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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ucbvax!ucdavis!lll-crg!seismo!hao!kitten
From: kitten@hao.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Motorcycles driving between lanes -- legal?
Message-ID: <1791@hao.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 5-Oct-85 19:05:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: hao.1791
Posted: Sat Oct  5 19:05:15 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 7-Oct-85 07:24:19 EDT
References: <102@sdcc7.UUCP> <1677@peora.UUCP>
Sender: kitten@hao.UUCP
Organization: High Altitude Obs./NCAR, Boulder CO
Lines: 33

> >What I want to know is this:  Is it legal (in California, or anywhere)
> >for motorcycles to drive between lanes, or on the shoulders, when traffic
> >is backed up?  I've seen lots of motorcyclists do just that, and also
> >the CHP motorcycle patrol.  It seems to be a dangerous thing to do.
> 
> 	My Florida Driver's Handbook says:
> 
> 	"Motorcycle operators shall not drive between lanes of traffic
> 	 or rows of vechicles."
> 
> 	and
> 
> 	"Remember, it is illegal to operate a motorcycle between lines
> 	 of traffic or to pass between curb lane traffic and the curb."
> -- 
>      Joel Upchurch

Unfortunately, this habit of motorcyclists, called "lane splitting",
is legal in California.  It is used most often in slow crawling 'rush'
hour traffic.  The great danger of this practice is that the cars are
moving at about 5 mph, a motorist sees an opening to change lanes,
motorcycle crashes into this car because he was going 35 and the car
didn't see him because when he first looked, the bike wasn't in sight.
I'd love to see this out-lawed.  It can't really be modified, because
no biker would stick to a maximum speed.  This kind of situation is
the main 'benifit' of lane splitting.  Many people in Southern California
get bikes for this reason.  Of course, there is still the drastically
reduced costs of commuting on a bike...

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       		        !hao!kitten

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