SAN DIEGO -- No matter what hour of the day you commute, most people living in San Diego find themselves sitting idle in traffic.

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More NBC 7/39 Special Reports

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And more often than not, it seems there isn't anyone moving forward, except for those people riding motorcycles.

They get by gridlock by squeezing their bikes in between cars and lanes. But is this act of "lane splitting" fair or legal?

According to the California Highway Patrol, it is legal.

Officer Brian Pennings told NBC 7/39, "The California law allows for motorcycles to split lanes, but only under certain conditions."

First, Pennings said it is not legal to lane split on the outside lanes with a solid white or yellow line. It is only legal where there is a broken white line.

Second, traffic has to be at a stop or close to a stop, and the cyclist can only travel 10 to 15 mph faster than the traffic they are passing, Pennings said.

According to legislators, lane splitting was legalized so that motorcyclists can get to their destinations more safely.

They also took into consideration the fact that motorcycles are air-cooled, and if they're sitting in traffic, they can overheat more quickly.