What is Lane Splitting and is it Illegal in Michigan?

Is lane splitting a thing in Michigan? If so, is it even legal?

What is Lane Splitting

I can tell you that lane splitting is not a section of Michigan highway that splits to the left and right. Lane splitting has nothing to do with the road but has everything to do with how drivers use it.

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The first time I witnessed lane splitting was when I was driving on the freeway to Los Angeles, California, to play a gig at the Whiskey-a-Go-Go.  The freeway was huge, and traffic was moving slowly, then a motorcycle flew between the vehicles. I thought this was insane. Come to find out lane splitting is legal in California.

To be more blunt, lane splitting (white-lining or lane filtering) is when a motorcycle maneuvers between lanes of traffic moving in the same direction. I never see guys are Harleys do this, but I've seen several crotch rockets do this on 131, and it looks dangerous.

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Is Lane Splitting Legal in Michigan?

The quick answer is that lane splitting is illegal in Michigan and every state except California. Recently, someone posted a reminder on the Grand Rapids Reddit page that lane splitting is illegal in Michigan. Below are some of the comments from other posters:

I can tell this poster is an avid rider, and he is right about riders assuming every single driver is trying to kill you. Riding a motorcycle is all defense.

Nothing like a little patience to keep a rider alive.

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There are many more posts on this thread with some thinking lane splitting is ok. It is still illegal, but if you have some comments or would like to see the full thread, click here.