New lane filtering law for motorcycles
Intended to help reduce the chances of a motorcycle rider being rear-ended by a vehicle, a new Colorado law went into effect on August 7, making lane filtering a legal maneuver until 2027.
Lane filtering is the act of a rider of a two-wheeled motorcycle passing a vehicle in the same lane, most commonly at stop lights or in gridlocked traffic, when all traffic is stopped. It legally allows riders to move toward the front of the line, to avoid being sandwiched between two vehicles.
According to the new law, certain rules must be followed:
- Vehicles must be at a complete stop before a rider can pass.
- Vehicles in adjacent lanes must also be stopped, if those lanes are for the same direction of travel as the lane occupied by the motorcycle.
- The lane must be wide enough to fit the vehicle and motorcycle while passing.
- The motorcycle must be traveling at 15 mph or less.
- The rider must pass safely and control the motorcycle.
In addition, the rider must not pass on the right shoulder, or in a lane of traffic moving in the opposite direction, or to the right of a vehicle in the farthest right-hand lane.
Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly, a 31-year law enforcement officer and licensed motorcycle rider, is not encouraged by this law. He believes lane filtering will result in additional serious injuries and deaths of motorcyclists.
“Drivers often neglect to look for motorcyclists under normal circumstances. I believe as drivers jockey for position during a traffic jam, they will fail to account for a motorcyclist traveling between the lanes, and the results could be disastrous for all parties,” stated Sheriff Weekly, who serves on the legislative committee of the County Sheriffs of Colorado, which opposed and lobbied against lane filtering. He emphasized that it is imperative that all drivers, in a vehicle or on a motorcycle, understand the new law and the increased safety issues that come with it.
While lane filtering is now legal in Colorado, lane splitting is prohibited. Lane splitting is the act of riding a motorcycle between two rows of moving traffic, traveling in the same direction and typically involves riding along the painted lane lines between the moving vehicles.
The new lane filtering law is scheduled to be repealed in three years and the Colorado Department of Transportation will analyze and report on the results.
For more information, visit leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-079, or csp.colorado.gov and search “lane filtering.”
By Susan Helton; graphic courtesy of Colorado State Patrol
