Motorcyclists who slide between cars on crowded Bay Area roads and zip to where they're going faster than everyone else - while infuriating more than a few drivers - now have the official blessing of the California Highway Patrol.
The practice, called lane-splitting, has always been legal in California. But state authorities have never, until now, told motorcyclists how to weave the white line safely.
California is the only state in the country where lane-splitting is legal.
"Really, it has been limited anarchy out there," said Sgt. Mark Pope, statewide motorcycle safety coordinator for the CHP. "Nobody has provided any guidance, so we decided it was time to figure that out."
The new rules, which the CHP introduced in January after consulting with other state agencies and motorcycle-rider groups, apply to city streets, highways and freeways across the state.
"Basically, what we're most interested in is the speeds," Pope said. "You should lane-split no faster than 10 mph over the speed of traffic around you, and we recommend (motorcyclists) not split at all if the traffic is faster than 30 mph."