IN
THE
WIND
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GOV. BROWN SIGNS LANE-SPLITTING BILL
G
ov. Jerry Brown signed AB
51 into law on Friday, August
19, making California the first
state to legally recognize lane
splitting, the practice in which
motorcyclists ride between lanes
of traffic.
The bill, sponsored by As-
semblymembers Bill Quirk
(D-Hayward) and Tom Lackey
(R- Palmdale), grants the Cali-
fornia Highway Patrol (CHP) the
authority to develop and issue
lane-splitting guidelines in con-
sultation with motorcycle safety
groups and riders.
"This is great news for mo-
torcyclists in California and
throughout the country," said
Rob Dingman, president and
CEO of the American Motorcy-
clist Association. "The California
Assembly and the governor have
taken a huge step in formally
recognizing a practice that has
been in use for decades.
"Lane splitting keeps riders
safer by eliminating their expo-
sure to rear-end collisions, and
it helps ease congestion by
effectively removing motorcycles
from the traffic lanes."
Studies by the University of
California at Berkeley show that
splitting lanes is a relatively safe
maneuver when both the motor-
cyclist and nearby drivers know
the law and adhere to safe and
prudent driving practices.
In 2012, the CHP developed
guidelines for splitting lanes,
posting them online in 2013 and
including them in the Motorcycle
Handbook distributed by the
Department of Motor Vehicles.
However, a citizen complained
in 2014 that the guidelines were
"underground regulations" put
together by a state agency,
rather than the legislature. So
the CHP and DMV removed
them.
AB 51 clarifies that the CHP
does have authority to develop
educational guidelines on lane
splitting. The law also removes
the practice from the legal gray
area, where it was neither ex-
pressly prohibited nor approved.
Several other states, including
Nevada, Georgia, Washington,
Oregon and Texas, have consid-
ered legislation during the past
two years that would have made
lane splitting legal, with certain
restrictions.
"We hope that other states
will follow California's lead on
this issue," Dingman said. "The
AMA is here to support individu-
als, groups and legislators who
want lane splitting made legal in
their states, too."
The American Motorcyclist
Association's complete position
statement on lane splitting can
be found here: www.american-
motorcyclist.com/About-The-
AMA/lane-splitting-1. CN
Lane splitting in California is now
officially legal, but guidelines must
be maintained.
