I will lane split when absolutely necessary and I hate every minute of it and I don't do it at those speeds.

It is basically so you can keep the bike moving in slow to stopped traffic.It was designed in hot weather areas before bikes were water cooled.

This issue is a very controversial issue - hotter than an oil thread in most cases.

Here is a link to a description of the lane splitting/filtering in Wikipedia.  It is not specifically legal in any state......although CA evidently does not specifically prohibit it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lane_splitting

Dave wrote on 01/20/15 at 03:29:28:


Most likely they took it down because most of them do not follow it, and some greatly exceed it.
Of course there are a few that will lay down the law cause they can.
And besides the former guidelines, there's a law somewhere that allows it.

While I have no "Dog in this Fight".....I am a member of the AMA, and lane splitting is an issue that receives a lot of comments and articles.
http://americanmotorcyclist.com/Rights/PositionStatements/LaneSplitting.aspx


The most current information is that no state has enacted legislation that approves it.  Here is some of what the AMA has said recently:

"For decades, California has been the only state to permit lane splitting. While not specifically permitted or prohibited in the California Vehicle Code, lane splitting authority comes from the California Highway Patrol. In early 2013, the CHP published lane splitting guidelines for the first time. While the guidelines do not carry the force of law, they provide clear indicators under which a motorcyclist might be cited for unsafe or imprudent behavior.

(SOURCE: Issued by the California Highway Patrol, California Motorcycle Safety Program in 2013, the guidelines were rescinded in 2014 for administrative reasons but are still viewable at “Lane Splitting General Guidelines.”

Legislatively, there has been state-level activity on lane splitting, although to date no bill has been enacted.

(SOURCE: California 2013 SB-350 would codify lane splitting but would also impose certain restrictions on motorcyclists.  Other states that have recently considered lane-splitting legislation include: Arizona (2010 HB-2475); Illinois (2006 SB-2439); Massachusetts (2007 HB-3493); Nevada (2013 AB-236); New Jersey (2012 AB-2102 and 2010 AB-140 and AB-1684); Oregon (2011 SB-463 and 2007 SB-386); Texas (2011 HB-1571 and 2009 SB-506); and Washington (2007 HB-2160 and SB-5985).

So.....if you get pulled over for lane splitting - doesn't appear that there is anything that says you are specifically "allowed" to do it.  It appears that if the California Highway Patrol used their "guidelines" to determine if you are "ticket worthy" when lane splitting. (But wadda' I know....I have only been in CA once....and that was 50 years ago!).

Here in Austin we have traffic that is probably just as bad as, if not worse than L.A. I feel like lane splitting on a daily basis, but never have due to the fact I'm afraid most people 'round here would open their door on me. If it were ever an emergency I wouldn't hesitate to do it though. Of course, if traffic is moving faster than 10-15mph I don't see a need to lane split. We do get a LOT of sitting still for 20 seconds at a time. I would also hate to cook my block by sitting still too long on a hot Texas day.

On another note, I saw this in related videos from the lane splitting video, thought it was kinda clever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21V9XfMwidc

I lane split when:
- I'm stopping quickly and there's a vehicle behind me. I pull in between two vehicles ahead of me and stop. I call this "Borrowing bumpers" - if the vehicle behind me cant stop in time, the cars that I'm in between will protect me.

- If the vehicle in front of me has its four ways on.

- If someone is tailgating me.

- If I find myself ahead of a truck carrying liquids - concrete mixer, fuel tankers,  and fire trucks. From talking to truckers, they tell me these vehicles can't simply stop by pressing the brakes, they have to brake - unbrake - and then brake again to manage the momentum shift of the liquids they're carrying.

As far as the video goes - lane splitting or not, aggressive riding is dangerous, and life shortening.