I've often heard Californians say this, citing the legality of lane-splitting in that state.

One wonders whether you might have been cited for unsafe passing, however.

In practical terms, one of the things I try to avoid is passing the same car over and over by virtue of lane-splitting (which is illegal in PA anyway). This tends to make drivers' blood boil, and I can understand why. Passing a bike is a severe challenge to the skill of the average driver, and making them do it multiple times is cruel.

RichC