when did lane splitting become legal in california
August, 2016
title: Lane splitting text: California Vehicle Code and defines lane splitting, which is now explicitly legal in California. The California Highway Patrol released new lane splitting safety tips as of September 27th, 2018. A frequently asked question by motorcyclists is "Is lane splitting legal?" In Australia, a furor erupted when the transport authorities decided to consolidate and clarify the disparate set of laws that collectively made lane splitting illegal. Because of the very opacity of the laws they were attempting to clarify, many Australians had actually believed that lane splitting was legal, and they had been practicing it as long as they had been title: Lane splitting text: in motorcyclist advocacy publications and enthusiast articles." Lane splitting is controversial in the United States, and is sometimes an issue in other countries. This debate includes whether or not it is legal, whether or not it should be legal, and whether or not riders should lane split even where it is permitted. In the United States, bills to legalize lane splitting have been introduced in state legislatures around the US over the last twenty years but none had been enacted until California's legislature passed such a bill in August, 2016. Effective January 1, 2017, section 21658.1 was added to the title: Lane splitting text: California) in which there is no traffic law that explicitly prohibits lane splitting, but officials rely on other laws to regularly interpret lane splitting as unlawful. For example, New Mexico does not address lane splitting by name, but has language requiring turn signals be used continuously for at least before changing lanes, as well as other codes which may be cited by an officer. Many other states have identical codes, derived from the Uniform Vehicle Code. Lane splitting was legally defined for the first time in California by a bill signed into law in August, 2016. The new law established title: Lane splitting text: riding. They interpreted the action as a move to change the law to make lane splitting illegal. Because of the volume of public comment opposed to this, the authorities decided to take no further action and so the situation remained as it was until 1 July 2014 when New South Wales made lane filtering and lane splitting legal under strict conditions. On 1 February 2015, similar relaxations were introduced in Queensland. The legal confusion in Australia is not exceptional. In a 2012 California survey only 53% of non-motorcycle drivers thought lane splitting is legal. There are other U.S. states (excepting title: Lane splitting text: wished they had never begun allowing the practice. The California Highway Patrol removed their guidelines on such practice, but similar guidelines have been posted by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. California's DMV handbook for motorcycles advises caution regarding lane splitting: "Vehicles and motorcycles each need a full lane to operate safely and riding between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane can leave you vulnerable. A vehicle could turn suddenly or change lanes, a door could open, or a hand could come out the window." The Oxford Systematics report commissioned by VicRoads, the traffic regulating authority