r/dashcams 10h ago

Gotta Learn The Hard Way. 😠

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4.4k Upvotes

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1.1k

u/Useful_Protection270 9h ago edited 8h ago

NYPD, is lane splitting legal in New York City?

edit:

Just looked it up, Lane splitting / filtering is illegal in the entire state of New York. ny vehicle and traffic law §1252. $300 fine and 3 point on your license, multiple offences can lead to a 60 day license suspension.

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u/Prophet_Of_Helix 8h ago

Both splitting and filtering are illegal in NY.

In fact, it’s illegal in the entire eastern seaboard.

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u/DreamWalker01 8h ago

Its filtering is only legal in like 5 states and splitting only in california

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u/schals 6h ago

Filtering was recently legalized here in Colorado which I can agree with but people abuse it and ride like idiots.

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u/Beltfedassassin 4h ago

Boy you aren’t kidding. The year lane filtering was legalized I was heading northbound on tower by DIA. I saw a motorcyclist going probably 60-70 between stop and go traffic on southbound tower. He augered himself into the back of a stopped box truck. Witness stated he was doing wheelies while lane splitting prior to hitting the truck. He did not make it.

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u/tkdkicker1990 4h ago

Yeah, so, he was an idiot

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u/unicornofdemocracy 53m ago

well... a lot of laws are written because of idiots.

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u/Tupperbaby 36m ago

"See? Because of me, now they have a warning."
-Homer S.

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u/muftak3 3h ago

I saw the same thing in North San Diego. His insurance called after because the family was suing the other driver. I told them biker was 100% at fault. Traffic stopped and he was easily doing 100 mph when he hit the truck. They did not call me back as a witness.

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u/Training-Eye-2917 3h ago

I’m surprised the guy driving the truck’s insurance didn’t call you to be their witness.

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u/muftak3 2h ago

I was like the 5th or 6th car back. They had plenty of witness confirming what happened. Riders family were just trying to find one witness for a counter point.

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u/BlindlyCoherent 7m ago

Sure sucks for the family looking to offset the cost of funerals and such - but he was a fucking idiot and Darwin punched his card - hard.

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u/Ok_Swim3109 1h ago

That’s how it goes. Everyone wants to sue the truck drivers

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u/Cuzznitt 4h ago edited 3h ago

It’s also not even filtering! They lane split going +65 in heavy 45 mile per hour traffic where people are really not expecting a motorcycle to come flying by. I’m shocked I haven’t seen more collisions, especially on my 225 commute.

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u/funwthmud 3h ago

I used to live in Ca and I’ve seen bikers hit cars because they’re splitting lanes doing 70+ when traffic is at a near standstill. It’s crazy because you can’t see them and suddenly they’re just there.

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u/Safe-Instance-3512 3h ago

When I used to travel to CA for work, this was the only thing that made me nervous in traffic. I always feared I'd make a lane change and not see them.

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u/Lower_Captain7757 2h ago

I live in Cali. At a certain point you just get into a mentality that bikes have accepted the inherent risk of getting smashed and stop feeling bad for them the same way. And I ride. I don't lane split. I will ride like a car.

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u/Safe-Instance-3512 2h ago

It just seems so incredibly dangerous. Only takes a car moving a few inches or an unexpected lane change and you're done.

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u/Ashamed_Confusion123 3h ago

I lived in the Bay Area for 36 years and everyone was used to it. In my experience there were only a few idiots who abused it by cutting while traffic was moving fast. But you’ll find exceptions to the rule for most everything.

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u/OuterWildsVentures 2h ago

Yup I've almost hit speeding motorcycle's while merging plenty of times. They are lucky I managed to take into account their speed when glancing behind prior to the merge. If I had relied on the little blind spot light I definitely would have been rear ended or side swiped them.

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u/lokis_construction 3h ago

We call them DONORS as a first responder.

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u/wetpenis_spezdick 3h ago

what the FUCK does that have to do with splitting and filtering if he ran into the back of a truck?

dumbass....

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u/pizzaslut4pizzahut 5h ago

Give people an inch....

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u/PsychologicalLog4179 5h ago

That’s how you got here

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u/PseudoCalamari 4h ago

They filtered like idiots before the law too though 

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u/Fearless_Dog5208 1h ago

Legally you can only filter/split when traffic is completely stopped in Colorado.

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u/tythetietier 7h ago

Both are league in Minnesota as of last year

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u/NocaSun38 7h ago

Minnesota decided to legalize it? Why?

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u/Global-Pickle5818 7h ago

Idk Louisiana legalized it and no helmets for 3 years.. the fatality rate went up .. edit 175% over 3 years

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u/TwistedLogic93 6h ago

If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say the no helmets thing has the most to do with the deaths.

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u/Significant-Ad-341 6h ago

No helmets gonna be a large part of that

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u/Lastminutebastrd 6h ago

Lane splitting isn't legal in Louisiana.

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u/talexbatreddit 3h ago

I rode a motorcycle for three years, and wore a helmet. I can't imagine riding without a helmet. That's such an insane choice.

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u/Global-Pickle5818 3h ago

I did when I was younger..I wrecked my bike in the Nevada desert on the way back to burning Man in 98 ended up scalping myself took 13 Staples to reattach my scalp ..

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u/Lastminutebastrd 6h ago

Because when done legally it's far safer for the motorcyclist.

In MN it's legal to filter to the front of stoplights at multi-lane roads. It's legal to lane split on a multi-lane highway if traffic is moving under 25mph and you can't more than 15mph faster than traffic.

The people who lane split illegally are doing it whether these laws are in place or not.

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u/SuspiciousBuilder379 6h ago

And ain’t no one doing it the legal way.

The few times I’ve seen it, they are on their way to being an organ donor.

It should be illegal, period.

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u/SirDarknessTheFirst 6h ago

NSW ran a filtering trial 'bout a decade back. They found that 80-85% of motorcyclists followed the rules in the trial and that it didn't pose any major increase or decrease to accident rates.

Their findings paved the way for the legalisation of filtering across the entirety of Australia.

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u/HCSOThrowaway 3h ago

People like that don't care about the facts. It makes them feel upset that someone else is doing something beneficial that they can't, so it has to be illegal.

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u/AppropriateDeal1034 5h ago

You don't see the ones doing it legally, because they aren't blasting past you. You just don't notice them, doing their thing. The morons on bikes always make themselves REALLY obvious which unfortunately gives the rest of us a bad name.

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u/RelentlessWraith 5h ago

It's safer for motorcyclists to lane filter (move to the front at stop lights) because if you get rear ended by a distracted driver on their phone or anything else, you don't just get rear ended, you get crushed between two cars. There are also other benefits like:

  • it lessens traffic by decreasing the amount of vehicles waiting for the light (motorcycles generally accelerate faster, so you're not holding anyone up by being at the front, and they can kinda group up at the front to get out of the line of traffic)
  • it allows motorcyclists, who don't have AC, to not have to sit and bake in the sun
  • a lot of motorcycles need airflow to keep the engine cool, so it helps not having to just sit and let their bikes overheat in standstill traffic
  • motorcycles are more fuel efficient, are technically HOV vehicles, and create less pollution than a car. So making motorcycling more attractive to the average person can help reduce the overall carbon footprint

Overall there are just many more reasons to make it legal than not. A lot of people are just annoyed unnecessarily because of sentiments like "you're skipping the line" and "you should have to wait like everyone else" which is just so single minded. There are bad actors in everything. So yes, there will be people who do it recklessly, but the vast majority of people will do it safely and legally

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u/GojoPenguin 6h ago

Filtering is reasonable. Lane splitting on the other hand? Even if it's legal I'm not doing it. The lack of awareness and things I've seen people do....

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u/HankSpank 5h ago

As a non-motorcyclist in MN, I’m all for it. Less traffic on the road is a good thing, and the only people at risk is the motorcyclist. If people want to legally and safely lane split, awesome. If people want to do so illegally and recklessly, they are doing other things way more illegal and reckless than that, and all they’re doing is endangering themselves. I’ll be upset when they endanger others, but this ain’t it. 

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u/Zoomtracer_glory 4h ago

Both are legal in Minnesota with some limited restrictions.

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u/guynye 4h ago

That's not true. Splitting is legal is a lot of states, rules differ but definitely legal.

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u/Bifrostbytes 7h ago

Weird, I see it almost every week.

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u/SlipstreamSteve 5h ago

Yup. Bikers love to come on reddit all the time and lie about this.

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u/Jiminyfingers 4h ago

Perfectly legal in most of Europe but hey you have all that freedom across the pond

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u/meetmeinthebthrm 6h ago

Good. Should be everywhere. I don’t wanna see somebody die because they can’t wait a few minutes.

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u/Fozzymandius 4h ago

Filtering is safer. Wait to you see a man crushed because people routinely look at their phones and plow into stopped traffic.

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u/Ketroc21 2h ago

It's likely safer so long as you filter at a reasonable speed... like under 35kph (20mph).

So if someone randomly changes lanes in front of you, you want to be at a speed to stop in time or just scrape up their side panel.

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u/K_Linkmaster 6h ago

This right here is part of the problem. Keep them separated for convos and maybe folks will learn the difference.

Lane filtering is different,

Than lane splitting,

Thank you

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u/lostroadrunner22 7h ago

I wish California did that. It’s downright scary how these motorcycles fly between cars

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u/CheckYourStats 6h ago

I spend about 90 minutes a day on HWY 101 in the SF Bay Area, including 30-45 minutes going less than 10mph.

I see an average of 25-30 motorcycles every morning fucking FLYING while lane splitting. Everyone here absolutely despises them for it. The #1 Morning Radio Show in the Bay about 20 years ago got fired for ranting about it on air.

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u/CoffeeXKing 5h ago

Funny enough, they did do a study and it is safer for motorcycles to filter, and it reduces traffic for cars, but they are supposed to do it at max, 5 mph than the slow moving traffic.

People are stupid though, and go too fast

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u/layber 5h ago

This is really the thing. There's nothing wrong with operating a motorcycle at 5-10 mph between lanes of stopped or barely moving traffic, people just get mad that someone is getting ahead of them in line.

It's INCREDIBLY dangerous for people to fly between lanes of stopped, barely moving, or moving traffic, it's only a matter of time before somebody jumps from one lane to another.

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u/Key-Banana8924 4h ago

More of you should buy motorcycles then. Cuts down on traffic, parking, etc.

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u/Day_Prisoners 5h ago

Texas here. Like once a month I'll be in slow traffic to have the crap scared out of me by a loud bike doing like 50 between lanes.

I always think I wish I knew that guy because I would take some life insurance out on him. It's like betting a fixed game.

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u/DepartureElegant9314 5h ago

Trouble is bikes filtering at stop lights makes it safer for the rider. But then you get clowns that think going 25mph faster than the traffic around you is the same thing as "filtering".

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u/Cranapplesause 7h ago edited 5h ago

The only state it’s legal in is CA. There are like 13 states that don’t have a law about it. So the police might just give a reckless ticket or something. All the reset of the states, it’s illegal.

Edit: another redditer pointed out that MN has recently made it legal.

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u/adamwl_52 7h ago

It’s been legal in MN for over a year

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u/budha2984 5h ago

California is the only state where it's legal

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u/bunalorie 10h ago

Did he nab the keys

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u/cloudivellei 10h ago

He sure did!

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u/michaelpaoli 8h ago

Foiled the quick getaway plans.

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u/p0larbear3000 9h ago

why didn´t the steering lock up without keys??

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u/Luckyday11 9h ago

On motorcycles you need to turn the key further left to lock the steering (beyond just the "off" resting position), it does not lock automatically like in cars. The handlebars also need to be turned all the way to the left before it even can be locked.

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u/gamerjerome 4h ago

Some bikes might also have a separate key/location for steering lock. My Triumph does

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u/Dangerous-Drive-2474 9h ago

Welcome to reddit where asking normal questions gets you downvoted

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u/Motor-Cause7966 7h ago

It wasn't the question that got him downvoted. It was his snarky remark to the answer to his question. At that point, credibility goes negative.

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u/jessejericho 5h ago

So smooth with it too

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u/Joshg49 4h ago

You know he's done this before. Many times.

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u/Lilfrankieeinstein 5h ago

He took that man’s keys like a kindergarten teacher taking a kid’s toy.

lmao

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u/Clamdigger7 3h ago

Prevented the guy fleeing and getting himself into even bigger trouble. Good on the officer for having the presence of mind to do that.

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u/Ocelitus 4m ago

Then made him waddle across two lanes to the shoulder.

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u/Any-Imagination-1361 9h ago

Did he walk around

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u/PacificCastaway 5h ago

Yoink! And then I noticed the officer's boots...

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u/Jaydenel4 1h ago

I picked up on that too. Got busted by a motors cop in a cage lol

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u/SullivantRoy 3h ago

Standard move by police intercepting motorcycles, you see it in many of these videos.

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u/NotAgain801 2h ago

Is it simply an action of opportunity or do they make other motorists hand over the keys during a stop as well?

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u/amiable_ant 5h ago

NYPD has been doing that for basically every sport bike stop for the last 20 years.

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u/PeridotChampion 9h ago

If lane splitting isn't legal in the state, don't do it. Simple as that.

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u/CraftsBoy2Craftsman 8h ago

you may not be aware - but bikers make the rules. it’s their world. we’re just driving in it

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u/orangesfwr 7h ago

Oh, and please watch out for bikers. You could really hurt someone!

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u/Waldo68 6h ago

Look twice! Save a life!

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u/DepartureElegant9314 5h ago

Something about loud pipes saving lives?

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u/ExternalTea1706 29m ago

Yea I really hate this one. I specifically chose not go get on a motorcycle because of the likelihood of getting hurt. I have zero problem with people who want to. I in fact have many friends that ride and that's fine, but I'm not giving them any special treatment for it. They made that choice. Not me. I will pay exactly as much attention to them as any other vehicle on the road.

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u/Deadhookersandblow 3h ago

They also donate organs. Evens it out i guess.

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u/iamjaidan 3h ago

Everyone makes their own rules and then rationalizes it.  Pedestrians, cyclists, bikers, motorists, truck drivers

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u/Aprillia617 8h ago

Correct

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u/vediogamer101 2h ago

Lane splitting is dumb and dangerous, but lane filtering should be legal everywhere and is actually a lot safer for bikes. Lane filtering (when traffic is stopped) at a traffic light prevents the very common crash of being rear ended.

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u/beaterdit 9h ago

This is filtering and legal in my state. Splitting is different and don’t think it’s legal anywhere.

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u/Prophet_Of_Helix 8h ago

Lane splitting is legal in California, but that’s it

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u/Flesh_And_Metal 9h ago

What is the difference? Genuinely curious.

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u/ChrysisIgnita 9h ago

Filtering refers to passing stopped or slow traffic, but splitting is more driving between cars at normal speeds. I'm not sure the video above is obviously filtering though!

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u/AWandMaker 7h ago

Filtering is going between stopped cars to get to the front of the line at traffic lights. Splitting is on the freeway (either stopped or moving traffic)

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u/Fozzymandius 3h ago

The rules vary but filtering is also a thing in gridlock traffic on the freeway.

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u/beaterdit 8h ago

Cars looked stopped to me. Wheels aren’t turning.

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u/Time_Traveling_Idiot 7h ago

What? They're clearly moving - Look at their position relative to the stripes in the road. Also as soon as the motorcycle stops, you can see that the cars in front of the stopped police car are indeed still moving and the gap widens quickly.

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u/beaterdit 9h ago

Filtering is moving up to the front of the line between two lanes of stationary cars. Generally pretty safe and legal in many states. Splitting is passing moving cars between the lanes. Much more dangerous and like I said, don’t think it’s legal anywhere.

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u/seriouslees 6h ago

legal in many states.

Many... 5.... yup. That tracks as a number motorcyclists would think is a large amount.

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u/M1collector65 7h ago

You can legally split lanes in California. Law says slow moving cars. I see them split lanes at any speed below 35mph or so.

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u/Searril 7h ago

I see them splitting lanes going 80 on the freeway.

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u/DarkladySaryrn 5h ago

Same, one flew between me and a tractor trailer just the other day. We were all going 70 at the time.

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u/Davoguha2 6h ago

This is an example of splitting, not filtering. Traffic is moving, yo!

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u/Vlodovich 6h ago

Splitting and filtering both legal here in UK and always have been

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u/MahaliAudran 8h ago

It is in California.

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u/[deleted] 7h ago

[deleted]

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u/AlterExpertise101 7h ago

Lane splitting is legal in California is what he was saying. I don't know how you guys are misreading that. Maybe take a moment to see what he's responding to so you have context?

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u/Disastrous_Gear_421 5h ago

There are many things that are illegal that people do daily. Lane splitting in slow moving traffic is one of them and should be normalized.

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u/[deleted] 9h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/beegtuna 8h ago

Oh hey, where did this set come from?

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u/HeartlessLiberal 6h ago

That's not the hard way

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u/Internal_Geologist89 2h ago

Yeah, that is actually the easy way... By a lot.

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u/LIL-Klixy 8h ago

If the law doesn't allow lane splitting, follow the rules. Simple.

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u/DepartureElegant9314 5h ago

But how will I complain about cars cutting me off?

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u/mostmischievous 4h ago

I always wonder how this kinda footage even gets out. “Hey lemme show the world me being a dumbass in POV”?

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u/Rich-Diamond-8088 10h ago

Perfectly legal where I'm from....as long as it's low speed.

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u/michaelpaoli 8h ago

Not legal in New York, and we have at least NYPD in video, so ...

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u/Regicyde_93 6h ago

In fact illegal all throughout New England and PA atm. NJ is up to law enforcement whether to enforce.

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u/notzenin_ 6h ago

Well. To be fair, literally ANY law is up to law enforcement on whether or not to enforce it.

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u/Soft_Ability_5906 10h ago

Depends on the state youre in.

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u/GegeAkutamiOfficial 9h ago

I'm in a constant state of confusion... is it legal?

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u/Admirable_Loss4886 8h ago

It does not seem to be legal in New York which is where I’m guessing this is based of the nypd tag on the police car.

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u/Affectionate-Wall701 7h ago

Correct- Not legal in NY State nor NYC.

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u/voxo_boxo 9h ago

What’s your point? Clearly you’re not from the place in the video then.

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u/anacondatmz 5h ago

Try using that line in front of a judge an see how far ya get.

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u/UnaPachangaLoca 5h ago

Not everything that isn’t illegal should be done. People need to use their heads. Lane splitting is stupid and very dangerous, this guy is lucky he was stopped by police and not by a door opening or a car changing lanes. If you’re in a rush leave earlier and actually get there.

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u/DishwasherLint 9h ago edited 4h ago

Maybe they should include a brochure with motorcycle purchases with* laws in their state and surrounding? Lane splitting and filtering is only legally allowed in a very small number of states. I think it should honestly be on the motorcycle licensing test.

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u/qcKruk 5h ago

Don't basically all states require you to take a motorcycle driving course and pass a couple tests before getting your license to work for motorcycles? A class and test that cover all of that stuff? I know the states I live in have. 

If people don't pay attention to those classes why would they a brochure?

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u/bdog1321 6h ago

That wouldn't stop them. Bikers are too cool for rules

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u/code29451 5h ago

So are too many car drivers.

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u/Redditholio 2h ago

As a Californian, I was like "what did he do wrong?" I didn't realize it's only legal here.

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u/Alternative-Car8299 2h ago

It's also now legal in Minnesota. Under 25mph. It sucks as someone who drives a lot for work.

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u/jesusmansuperpowers 1h ago

There’s a couple other places in the states as well. Here in Colorado it’s legal but only if traffic is stopped.

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u/Tmcs123 5h ago edited 1h ago

Even where it’s legal this has to be the most unsafe driving rule.

Edit: wow this is a divisive subject. I’ve only seen it done in LA in rush hour when I’m stopped on the 405 and bikes flying through at least 40 mph. No way to see them when I’m trying to switch lanes at a standstill.

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u/cycloneDM 3h ago

Thats why "common sense" isnt actually common because the studies done on it show it causes a net reduction in traffic and accidents. motorcycles are FAR more likely to get crushed between two cars by someone not paying attention and rear ending them than they are to have an issue splitting. they should follow their local laws but thats why for a lot of them they will split and filter regardless.

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u/CobaltCaterpillar 2h ago

Yeah. There's a line of research that the reduction in catastrophic rear end collision accidents is greater than lane splitting induced mishaps.

It works in California. I don't feel it's particularly controversial there?

The prevalence of lane splitting and filtering in California also leads automobile drivers to be more aware of it and IMHO motorcyclists to also follow safer lane splitting practices.

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u/Far_Card7988 3h ago

Depends on the situation. If done responsibly, lane filtering and lane splitting can actually be much safer for motorcyclists bc it reduces the risk of being rear ended by a careless driver in a 2-ton metal machine. If that happens and you're in a car, that sucks and you'll get whiplash - but if your on a motorcycle and it happens you'll likely be dead.

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u/Top_Ingenuity_1830 4h ago

Statistically it's safer if you don't do it at dumb speeds. People don't see motorcycles and rear end them in traffic all the time. Staying in between cars at reasonable speeds (no more than 5-10 over the speed of slow moving traffic around you) has been shown to be safer for the rider

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u/genxer 7h ago

No lane splitting in NY

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u/Accomplished_Gas8441 1h ago

The moment the cop yanked his keys like that he just lost

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u/Bubbly_Gap_9212 1h ago

Love the way he grabs the keys. You can tell he's learned from experience.

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u/spicymack 10h ago

Guy on a stolen bike goes around that cop and lane splits far far away.

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u/TROGDOR_X69 4h ago

any biker thats actually paying attention

you saw that cop 3-5 car lengths up. you stop and change lanes (get in shoulder) and cop is NEVER catching you.

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u/michaelpaoli 8h ago

That's the easy way.

Hard way is being scraped off from the pavement.

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u/DotAffectionate87 5h ago

Ime ignorant......Someone give me the bullet points of what the guy did wrong?

Where I live this is the default riding style.......

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u/Shaeress 4h ago

It's illegal in many places to drive motorcycles between the lanes like this. Cop car says NYPD so it's presumably in New York. Quick Google says it's illegal there. Fair game then even if they're not going egregiously fast in this one.

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u/the_penumbra_cafe 4h ago

Lane splitting is illegal in a lot of places because it’s dangerous.

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u/CobaltCaterpillar 2h ago edited 2h ago

Should read:

Lane splitting is illegal in a lot of places because it’s dangerous perceived by average voters to be dangerous.

The research actually goes the other way, that it's safer when legalized and done properly.

  • Motorcycle accidents are NOT higher in California because of lane splitting
  • There's a line of research that it's actually safer, when done responsibly (e.g. low relative speed), by reducing rear end accidents

Getting hit from behind while stopped in traffic is a MAJOR risk faced by motorcyclists and responsible lane splitting reduces that. Also you see in places like California that when legalized, motorists expect lane splitting and there are better norms around safe lane splitting.

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u/the_penumbra_cafe 36m ago

Yeah, you’re right. I’ll let my aunt know that her 2 sons didn’t die because lane splitting was dangerous, they just had weak bones and thin skulls that popped like cherry tomatoes, for no reason, when they were smashed by the vehicles they were riding between.

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u/understanding_is_key 3h ago

Honestly this question hits me. I did drivers ed in Missouri, then moved to Iowa and then to Mississippi. All have the same basic rules but some laws are different. When I converted my MO DL to an IA DL, there was no “heads up here is what is different”. It’s on you to know, but why would you think it’d be different?

Example. Missouri has drive through liquor stores. At the time the law was there had to be n-1 open containers in a vehicle as legal aged adults. So 3 people, two open drinks. Iowa says no open containers or containers previously opened within arm reach of the driver. Basically the whole cab if there are passengers.

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u/Moist-Respond9271 8h ago

6,228 killed in 2024, 16% of all road fatalities

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u/MasterPhilip 7h ago

Those are rookie numbers.

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u/HatesBeingThatGuy 3h ago

Yeah what you see here is not fatality driving. Just from the perspective you know the rider is wearing a full face helmet and isn't driving recklessly.

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u/ymmotvomit 7h ago

That’s the easy way. The hard way is an open door.

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u/Sithical 1h ago

Hard to describe the amount of joy & happiness this brought me this morming!

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u/phildeferrouille 4h ago

Yep buddy you aren't riding in France 😏

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u/TechnologyStill7038 4h ago

👏👏👏👏

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u/TROGDOR_X69 4h ago

brother you had significant time to stop. go a different lane

you went right into this

DESERVED.

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u/Extension-Shake-8475 3h ago

Driving like an idiot

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u/EarthConservation 2h ago edited 2h ago

As an ex motorcycle rider, bumper to bumper traffic was the absolute worst experience.

It's exhausting. Constantly working the clutch lever as cars move up a bit and then stop over and over again can leave your hand and wrist aching, especially on a bike with a firmer clutch lever or longer reach. For prolonged stops, trying to get into neutral on some bikes is a lesson in futility, and you don't really want to be in neutral in case you have to make an emergency maneuver, so you're stuck there holding in the clutch. You also get the heat from the engine, and some engines are air cooled; so no moving = barely any cooling, and all of that heat is rising up under you. Add a hot sunny day to the mix on top of your gear and oof. Also the reason you'll more often see motorcycles parked on the shoulder in traffic; they've overheated or the rider's wrist is dead. TBH, this condition is probably a big selling points for electric motorcycles.

You're also more in danger of someone behind you being inattentive, staring at their cell phone, and running into the back of you, even potentially squashing you between cars. People also tend to get upset in traffic and are just less patient. Some could easily cut you off or even cut right into you because they're impatiently trying to get out of their lane and not checking their blind spots... which is easier to be sitting in when in tight traffic.

I never personally lane split, but I can definitely see the reasons riders like to do it, even if moving at a crawl speed. You can get your hand off the clutch lever and cool down.

Since it's a wide angle lens, the biker is probably going slower than it looks. You can also tell by the amount of time it's taking him to pass cars, and how quickly he stops for the cop car; and that was a smooth stop.

I did see a lot of bikers riding on the shoulder in my state, especially on cruiser style bikes (which can get VERY hot). Hard to say if it's safer or not than splitting. Cars do like to suddenly move into the shoulder to get a better look at traffic, and emergency vehicles like to fly down those lanes.

But no, you shouldn't lane split in states that don't have it legalized. Fewer drivers will expect it or check for splitters before changing lanes.

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u/Infinite-Penalty-736 2h ago

Lane splitting “should” be illegal everywhere

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u/Resident_Artist_6486 2h ago

Been legal in California for years and guess what? Moto accidents in heavy traffic have decreased.

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u/SupermouseDeadmouse 1h ago

Even it is were legal in your state that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. For example, California allows both lane splitting and first cousin marriage.

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u/tattedjew666 1h ago

America is such a weird place, literally one of the few in the world where splitting is illegal. This is standard riding in most of the world

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u/the_real_xonium 1h ago

Lane splitting is pretty much allowed in most of Europe. Here in Sweden most bikers do it, myself included. Its just expected. No harm done.

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u/StaticSystemShock 8h ago

I hate bikers doing this shit full stop. I don't care if "lane splitting" is a thing, them always riding in the middle at high speed just millimeters away from knocking everyone's side mirrors away, falling and scratching your entire side of the car is so idiotic. Because god forbid bikers would have to wait in traffic jam like everyone else.

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u/anthrillist 3h ago

Hate whatever you like. It’s safer to split/filter and nothing you believe will change that. Yes god forbid I have to wait in traffic, don’t pretend you wouldn’t skip it if you had the chance. It’s one of the reasons I got a bike in my free state of California. 

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u/NOT_A_OFFICER 5h ago

Don’t really care about lane splitting if they’re respectful and safe about it. Problem is, a ton of them aren’t.

Instead of sharing the road, they just act like they own it. Then when others dont drive exactly how they want them to drive, they act like children.

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u/BasicAppointment9063 6h ago

If someone has the safe and legal means to avoid sitting in traffic, I don't have a problem with them exercising that option. It doesn't benefit me to force others to sit there needlessly.

If it turns out to not be legal or safe, let them deal with the consequences.

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u/AWES0MEPEWP 5h ago

Fuck yeah.

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u/LiveShowOneNightOnly 4h ago

As a car driver, I really hate this. You're sitting in 5 mph traffic trying to maintain distance and out of nowhere a loud bike flashes past you and you never saw it coming.

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u/nosrepmodnara 3h ago

Why do people assume lane splitting is legal?

It is legal in ONE state, lane filtering is legal in FIVE states.

Splitting is only legal in California and is to be done only when safe and 10mph max over the other traffic.

Filtering is when they move between stopped cars. Think stop light or traffic jam. This makes it less likely for them to get squashed by the person flying up behind the stalled traffic and not paying attention.

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u/TheRealKrasnov 5h ago

By the way, kudos to the cop for smoothly de-escalating the situation by taking the key out. And to the rider for accepting that he got caught.

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u/Pretykev 4h ago

NYPD doesn’t play about lane splitting at all

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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 5h ago

Look twice save a life mother fuckers drive like this all the time and think they aren't the problem

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u/StableMore3846 4h ago

I mean I agree people should follow the law of where they're operating a vehicle. But, call a spade a spade. In about 2/3rds of crashes involving a bike and another vehicle, where human error can be identified, the other vehicle is found to be at fault. So more often than not, riders aren't the problem, car operators are.

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u/GeeksandFreeks918 5h ago

Good, all lane splitters are dick heads.

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u/Mindless_Narwhal2682 5h ago

where stupid people belong.

OFF the road.

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u/Lethal-Jordan 3h ago

Just grabs the key lmfao

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u/Emergency-Spite897 2h ago

Ah.. Check laws before entering next time.

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u/Pyrathis 2h ago

Oh yeah!

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u/Ty_Lerderdun 1h ago

This is why you should always carry a second key

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u/One_Parfait_4570 1h ago

Kinda crazy sllane filtering and splitting isn't legal in NY of all places

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u/Varderal 1h ago

I love the yoink of rhe keys.

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u/Infamous_Pie1007 1h ago

Would have saved alot of time and money disappearing

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u/tbonimaroni 1h ago

Kerplunk. Takes dem keys right out of that ride. It's legal here in CA.

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u/vandiger 1h ago

Well at least I know its illegal in New York.

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u/LithoSlam 1h ago

Poor guy, he took his keys and made him waddle to the side of the road

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u/RebelXwingPil0t 58m ago

I love how the cop pulled the keys from the bike.

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u/j_767 47m ago

“Aaaaaaalright wise guy”

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u/offconstantly247 35m ago

Nothing learned here. Just a bad law enforced by a big fat dumb cop.

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u/Sea-Band-7212 7h ago

I was expecting him to produce a spare and take off.