And to bump yet another dormant thread....
Great practical info from everyone, and good on the LEOs for offering their understanding of the VC as it can be applied to lane splitting (yeah, I said it).
Just one comment and one question:
First, for those who are complaining of unfair persecution for splitting, you should try to understand that the CVC is HUUUUGE, and not every LEO can have a full understanding of each code by both the letter and spirit of the law at all times. As with a lot of other occupations, I'd imagine that most traffic patrol LEOs have a solid general understanding of
most of the CVC and a better understanding of any city/county codes as they apply in their own jurisdiction - but never a 100% knowledge of everything all the time. As they encounter traffic trends, their knowledge will change as they start citing for different codes, and because of this, their overall memory of the CVC will be constantly changing depending on what codes (if any) their department or superiors like to pay special attention for, and what current trends those on patrol encounter.
In other words, a traffic officer's job is to enforce the CVC and local vehicle codes in order to keep all road users/bystanders/property owners safe from undue harm. If you feel that a particular officer misinterpreted the CVC, profiled you, or wrongly cited you - just collect your facts and negotiate with the judge - or get an attorney. You can't expect every officer to know the nuances of every code at all times - especially over something with so many potential applicable codes (yet something that's not even fully defined) as lane splitting.
Secondly, a question for the LEOs - the two-lane road issue. I have read in several places that it is only legal to split if the lane you're riding in has a stripe on each side - meaning both the center line and fog line are necessary to define the boundaries of each lane. If there is no stripe on right side of the lane, then you are technically passing on the shoulder if you split past someone on the right. IIRC, when I was reviewing snippets from the CVC, it said something to the effect that any deviance from the common path of traffic within a lane with no right-side boundary is considered driving on the shoulder. In essence, this could make it illegal to split on a two-lane road with no shoulder stripe, or in the right-most lane of a multiple lane road where the lane has no shoulder stripe.
Can any of the LEOs clarify this?
And many thanks again to BudMan for starting the LEO forum, and to the LEOs who take their time to moderate and answer questions here - this is a great resource. And gawd only knows that the last thing I want to do when I get home from my day job is to continue working (off the clock!) by answering even more CVC questions online....
Cheers,
-Q!