For decades, California has been the only state that allows lane-splitting, but not because it’s “legal” – it has always existed in a gray area of the law, and exists just as an accepted practice there. Now, lawmakers are finally putting lane-splitting on the books – but could the same happen in other states in the future?
On August 5th, 2016, after spending nearly a year and a half being bounced around in California’s state legislature, AB 51 - a bill codifying the practice of lane-splitting by motorcycles - was approved by a unanimous vote of 69-0 by the state Assembly. The bill now sits on Governor Brown’s desk, where it is expected that it will soon be signed into law.
Now at a glance, the passing of AB 51 may not seem like a big deal. It doesn’t set any parameters for what constitutes legal or illegal lane-splitting, or specify any punishments for breaking them. In fact, AB 51 is odd because, basically, all it does is say “lane splitting is officially a thing.” Check out the exact text of the law below, as it was published on the California Legistative Information web site.
More here: http://www.bikebandit.com/blog/post/california-legislature-unanimously-approves-lane-splitting-bill?roi=echo3-36540337946-36957027-97dcf859fa49f18172051680e76614ad&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=content_BBNews0814&utm_source=Sun_081416_BBNews&utm_content=ca_approves_lane_splitting