Motorcycle riders in California enjoy certain privileges. Still, each of them is expected to carry-out certain responsibilities.

The privileges enjoyed by motorcycle riders in California:

Lane-splitting: That became legal in 2016. Today riders on motorcycles can travel between 2 vehicles that are traveling down the road, side-by-side. In addition, any one of that same riders can move from a defined lane into a portion of the road that is in between lanes. This move was made legal because statistics showed that the practice of lane-splitting did not put the motorcyclists at greater risk. In fact, it seemed to serve as a means for keeping them safe from harm.

Furthermore, the motorcyclists have been granted permission to behave in a specific way, when taking part in a lane-splitting experience. Each of them can go faster than the other cars on the road, while engaged in lane-splitting. Motorcycle riders are also allowed to take part in a lane-sharing experience; yet, not on any road. If 2 riders want to share a lane, they must do so when the road being traveled has at least 2 lanes in which all the traffic is headed in the same direction. Obviously, as the personal injury lawyer in Clovis knows that the law does not allow 3 or more motorcyclists to travel next-to each other in the same lane.

Responsibilities of motorcycle riders in California

Each of those riders must wear a helmet. If someone chooses to ride without a helmet and then gets involved in an accident, that same person cannot go after compensation for any head injuries, due to the helmet’s absence.

That rule was put in place in an effort to push riders to don a helmet. It makes sense to protect your head, if you are going to be riding a vehicle that could easily fall over. The legislators hoped that that one law would result in a marked increase in the number of helmet-wearing motorcyclists.

Unfortunately, the legislators did not see the results that they had hoped for. Some people still choose to dispense with the helmet. Each of them seemed to believe that their chances for becoming involved in an accident was quite small. That belief encourages them to travel down the road without a helmet and often that results in an accident. Today, a larger number of riders have chosen to wear a helmet. That suggests the influence of advice from those that learned the hard way why it makes sense to wear a helmet and other safety gear.

Those that have learned that hard lesson can now share the wisdom that comes from making a mistake. Each of them can warn others, usually younger riders, about what can happen to someone that has chosen to risk the consequences for not wearing a helmet.