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Why motorcycle lane-splitting is Legal in California but Not in 49 other states

By General Posts

Why California lets motorcycles legally split lanes while 49 other states do not
from https://ktla.com by Tony Kurzweil

If you’ve ever been startled out of the doldrums of your afternoon commute by a thundering, lane splitting Harley Davidson and cursed whoever is responsible, you’re not alone.

But before you blast the California Highway Patrol with emails listing all the reasons why that congestion-cutting biker should be given a ticket and told to stay in his lane, there are some things you should know.

First, not only is lane sharing or lane splitting legal in California but the CHP wrote the safety guidelines as instructed in AB51, which was approved by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2016.

In fact, although lane sharing occurs in other states, California is the only place where the practice has been made legal.

But why?

Well, one reason is that lane sharing has been going on in California ever since motorcycles have been on the freeway, so it was important to set some ground rules, CHP Motorcycle Officer Brian O’Toole said.

The second, and maybe more interesting reason, is that it makes time spent on the freeway shorter, not only for motorcyclists but for us four-wheel motorists as well.

“As motorcycles are moving through, splitting the lanes … that’s one less vehicle occupying that lane,” CHP Motorcycle Officer Brian O’Toole said.

“It’s saving the average motorist in a car time … If we were to all of a sudden not allow lane splitting anymore, that’s a motorcycle sitting in the lane ahead of them,” O’Toole said.

But just because the motorcyclist has the CHP on their side when it comes to lane sharing, it doesn’t mean they can recklessly speed past you.

“It’s still a privilege … We’re the only state left, so it’s a privilege for us to do this,” O’Toole said

The CHP’s guidelines say bikers should only split lanes when the flow of traffic is 40 mph or less, and not travel more than 10 mph faster than the vehicles surrounding them.

However, nothing is set in stone, O’Toole said. It is always up to an officer’s discretion as to whether the motorcyclist’s actions are deemed unsafe.

Also, like motorists, motorcycles are not allowed to cross in and out of the carpool lane unless there is a designated opening.

“You’re not any more privileged than a car would be to jump into that carpool lane,” O’Toole said.

Motorcycles are supposed to be sharing a lane on one side or the other and cross over only when there’s a broken line marking an entry and exit point.

As for drivers, they can help out too.

“Move over to the left or right, depending on which lane you’re in, and create a little bit of a gap for motorcyclists to safely pass. It’s a win-win situation for both,” O’Toole said.

Ultimately, riders and drivers need to work together to save everyone time on the freeway.

Maine State Police Show their Harley-Davidson Motorcycles at Air Show

By General Posts

by Trent Marshall from https://q961.com

The Maine State Police Motor Units Harley-Davidson Police Motorcycles were at the Great State of Maine Air Show, September 4 & 5, 2021.

The Great State of Maine Air Show put on an incredible performance over the weekend with the Blue Angels as the featured event.

If you went this year or have gone in the past, you know there are a lot of classic and advanced planes, helicopters and even boats on display.

Also front and center at this year’s air show was the Maine State Police with two things you don’t see very often. Both the Maine State Police Air Wing Unit’s Cessna 182 aircraft and the Maine State Police Motor Units Harley-Davidson Police Motorcycles were there for people to see up close.

This is a great way to get out in the public and show what the Maine State Police is about.

The Harley’s are really top of the line. The motorcycle units have just come back in service. It’s been almost 70 years since they were on the roads. The Maine State Police said on their Facebook, they are used for special events and ceremonies as well as recruitment.

They did a good job of it at the air show. Motorcycles are important to the police force for a lot of reasons, one is to allow them to be effective in places where traffic is congested.

The Maine State Police talked to all ages about the importance of law enforcement to the state of Maine. Great conversations at the air show about what the Air Wing and Motorcycle Units are all about for the Maine State Police.

People stopped by all day to talk to the crew at the air show and take a good look at the Cessna & Harley.

The plane is such an important part of the job for law enforcement in the state. Not only does it help with traffic, it is used for reconnaissance and other important duties. The Air Wing is part of the integrated team to give support to ground teams in manhunts and search and rescue. Greg Tirado of the Maine State Police was recently promoted to Pilot Supervisor of the Maine Police Air Wing.

Idaho State Police Shiny Side Up Motorcycle Rally

By General Posts

by Kalama Hines from https://www.eastidahonews.com

ISP hosting motorcycle safety rally Saturday

POCATELLO — Approximately 80 percent of motorcycle crashes can be attributed to operator error, according to Idaho State Police Sergeant Andrew Nakashima.

That is why ISP is partnering with Grand Teton Harley Davidson to host a free motorcycle safety class Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Shiny Side Up Motorcycle Rally will be held at Hillcrest High School, and feature training for motorcycle riders from beginner to experienced veteran, because, as Nakashima told EastIdahoNews.com, there is a lot of “bad information floating around.”

“There’s a lot of benefits to be gained from training,” he said. “I used to ride a motorcycle before I got this job, and everything I learned was from the guys I rode with — telling me to do this and don’t do that. Having gone through a formal training program to be a police motor, I realized how much of that was false.”

Nakashima recently transferred to Pocatello’s new ISP Motorcycle division from Meridian, where officers host a motorcycle safety training event every year. He hopes this event will have a similar effect, providing local riders with necessary safety courses annually.

The event, which will feature vendors and food trucks, is open to the public. To take part in the training courses, however, riders will need a motorcycle endorsement or training permit and proof of insurance.

No experience is needed, though.

“If you buy a motorcycle Saturday morning and you ride it on down to Hillcrest High School, we’ll have some riding coaches there and we’ll take you through the very beginner (course),” Nakashima said. “If you’ve been riding for a while, we’ve got some other patterns you can try your hand at. … But it’s not just for beginners. If you’ve been riding for 20 years, you might be surprised what you can learn just going through an intermediate cornering class.”

Along with instruction from ISP, riding coaches from Grand Teton Harley Davidson and Idaho STAR — Skills Training Advantage for Riders — will be in attendance.

Instruction will focus on the factors that play a role in operator-error crashes, including proper cornering and safe lane changing, along with collision avoidance.

“One of the driving forces behind this event is getting people to realize that you are responsible for your own safety,” Nakashima said. “It’s not up to cars to watch for you. It’s not good enough to put a loud pipe on your bike and say ‘loud pipes save lives.’ We really want to push the training aspect for riders.

“Motorcycles need training. That’s pretty much the bottom line.”