Recent Blog Posts
New Highway Bill Includes Provisions Limiting Motorcyclist-Targeting Measures, Other Good Developments for Bikers
In a legislative climate that so often targets motorcyclists as the enemy on the road, recent changes to federal law include modifications that should protect both motorcyclist safety and legal rights. The changes, approved by Congress on December 3, are included in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, a five-year, $305 billion transportation… Read More »
CHP Receives “Have A Good Ride II” Grant to Improve Motorcycle Safety
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has recently received a grant which it plans to direct toward motorcyclist safety efforts. The “Have a Good Ride II” grant was provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The grant will be spent on a year-long campaign, which began in… Read More »
New Texas Law On Motorcycle LED Lighting is Less Confusing than Current California Law
The state of Texas recently enacted a law amending the state’s policies on the use of LED lighting on motorcycles. LED lights are used by a number of motorcyclists to personalize their bikes, but some believe that adding light strips can help with safe riding as well, especially at night. SB 1918 in Texas… Read More »
Minnesota First State to Allow Motorcyclists to Act as Road Guards
Recently, Minnesota became the first state in the country to allow for motorcyclists travelling as part of a group ride to act as “road guards” and thereby promote the safety of motorists and motorcyclists by directing traffic to facilitate the safe passage of a group of motorcyclists through an intersection. Illinois is the only… Read More »
Long Beach Police Institute Series of Crackdowns Targeted at Motorcyclists
In the second time this year, Long Beach police in southern California pledged to devote an entire weekend to specifically targeting motorcyclists. As part of its “Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operation,” the Long Beach police sends out extra police officers to locations frequented by motorcycle enthusiasts with the intent of ticketing motorcyclists and specifically targeting… Read More »
Proposed Law Making Lane Splitting Explicitly Legal in California has Been Withdrawn
Adding yet another layer of ambiguity to the current state of the law, a bill that would have made lane-splitting explicitly legal in California has been withdrawn from consideration for the current legislative session. California is currently the only state that does not explicitly ban lane-splitting, and would have been the first state in… Read More »
Filming Police Biker Stops is Legal Under Current Law
Police harassment of bikers does occur, but if the incident is not recorded, the allegations of harassment come down to the biker’s word against the police, and guess who prevails in that scenario? Increasingly, private citizens have taken to making photographic, audio or video recordings of such encounters, often by using the recording equipment… Read More »
In California and Around the Country, Lawmakers Seek to Outlaw Motorcycle Profiling
The practice of stopping law-abiding citizens for no other reason than that they are riding a motorcycle or wearing colors is finally starting to catch the attention of state lawmakers who see this practice as an unlawful intrusion on individual rights. In several states, legislators have introduced measures to clarify that motorcycle profiling is… Read More »
Lane Splitting: A Victory for Motorcyclist Rights?
Not so fast. Controversy over the legality of “lane splitting” – the practice of motorcyclists operating their vehicles between lanes of stalled traffic – has revved up due to the California Highway Patrol’s decision to remove the lane splitting guidelines from its official website. Motorcycle enthusiasts and proponents of lane splitting claim that, in… Read More »
Assemblymember Introduces Bill to Legalize Lane Splitting in California: Never Mind That it is Already Legal
California is currently the only state in the nation that allows motorcyclists to ride between lanes or in lanes occupied by other vehicles, a practice commonly known as lane splitting but also referred to as whitelining, filtering or lane sharing. Although lane splitting is not expressly authorized in state law, California Vehicle Code section… Read More »
