Lane splitting in other states

Randy B

Randy B

Well-known member
So I was on Facebook today when a friend in Chicago complained about a group of sport bikes that split passed his box truck on both sides of him at a relatively high rate of speed, and rightfully so based on that.
But the conversation got over to splitting across the country and I had two people say that it was legal in Georgia and Arizona. The guy from Georgia said the governor recently signed the law making it legal, but I couldn't find anything on it. The guy from Arizona said that it is legal, but not encouraged.

Does anyone know anything about either of these allegations? If they are true or not?
 
bikeama

bikeama

Super Moderator
Staff member
Did not think anywhere other than CA it was legal. Just made a trip to MN and back, strange to see bikes sitting stopped in traffic. Same riders not wearing helmets or had them strapped to the back of their bike.
 
DataDan

DataDan

Mama says he's bona fide
AFAIK in the US it's legal only in California.

ISTR a proposal in Georgia but no details.

In Arizona, there was a state bill a few years ago to legalize it in Maricopa County (Phoenix & surrounding) on a trial basis with an expiration date. I think it passed the legislature but was vetoed by the governor.
 
KittenMeat

KittenMeat

Life: It's Terminal!
it's less about it being explicitly legal and more about where it is and isn't explicitly illegal.


sitting on your couch and watching TV isn't explicitly legal, but it isn't illegal either.
 
Randy B

Randy B

Well-known member
Also one of the guys tried to tell me that splitting here was illegal until 1984 when they (the legislature) supposedly traded the ability to split for the helmet law. He kept saying that he has relatives that are in law enforcement and he has inside information.
What he missed was the helmet law wasn't made law here until 1992 (from the information I could find on it).
To the best of my knowledge splitting has always been "not illegal" here.
 
Kestrel

Kestrel

Well-known member
Absolutely not legal in GA.

California is the only state. The guys who passed that truck weren't splitting, they were just breaking the law.
 
Enchanter

Enchanter

Ghost in The Machine
Staff member
Randy B said:
Also one of the guys tried to tell me that splitting here was illegal until 1984 when they (the legislature) supposedly traded the ability to split for the helmet law. He kept saying that he has relatives that are in law enforcement and he has inside information.
What he missed was the helmet law wasn't made law here until 1992 (from the information I could find on it).
To the best of my knowledge splitting has always been "not illegal" here.
Click to expand...

The guy is blowing smoke up your ass. It has always been allowed in CA. I started riding in 1981 in SoCal and everyone was doing it then.
 
sckego

sckego

doesn't like crashing
I split the length of the Vegas Strip on Memorial Day weekend a few years back, including past several cops. Nobody seemed to care.
 
Randy B

Randy B

Well-known member
I hit him with the 1992 law and he never came back at me. I had also said that people riding for 40 years or more here have been doing it and that's when he tried to tell me that crap about 1984.
 
P

packnrat

Well-known member
only thing about 1984 is it is a title of a communist manifesto book of how to communisis the United States. :afm199
 
OaklandF4i

OaklandF4i

Darwin's exception
bikeama said:
Did not think anywhere other than CA it was legal. Just made a trip to MN and back, strange to see bikes sitting stopped in traffic. Same riders not wearing helmets or had them strapped to the back of their bike.
Click to expand...

Just got back yesterday from a MC trip to MN. On the way there I split up to the front of a line for a stoplight in Cheyenne Wyoming. First vehicle on the right just happened to be a sheriff in an F150... and he let it be known that I was not to do that again. :laughing

Swear east of the Rockies every bike is a Harley. And I damn near mean every bike. I can count on one hand the number of non harleys I encountered until I got to Minneapolis where I attended an Oil and Ink show/party with the Mpls Rockers. :thumbup
 
Zerox

Zerox

Can I be....frank?
49 states are assholes. If you ain't in California, you as a motorcyclist, you are suffering.

There's no other way to explain it, really. You wish you were in California, but you ain't.
 
boney

boney

Miles > Posts
Legal or not, I've been willing to split on the highways in other states when the traffic gets really bad. I've never had an issue with law enforcement. It's the angry drivers you have to look out for.
 
LittleBigGirl

LittleBigGirl

Well-known member
Randy B said:
So I was on Facebook today when a friend in Chicago complained about a group of sport bikes that split passed his box truck on both sides of him at a relatively high rate of speed, and rightfully so based on that.
But the conversation got over to splitting across the country and I had two people say that it was legal in Georgia and Arizona. The guy from Georgia said the governor recently signed the law making it legal, but I couldn't find anything on it. The guy from Arizona said that it is legal, but not encouraged.

Does anyone know anything about either of these allegations? If they are true or not?
Click to expand...

Just had this same conversation.... I thought it was just CA.
Which may be a good thing with all the states who don't require a helmet!!!! :thumbdown
 
speedster

speedster

Well-known member
I have to lane split when on a motorcycle. I've done it in NY, NJ, CT, PA, FL, MA....never had an issue even though it may not be legal in those other jurisdictions.
 
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enki

enki

Well-known member
Bullshit. Not legal in AZ, but I've had friends who DPS just gave a polite warning to.
 
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