Friday, September 2, 2016

California Rider Pulled Over For…Lane-Splitting…?

OFF THE WIRE
THANK YOU ROBERT
Unbelievable. The biggest challenge with Lane Splitting are LEO's who claim the operation is "reckless" even when executed in a safe, law-abiding and prudent manner.
Fortunately, this rider had video evidence to the contrary. This is why it is recommended to always carry and use a video cam to ensure you can defend your position in court if you are cited or profiled.
The fact that you are video taping the encounter with the officer, coupled with your knowledge of the law and general attitude gives you the best chance of being released without being cited, depending how you handle it.
Know and assert your rights.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t California’s landmark legalization of lane-splitting a fairly monumental news story recently? It looks like this Fresno cop missed that memo. AB 51 was pretty big business, and if you’re a motorcyclist currently residing in the USA (or in fact, anywhere in the world) it would’ve been almost impossible NOT to hear about the changes to the law. It’s caused debate and controversy all over the place. The vast majority of the world are celebrating it because it’s fairly standard practice everywhere else apart from the USA, riders from up and down the country are hoping their own states will move forward with a similar law, and there are a few riders who are still erring on the side of caution and fearing for the safety of their riding brethren by campaigning against the new rules.

“Hey man, you can’t be going through cars like that.”
“You can’t lane-split?”
“Not with other cars.” Surely, that undermines the point of lane-splitting somewhat?

How this cop managed to chalk up a simple (and legal) lane-split as “reckless driving” is quite frankly bizarre. Fortunately, this cop was pretty cool and managed to let off our intrepid YouTuber (Scooby Doo) with a simple warning, rather than a ticket. This is probably down to the cool attitude of the rider, and the genuine consideration of the cop. However, it does raise a few questions…
AB 51 was passed on August 19th 2016. This video was filmed on August 28th and uploaded on August 29th 2016.


We’re aware that the new rules and all new lane-splitting code of conduct are yet to be drafted and published by the California Highway Patrol, so maybe it’s best to ease off on the lane-splitting until the new rules are concrete, and set in stone. This guy got lucky. You might not be…