H
HavBlue
"Lane splitting by motorcycles is permissible under California law but must done in a safe and prudent manner."
It's open to interpretation - it's apparently challenging to find a cop that thinks it's "safe and prudent" at speeds 35+
In other words - the faster traffic / you are going - the more likely you are to get a ticket. The "rule of thumb" is to go no more than 10 MPH than surrounding traffic. Again - very subjective. The courts tend to side with the siting officer as to what "safe and prudent" for the conditions are.
Yes, lane splitting is permissible but not under law as there is "no law" or section within the California Vehicle Code (CVC) to make it in any way legal. It is therefore at the "officers discretion" in terms of the rider getting a citation. After splitting for decades I can tell you there are more than a few incidents I have run across where the rider was simply going way to fast hence the reason the cager never had a chance to even begin to know the rider may have been in the gap and this is the reason that rider went down.
I will also say that throwing things at the rider and opening a cage door are very illegal and that is covered by law in the CVC.