Your first time is typical. You'll learn to anticipate drivers' actions. Yes, you can get surprised, it's not a perfect world. Saving "5-10mins" is a great start. You'll arrive at your destination with less stress, once you get used to it.

Handy tips~ Don't lane split over 50 mph.
Only lane split once traffic calms down and drivers accept they're stuck in line. This reduces lane changing. Especially abrupt lane changers.

Don't pass cars going more than 20mph faster than they're going. This is an absolute limit for me. 10mph is even better, and less nerve wracking.

There's no shame in jumping back in traffic's flow if you get frazzled or you're getting off the freeway.

You can only lane split between cars with 2 or more lanes going the same direction.

When on the freeways, it's best to split between lanes 1 & 2. This is where 90+% of the splitting occurs and the motorists will expect you there. Don't be shocked to see cars physically "give you room" to pass as you come up on them. It's awesome when ppl open up the space for motorcycles.

Some riders split between the car pool lane and lane #1. Becareful here as the CHP might not like this too much and there's painted lines that are elevated slightly. This can cause your tires to "climb and fall" up/down the edges of the paint. At speed, it can cause instability. Especially when wet. Botts dots are a whole other issue. Especially with ABS brakes...

 

Rocket rider, you expect that kinda stupid out of them and they never fail to deliver. Lane sharing and filtering in in town traffic are the biggest misunderstood issues with non California riders, common sense, situational awareness and a bit of courtesy it's much safer than sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, you won't get rear ended by some cell phone droid.

I've dodged that bullet twice in the last few years, traffic stops I filter to the front and BAM!! glass & plastic flying from where you would have been sitting. Sobering reality check I'll tell you.

 

i wouldnt lane split, theres many times in CA where we were moving along slowly and some dumbass lane splits right when i was just about to start to nudge my car over to force my way into the next lane. I just about killed him. If all you save is 10 min thats a crappy trade off.

 

 

IMO the flip side to that "trust" thing is that if you're sitting in bumper to bumper traffic going through your typical accordion effect, you are trusting every vehicle behind you to not rear end you and crush you between them and the car in front of you. As much as everybody likes to think their situational awareness is flawless and they know where vehicles around them are at all times, things happen. The driver in front of you could drop his smoke in his lap and slam on his brakes. The gap you leave for safety in front of you? A car could take that empty space at the same time the guy tailgating you looks down to answer a text. Or the guy behind you gets rear ended which in turn causes him to rear end you.

Like it or not you have to "trust" everybody else on the road every time you head out anywhere. Again, IMO, it is easier to focus mostly on whats going on in front of you (like you would when splitting) instead of trying to divide your attention 50/50 front and back, at the same time keeping an escape path open in front/to the side of you in case the guy behind you looks like hes going to sandwich you. What do you really need to use your mirrors for when youre splitting, other than to check for faster riders coming up behind you? At least you'll be able to focus maybe 90% of your attention to whats going on directly in front of you. Driver behavior is pretty easy to predict during heavy traffic, especially if its part of your daily commute. There are certain spots I pass every day that for whatever reason, encourages drivers to make A hole moves. It doesn't matter if Im in a car or bike, but I'm aware of it and can usually predict when somebody is going to jump a few lanes in those spots.

Of course, if you're sitting in traffic and don't bother to be aware of whats going on behind you, then my theory doesn't apply to you.

 

 

My reaction to this initially is that it's the driver's responsibility to clear the lane she/he is trying to move into. That normally does not involve a mirror check...it involves looking over one's shoulder to ensure that the lane is clear. Too often, I've noticed, both while riding and driving, that this seems to be a lost art. I've caught myself doing it too, so I'm including myself in that.

Many's the time that I've surprised a driver who actually did that head check, and lo and behold! there I was!

 

Hmm...you're CA Motorcycle guys? ...It's been Legal in CA since Jan 1, 2017 (Assembly Bill 51)... NOT just "Not Illegal" as previously.

Oh and if you're not "Splitting", please don't plug the hole

 

Well said.

 

I watch for previous "abrupt" maneuvers from cars. This tells me they may have a higher chance to repeat those higher risk maneuvers.

Also, I check license plate origins. If I see a plate from a State that has a high ratio of "A-Holes to normal people", I take special care in passing those ppl. Or, back off and pass another way.


Some do make it a challenge.

One thing I've noticed over the years (decades) of doing this~ There has never been a better time to split lanes than now. Here's why~ In my location (North San Diego County) the vast majority of drivers are of Mexican/So. Am. decent. These countries actively promote lane splitting in their home lands. They bring this awareness with them when they come to the USA.

Now, if we could only get them to yield to emergency vehicles, that would be great. They usually just "stop" right where they are. Right in the middle of every lane. If we could teach them to pull over & stop, that would be good. It's also the law...