it is. My understanding has ALWAYS been that lane splitting is illegal based on the fact that not more then one vehicle can occupy a single space on the roadway.

based on some research though I can not find anywhere that it says lane splitting is in fact illegal.

The best I can find is that it could be argued when you are splitting lanes you are in violation of 22350 CVC which is the basic speed law and it says you can not drive faster then is safe for conditions If you are lane splitting and an accident occured more then likely the motorcyclist would be found to be at fault based on 22350 CVC. Al the traffic was stopped/slowed and he was traveling faster then was prudent for conditions.

I personally think it is WAY to dangerous for motorcyclist to do it. Not because of their skill level BUT because of the skill level of most vehicle drivers and their general inattention to their surroundings.

Hope that helps.

It's always been my opinion that lane splitting is STUPID. In stop and go traffic, people are constantly changing lanes trying to find the 'fastest' one. With a motorcycle approaching so quickly from behind, it would be fairly easy to change lanes into the cycle even IF you had just checked over your shoulder and saw nothing, as the cycle is approaching rather quickly.

If the motorcycle is traveling at 15-20 mph faster than traffic, it would be the equivalent of a motorcycle passing 80mph traffic at 95-100mph... Lets face it, it would be rather easy to NOT see that cycle coming when you change lanes.

In all our my cruises on the Harley with my dad, regardless of how much traffic we hit, he never once split lanes-- he said it was incredibly unsafe; and I regard my father as being one of the smartest people I've ever known.

I can see all the points stated; however, I feel it is upon the rider to make the judgment while riding and always pay the closest attention to traffic because it doesn't matter whether it be splitting or regular riding people are going to change lanes and it doesn't matter if you're doing the same speed or 10-15mph faster they usually do it with haste and rarely look over to see if there's anybody next to them, I've never gone 10-15 faster between any cars while riding.

Also never had anybody ever pull out, they all seem to have an eye on the mirror and move over a bit to accommodate a rider.

With that, I followed a CHP officer for close to five miles coming home he was splitting right along with the other bikes out that day...

Eric there IS a difference between splitting and regular driving. Yeah peoe will always be chaning lanes around you when you're splitting you've got no way to avoid them, nowhere to go. During regular driving you've got a better chance of swerving to avoid an accident.

I know there's a difference, I just stated that there's always a chance of getting into trouble on a bike whether it be splitting or regular driving if someone suddenly decides to swap lanes, have had friends hurt from that in the past...

I know it's dangerous, I know the risks, I understand that I could be held liable if there's an accident, but I'll take that risk, I know my abilities I know my bikes limitations and I also know that there are idiots out there that haven't a clue when it comes to paying attention to motorcycles, that is just part of day to day riding; but, when it comes to sitting in 100* weather on the interstate for close to two hours sometimes or getting home within a half an hour I'll take the latter. Thats just me.

Hey, now that everybody is using bluetooth headsets to talk on their phone there are no more distractions and splitting is safe to do now, right? Thank you Arnold, for removing that danger from the road.



I don't ride, but if I did, you'd have to try awful hard to convince me to sit in traffic at 15 mph when it's 102 off the pavement.

What's Cali's stance on vehicle lighting? Front, rear, how many, colors, etc...

What about blue dots? Legal or illegal?

Any way to find out in other states besides CA?

white or amber to the front red or amber to the rear (with the exception of backup lights)

No neon, no wiper fluid housing lights, no lighted license plate frames or any other stupid things like that.

Pretty much if it didn't come equiped from the factory with it OR as an option then it is probably illegal. Pre-runner lights are ok No more then 4 forward facing lights to be lit at a time Not sure on wether or not they have to be covered. I have always heard they do but am to lazy right now to look it up.

You lookin for height requirements also?

Brian_B said:

What about blue dots? Legal or illegal?

Any way to find out in other states besides CA?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what blue dots you are refering to Brian. if you mean those stupid things people replace the windshield wiper fluid thing with, yes they are illegal in CA. I'm the only one in the state that gets to use blue lights.

As far as other states your gonna have to look in your state vehicle code. Here is a link to yours, I think.
http://public.findlaw.com/traffic-ticket-violation-law/state-traffic-law/arkansas-traffic-law.html

No, my tail light is out and the screws are, well, screwed along with the busted housing on the other side, so i don't want to get nailed...

CaFordDude said:

I'm not sure what blue dots you are refering to Brian. if you mean those stupid things people replace the windshield wiper fluid thing with, yes they are illegal in CA. I'm the only one in the state that gets to use blue lights.

As far as other states your gonna have to look in your state vehicle code. Here is a link to yours, I think.
http://public.findlaw.com/traffic-ticket-violation-law/state-traffic-law/arkansas-traffic-law.html

Click to expand...

No, I am no ricer with LEDs and neon...they are probably just as stupid, but almost every antique vehicle I have ever seen has them now.

This is a pic Tom took last weekend. Look at the center of the tail lights. I would imagine they are illegal out there with the exception of older models. I know they are legal in some states that way...just don't know which ones. LOL



They are not really noticible with just the running lights on. When you step on the brakes you can see them though. Almost a purple glow in the middle. Not blue like you would expect.

I click the link you posted (thanks). However, the lighting link on there is dead. If it is run by AR, it does not surprise me at all.

I am not too concerned about them being legal or illegal in AR. I have had many state troopers behind me over the years. A lot of County, and tons of local police. No one has ever said a word about them.

I was in AR, MO, KS, and OK Saturday. Just wondered. LOL

Brian_B said:

...I click the link you posted (thanks). However, the lighting link on there is dead...

Click to expand...

Here's a link to your AR code which covers lighting. It does not appear there is an exception to the code for "blue dots".

27-36-216(a)(1)

Brian_B said:

I am not too concerned about them being legal or illegal in AR. I have had many state troopers behind me over the years. A lot of County, and tons of local police. No one has ever said a word about them.

I was in AR, MO, KS, and OK Saturday. Just wondered. LOL

Click to expand...

My state (Washington), unlike yours, has a exception for "blue dots":

RCW 46.37.100
Color of clearance lamps, side marker lamps, back-up lamps, and reflectors.
(1) Front clearance lamps and those marker lamps and reflectors mounted on the front or on the side near the front of a vehicle shall display or reflect an amber color.

(2) Rear clearance lamps and those marker lamps and reflectors mounted on the rear or on the sides near the rear of a vehicle shall display or reflect a red color.

(3) All lighting devices and reflectors mounted on the rear of any vehicle shall display or reflect a red color, except the stop lamp or other signal device, which may be red, amber, or yellow, and except that on any vehicle forty or more years old, or on any motorcycle regardless of age, the taillight may also contain a blue or purple insert of not more than one inch in diameter, and except that the light illuminating the license plate shall be white and the light emitted by a back-up lamp shall be white or amber.

Yep....looks like they are not allowed here.

I supposed the police in this state would be busy for a few months, if they tried to enforce that one. It is rare to see an antique (even kit cars or T-buckets-which are not old) without them.

Hmm....

Are hand signals still legal down here?