Safety Question (CHP related...)

[Popeye the Sailor]

+1  That just seems like you are asking for a ticket.  AND... splitting at 70 when everyone else is going that speed is squidly.   I never found the need to split at anything above 40 or so.  One person doesn't look in their side view mirror and at that speed, you are done.     

+1. IMO, you were asking to be spoken to. I wouldn't have been splitting at that speed, and if I felt I needed to pass him, I wouldn't do it in his lane.

[PhoenixS4R]

Regardless of riding preferences, what he did in my opinion was wrong, but since nothing came from it (IE: you freaking out and swerving = accident) you probably don't have a leg to stand on legally.

I do tend to split lanes at speeds greater then some would find appropriate, and I gotta tell ya, if I felt something touching me at 70+ mph, I'm not thinking about wtf it is, I'm flooring it because I'd be spooked it's a car.

So imo -1 for the cop, +1 for keeping your cool, sucks you got a ticket, and I have no idea how you guys ride in LA.  I been there twice, make the beast with two backs that is all I gotta say.

[Wang]

Thanks for all the input.

1) It's not a cop thread.  I don't argue what he did was wrong and there's no legal action to speak of because there was no ticket.

2) I actually noticed him coming, but as I mentioned, I figured because there were no lights he was just going to pass me out of spite.  ...And then he tapped on my shoulder.

3) I highly value the comments from those who say I was in the wrong for (A) passing him in his own lane and (B) splitting at the speed I was doing.  I hadn't considered either of these to be unsafe practice based on previous learning and my observation of the situation.  I'm now intent on not passing in the same lane unless I get a clear hand signal to do so.  I'm sure it's a different discussion for a different thread, but I'm not 100% sure it would make much of a difference if a car turned into me on the freeway at 40mph versus 70mph.  I would imagine both would cause severe injury.  He was a little concerned that I was barely speeding, but there's another issue at play in my chat with the officer which I won't bring up on the boards.  Regardless, I will incorporate not splitting at "full speed" into my typical riding practice. Normally, I will only speed about 5-10mph above the speed of straffic.  Rarely did I split when traffic is at or above the speed limit... and now I won't do that at all; it's completely reserved for slowed traffic (which I feel is more dangerous, anyway).

4) I didn't catch his name.  In the few times I've ever been pulled over I tended to ask, but this is the first time I've been pulled over by CHP on a freeway (other time was on PCH for a fix it ticket in HB 'cause I hadn't put on my mirror).

5) My personal opinion, which one of the first posters mentioned was most important, is that I am OK with it.  I made a judgement call on his riding position and anticipated his movement, and likewise I'm sure he had been paying attention to me before I was even in front of him and decided to do what he did as a result.

Again, thanks to all.  This is a great community.

[hbliam]

A little late but:

-technically you didn't have to stop unless he illuminates his forward facing red light
-it's good that you did anyway
-yes, it's a huge officer safety issue that he stopped in front of you. he may have thought you would bail after he got off his bike but still a no-no.
-the CHP has some odd officer safety tactics so I'm not surprised.
-as others said, splitting at 70 MPH is not cool. If traffic is flowing at 70 you should be able to do lane changes to get around cars like everyone else.

[ryandalling]

I don't know... we lean over all the time and hit kill switches... if he really wanted to pull you over, he should have done that instead of tapping you on the shoulder. 

[NorDog]

I don't know... we lean over all the time and hit kill switches...

Really?  I've never done this.  I've never even heard of this.

Oh, and splitting a lane to pass a CHP officer in excess of the speed limit just isn't a good idea (think English understatement here).

[ryandalling]

Really?  I've never done this.  I've never even heard of this.

Seriously, I have heard many stories of people doing this... even some old racer stories on this topic... however, from my perspective... when with a bunch of buddies... you pull up to a stop light... smile at your buddy and lean over and click off his bike... pretty funny.      I have heard of it done while in motion.. and have mistakenly done it to myself.... lol ... but I was not honestly saying a cop would ever do this.

[Monsterlover]

You forgot to add in the part where you hit your buddy's kill switch juuuuuusst as the light is turning green and everyone (but him) is starting to pull away.

[NorDog]

Ohhh, you mean hitting someone else's kill switch.  I though you meant people were accidentally hitting their own kill switches.

Pardon me for a moment...

 

[Monster Dave]

Keeping on track with the question, I think that if someone tapped me on the shoulder while I was riding that a startled reaction could cause an accident or at the very least an unsafe reaction. That doesn't seem right, but it also doesn't strike me as anything more than that since it was an officer.

The speed limits are higher in various places, so passing at 70mph may have been fully legal. Someone may have already made that point as I only glanced at the thread. Speed limits here in AZ are 75 on the highway. My feeling though is that if I've not been waved by when I come up on another motorcyclist, I'll switch lanes to pass.

There are some instances where that's illegal however - like when you're in a no exit car pool lane where you can't exit the lane legally until you reach a marked location.

[derby]

4) I didn't catch his name.  In the few times I've ever been pulled over I tended to ask, but this is the first time I've been pulled over by CHP on a freeway (other time was on PCH for a fix it ticket in HB 'cause I hadn't put on my mirror).

i'm assuming it was a "friendly" chat, then.... no cite?

[Porsche Monkey]

 

[justinrhenry]

Normally I'd be pissed...but you had already passed him at 70mph in his lane. IMO he should be pissed at you.

+1 passing a cop IN HIS LANE is a dumbass move to say the least.  the tapping is an insignificant part of the story. 

[Wang]

i'm assuming it was a "friendly" chat, then.... no cite?

Correct.

[ctrain]

You forgot to add in the part where you hit your buddy's kill switch juuuuuusst as the light is turning green and everyone (but him) is starting to pull away.

<threadjack>
Kill switch is always funny! But the ultimate is taking the keys out and dropping them on the ground. The rider then has to get off his bike to pick them up. 

</threadjack>