Erratic Rivian R1T Driver vs Lane-Splitting Biker: Who’s in the Wrong?

A video of a Rivian R1T driver cutting off a motorcyclist is circulating social media, and the internet is taking sides. Like most viral rage bait though, the picture becomes fuzzier when you take a closer look, and find that unsafe decisions were made by both parties.

The video appears to originate from Instagram user @camriffs_, who captured it while riding their Kawasaki Ninja ZX6R in what appears to be California. They approach a traffic light while splitting lanes, coming up to an Acura SUV towing a boat and a Rivian R1T. The electric truck visibly creeps into the lane divider while the light's still red, making the gap too narrow for the biker to safely pass. This squeezes them in alongside the trailer, which comes too close for comfort as the Acura pulls away when the light turns green.

The rider waits until there's a safe gap to pass before pulling ahead of the Acura, and accelerating to (but not past) an indicated 45 mph—likely the speed limit on the five-lane stroad. In response, the Rivian driver boots the throttle before slamming on the brakes before the next red light, drawing even with the biker, who had slowed back down to 25 mph or below. The rider opens the throttle to escape, and the Rivian attempts to keep pace, but the bike outruns it at over 70 mph before splitting two cars up the road, putting a solid obstacle between themselves and the truck driver.

Let's take a step back and look at the video from a legal perspective, and analyze what reasons everyone had for what they did in the video. First off, all the license plates visible in the video read California: Lane splitting is legal there. Meanwhile, deliberately blocking lane splitters isn't according to the California Highway Patrol.