California Lane Splitting Laws

California is one of a handful of states in the U.S. that permits lane splitting. Lane splitting is when motorcycle riders drive between two lanes of traffic, traveling in the same direction, which is either stopped or moving at a slow speed. Lane splitting is also referred to as “lane sharing.”

While riders in California are free to share lanes, they are also obligated to obey all pertinent speeding laws and rules of the road while doing so. A failure to follow these laws can result in a traffic violation.

As to safe speeds, bikers should maintain while lane splitting, the California Department of Motor Vehicles recommends bikers to:

• travel no faster than 10 mph over the speed of other motorists, and
• avoid lane splitting when surrounding traffic is traveling 30 mph or faster.

Note that if a biker is injured while splitting lanes, he/she can file a motorcycle lawsuit against the party who allegedly caused the accident.

The motorcyclist would prove successful in the claim if he/she could establish that the other party was negligent. If the biker can do so, the biker could receive compensation for:

• medical bills and medical expenses,
• lost wages,
• lost earning capacity,
• property damage, and
• pain and suffering.

If the injured motorcycle rider helped contribute to the accident, then he/she could still likely receive payment for any losses. However, the payment could get reduced in accordance with California’s comparative negligence laws.

Our California auto accident attorneys and motorcycle accident attorneys will highlight the following in this article:

• 1. What is lane splitting and is it safe?
• 2. What are California’s lane splitting laws?
• 3. Are there California lane splitting speed limits?
• 4. Can lane sharing impact a personal injury case?

1. What is lane splitting and is it safe?

Lane sharing is when motorcyclists ride on the dotted line between two lanes of traffic that are moving in the same direction.¹

A 2015 study from UC Berkeley remains one of the top resources that discusses the safety of lane splitting in California. After analyzing nearly 1,000 accidents involving lane sharing, the study found that lane splitting is reasonably safe when the act is done at no more than 15 mph over the speeds of surrounding motorists.²

Note, though, that lawmakers in other states frown upon motorcycle lane splitting. They say the practice can increase the risk of certain types of motorcycle crashes, including:

• sideswipes,
• merging into other vehicle drivers,
• rear-end collisions, and
• collisions when rigs and vehicles are changing lanes.

2. What are California’s lane splitting laws?

On August 19th, 2016, California became the first state in the U.S. to declare lane splitting legal. A few other states have legalized the act in recent years. Some examples include:

• Utah,
• Washington, and
• Arizona.

(States that have considered legalizing lane-splitting – but have not yet – are Oregon and Maryland.)

While the California lane splitting law allows bikers to split lanes, motorcycle riders still have to follow any applicable speed limits and rules of the road.

In addition, bikers are encouraged to follow lane splitting safety tips published by the California Highway Patrol (CHP). While these tips are not laws per se, motorcyclists are suggested to follow them to increase motorcycle safety and reduce lane splitting accidents.

A few of the CHP’s guidelines encourage riders to:

• consider the total environment before splitting lanes (including pertinent blind spots, the presence of large vehicles, lighting conditions, traffic congestion, and lane widths),
• split lanes between the far-left lanes as opposed to the other lanes,
• not ride on the shoulder of the road (which is illegal),
• wear bright colored/reflective protective gear.³

3. Are there California lane splitting speed limits?

Motorcyclists have to obey all pertinent speed limits when operating their bikes. A failure to do so can result in a California speeding ticket.

Further, the Department of Motor Vehicles has issued certain speed-related suggestions that bikers should follow when lane splitting. As with the CHP tips above, these suggestions are not laws. But they are designed to reduce motorcycle accidents and increase biker safety.

The suggestions include that motorcyclists should:

• travel no faster than 10 mph over the speed of other motorists when lane splitting, and
• avoid lane splitting when surrounding traffic is traveling 30 mph or faster.

The CHP also provides the below warnings as to speeding when sharing lanes:

• danger increases at higher speed differentials, and
• danger increases as overall speed increases.⁴

4. Can lane sharing impact a personal injury case?

Yes. If a biker is injured in a lane splitting accident, he/she can file a lawsuit or personal injury claim with the other party (or his/her insurance company) that allegedly caused the accident.

The motorcyclist could recover compensation for any losses if he/she can prove that the other party was a negligent driver. If successful, the biker could receive payment for:

• medical expenses,
• lost wages,
• future lost earnings,
• property damage, and
• pain and suffering.

Note that sometimes bikers help contribute to an accident. They can usually still recover some type of compensation in these cases, but the total amount will get reduced in accordance with California’s rules on comparative negligence.

However, this is not to say that bikers help bring about an accident in every case. The CHP has made this quite clear by issuing the following safety tips for vehicle drivers:

• lane splitting by motorcyclists is legal in California,
• it is illegal to intentionally block a rider that is splitting lanes,
• it is illegal to open a door to impede a motorcyclist,
• check mirrors and blind spots before turning or changing lanes,
• make appropriate signaling before changing lanes or merging,
• be courteous and share the road.⁵

For additional help…

For additional guidance or to discuss your case with a personal injury lawyer, we invite you to contact our law firm at the Shouse Law Group. Our attorneys provide both free consultations and legal advice you can trust.

Our skilled lawyers also represent clients throughout California, including those in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego.

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