Things like this is why I am mixed for supporting motorcycle lane splitting in California... Some motorcycle riders are just ass.
Probably the same thing as big truck drivers, having to compensate their small pp to assert their dominance.
As someone who does not own/ride a motorcycle but has friends that do...
If I were on a jury deciding this case, and the only evidence we had was this video, I'd vote the motorcycle rider guilty for causing damage to the Tesla driver in a heartbeat. That said, in the back of my mind, I would have to assume that something the Tesla driver did earlier caused the motorcyclist to exact revenge. That does NOT excuse the action the MC took. For all we know the Tesla driver put the MC's life in danger some time earlier, either on purpose or through inattention or inaction. But that does not mean the MC should have whacked the mirror. That one-finger salute alone should have gotten the message across.
My philosophy when driving in the HOV lanes in commute traffic is that I will give a motorcycle the maximum amount of room to pass me in the lane. When I see a motorcycle coming up behind me I move over to the left and put my tires on or slightly over the yellow line. It may be why I got two punctures in the left rear tire in one year. It's the reason why I use TACC and not AutoPilot in the commute lane. I can steer where I want but the car paces the traffic ahead of me. Almost always I get the peace sign from the MC in return. Lane-splitting is legal in California, despite what some people would like. It would have been illegal for the MC to exit the HOV lane in order to pass the Tesla; the pair of double white lines on the right means you can't cross over them.
I was taught to be a defensive driver. Having a car that has the capability to (partially) drive itself means I have CPU time to devote to looking around my vicinity and seeing what might become a problem. I now spend more time looking in my rear view mirrors than in any car I had previously.
The person the the bike didn't signal or anything.
I don't believe that was a legal lane split + a pass on the right. Idiot Motorcyclist, plain and simple.
Probably an illegal lane split though: "Motorcyclists who are lane splitting still have to obey speed limits and other rules of the road, and can be ticketed if they don't lane split responsibly."
That said, I feel the opposite about the express lanes, and almost exclusively use autopilot in the carpool / express lanes, as these are the lanes with the least merging / changing speeds etc, swerving vehicles lanes ending and merging, and cars entering and exiting the highway. Have to be much more careful with it in regular traffic!
Should you move over to let motorcycles pass? Yes.
Do you have to? No.
Should they pass on the right in the carpool lane? No.
Furthermore:
"California Vehicle Code Section 23103: Reckless Driving Any person who operates a motor vehicle upon a highway with a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of other persons or property is guilty of reckless driving. Splitting lanes at an excessively high speed can lead to a charge of reckless driving."
"California Vehicle Code Section 22350: The Basic Speed Law This statute states, in part, that anyone operating a motor vehicle (car or motorcycle) has to do so in accordance with posted speed limits, and at a speed that is no greater than what is reasonable and prudent having due regard for weather, visibility and the traffic on—and the surface and width of—the highway, and in no event at a speed that endangers the safety of persons or property. This means, on a multi-lane road with a posted speed limit of 45 mph, while traffic is congested and flowing at 20 mph, you can split traffic at a reasonable speed. Usually, a reasonably safe speed is no more than 10 mph faster than the flow of traffic. You would probably be within the law if you were splitting traffic in this scenario at up to 30 mph. Even though the posted speed limit is 45, you would most likely be in violation of the basic speed law if you were to split 20 mph traffic at 45 mph."
Source:
https://www.lanesplittingislegal.co...e-splitting-article-AMA-magazine-May-2014.pdf
Lane splitting idea is that it should create a safer environment for motorcycles. Motorcycles are less safe in stopped traffic and can safely pass other vehicles when they are stuck at speeds under the speed limit. It was not designed to pass cars at 80mph in a 65.