Is Filtering / Lane-Splitting legal (or is it just a cager's consipiracy)?

[Jay_wolf]

Couldnt Agree With You More Kasumi 

[Cal Price]

In the UK to the best of my understanding splitting/filtering has never been specifically prohibited. it could, however under certain circumstances be seen as "without due care and attention" or at the extreme "dangerous driving" If the filtering biker was in an accident that went to law the law tended not to smile upon him or her.

More recently this pendulum has swung in favour of the biker, I am expecting to do the Kent or Metropolitain Police's "Bikesafe" course this summer, a mate of mine has just done it and the Police biker instructers now teach and recomend filtering at lights/junctions/jams and similar situations with a max speed of about 15mph. Splitting lanes on a motorway is another matter it's pretty much a case of "It's OK but don't have an accident that ends up in court" Such matters would be very dependant on prevailing conditions and circumstances at the time. Once again, this is not specifically illegal but would probably go against you in court.

[Chokstick]

I dont think anyone is suggesting dont purse criminals and ALWAYS let them get away, just back off and use different methods. Frankie had some good points on this. In the UK if a pursuit is considered too dangerous then most everytime there will be a helicoptor in pursuit anyways and they just back the police cars off and use the helicoptor to pursue and to place the police cars ahead of the chase to stop the suspect that way. That way they arnt tearing down the motorway chasing one guy with 15 police cars. We also very very very very rarely do what you call the P.I.T manover over there, simply because its frightfully dangerous and completely unpredictable. This relates to frankie's "using the car as a weapon" it doesnt happen here and its much safer. We don't knock motorcyclists off with police cars to end chases either. What im saying is you shouldn't let people get away but you certinally shouldn't go making a dangerous situation worse by using gun ho cowboy tactics like american police.

Well said.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not implying that the intention should be to hurt people.  I think that everything the police do should be with the safety of EVERYONE involved.  The PIT maneuver is not allowed in Canada either.  They found it to be too dangerous.  I guess its just a frustrating situation when it seems like the rights of criminal are starting to supersede the laws and safety of everyone else.  Mind you, it could be a lot worse.  We've got it pretty good in Canada.

[frankieG]

i don't think it is the right of criminals being protected rather than the safety of citizens.

[Jay_wolf]

Crimanals are treated like kings here i think , its sort of in the right place... ish

If ur homeless here , u would sleep rough , and beg for money , just to eat , or... just robbing stuff and people , and get put in prision

3 meals a day , a tv in your room , a bed , exercise , a shop to buy treats from , a pool table , * i havent been to prison , i no alot of people who have *

i no the us prisons are alot more stricter from the programmes i have watched, here is a damn joke

When my dad was homeless at the age of 16 , he used to steal  and hand himself in , just for a night in the cells off the streets

[theUBS]

Call me crazy, but I really have no interest in lane splitting!  Granted I don't live and/or ride anywhere that's so congested that it would be tempting, but I've seen videos of and heard of many accidents involving motorcyclists who were lane splitting.  As far as I'm concerned, cagers don't seem to see me well enough when I'm where they expect vehicles to be much less if I were to be creeping between lanes.

On a completely different subject, but still considering safety issues.  I found my rural ride the other day to be nearly as hazardous as going through town!  Deer, groundhogs, wild turkey (actual birds--I wasn't doing shots), some farmer's ducks, and enough bug splatter on my visor to make me think it was getting dark.  But then again, once back in town, I still think the guy in the full size GMC that almost T-boned me probably would have caused the most damage.

[Chokstick]

But then again, once back in town, I still think the guy in the full size GMC that almost T-boned me probably would have caused the most damage.

Yep...he would have probably won that fight. 

[frankieG]

stupid turkeys...they just stand in the middle of the road.  deer well they usually run but one time i came to a complete stop and had a chat with one before it decided to move.  moose on the other hand are dangerous.  one was chasing me on the highway and i had to turn around and go the wrong way on a interstate to get away from the silly bugger.   then there are the dogs that think it is fun to chase you.

[Toogoofy317]

Lane splitting here in florida is illegal. I think I'd be scared out of my mind to try it with the tourons that frequent this place. Just last week on I-4 we had a traffic jam so they decided to make a fourth lane out of the shoulder of the road and with in five minutes that also was backed up. An ambulance could not get to the seen from west bound beecause the idiots had taken the shoulder of the road. This was at 2300 so not like regular traffic jam. It took me over an hour to do the usual fifteen minute jaunt to work!

I also hate the dogs that chase you. There is two in the subdivision and when I was still really a noob I almost wrecked cause of the little jerk. I hate to hurt animals but I'm not gonna go down for one either.

Mary S.

[ohgood]

Filtering (the EU folks way of saying lane splitting, and I LIKE IT) is illegal in florida. In heavy traffic, I'll do it occasionally.

California is the only state that I know of that doesn't have a law against it.  I personally  think the person with the smallest car, motorcycle, scooter, or bike should be allowed to the front of the line, every single time.

Let those behemoth SUV's stew. f%$k em !

[Chokstick]

.

Let those behemoth SUV's stew. f%$k em !

[Jay_wolf]

Filtering does sound much better 

[Kasumi]

Yea i think lane splitting just employs the idea that its done at speed. Filtering - something that happens at slow speed, which it does. Moving closer to traffic lights, reducing the lengths of queues and the smoother the flow of traffic the more effiecient it is.

[Jay_wolf]

Addmittly i have gone down the centre lane at 30mph on my Dna.,because i no exactly what i was doing , any sign of Danger i slow to almost a standstill ,but in the open parts its all good

[yooblonder]

Addmittly i have gone down the centre lane at 30mph on my Dna, because i no exactly what i was doing, any sign of Danger i slow to almost a standstill, but in the open parts its all good

Only 30 mph???!!!

[Jay_wolf]

Well .. A DNA 70cc cant go down a motorway lol

[reminor]

Organizing a poll to gather bikers OPINIONS on something governed by state laws is funny. In USA each State rules are different
. Best is to look in your state Driver's Manual to see if line splitting is legal.

Illegal in Massachusetts.

[yooblonder]

Organizing a poll to gather bikers OPINIONS on something governed by state laws is funny. In USA each State rules are different.

The legal status of filtering in UK seems to be much more subjective than with US laws which are much clearer (unfortunately?)

A better question may have been "SHOULD Filtering / Lane-Splitting be legal?"  Would that change anyone's opinion?

And how do riders cope with touring across multiple states?

[frankieG]

if i am at a stop and want to jump ahead i try and make eye contact with the driver and give him/her a nod and so far they have always waived me through.  however one cannot do that when one if moving.  if traffic is backed up i am not going to sit in the heat when the cages are stuck with their AC on because they are to damn big to move.  riders are environment friendly and the planet would be well served to have less SUV's(who really needs one anyhow) and more motorcycles on the road.  a little courtesy such as ahem "filtering" is the least they can do.

[yamahonkawazuki]

lets see who NEEDS an suv, a few here. 1 a professional wo needs to haul around equipment, photographers insurance people, realtors, where a pickup even with a hard tonneau with a lock wouldnt suffice. ( trust me, those are EASY to get into. and no im not going into details), LARGE families. etc. i would say  a large stationwagon would work, but those are no longer made and even crew cab pickups arent always large enough. but there are those who just themselves and one child occupy. i laugh when they complain about fuel costs