In 2010, The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) proposed a new law for motorcycles that altered legal lane usage on the roads in Oregon. The law would allow a motorcyclist to “share” the lane with a vehicle and pass the vehicle within the lane. This maneuver is also allowed in California and is a common practice on the freeways in that state.
Many California drivers object to this lane usage and there is a strong indication that this practice leads to some road rage. Other drivers complain that some motorcycle riders abuse this law and cause traffic delays and accidents by weaving in and out of lanes. They also note that motorcycle drivers are difficult to see in the best of circumstances and it is considerably more difficult to note them when they approach on the “blind” side of drivers.
This law was not passed, and this practice, known a “lane splitting,” remains illegal in the state of Oregon.