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Why Is Lane Splitting Only Legal in California? And Is it Safe?

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A motorcyclist lane splits on a California freeway. (Craig Miller/KQED)

If you’ve ever driven in California, you’ve probably had a motorcycle drive between you and another car.

This is called lane splitting (also known as lane sharing or filtering), and a 2014 study found that 80 percent of California motorcyclists lane split on the freeway, with more than half saying they do it “often” or “always.”

People have a lot of feelings about it, but they don’t always have all the information.

Here are 10 things you need to know to understand lane splitting in California.

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