Is Lane Splitting Legal In Colorado In 2025?

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On August 7, 2024, a caller rule came into effect successful Colorado that allows motorcyclists to walk aliases overtake stopped cars successful nan aforesaid lane. Riding betwixt cars aliases sharing lanes had been expressly forbidden up to that point, a regularisation that was enforceable by fines and points. With nan caller law, however, Colorado joins California, Arizona, Montana, Utah, and Minnesota successful making immoderate shape of lane splitting legal. Other states, for illustration Texas and Connecticut, person precocious considered laws introduced that would let it, nan believe remains forbidden successful astir areas of nan U.S.

Lane splitting, aliases riding betwixt moving vehicles, has agelong been practiced by motorcyclists. It's a convenient measurement for a motorcycle to overtake slow-moving vehicles erstwhile postulation makes it intolerable to usage nan adjacent lane complete to pass. It tin besides thief forestall a rider from getting rear-ended by different vehicles. So does this caller rule make lane splitting ineligible successful Colorado? Nope — lane splitting is still prohibited. What nan caller rule describes is really lane filtering which is akin but chopped successful immoderate important ways.

So what, exactly, is nan difference betwixt lane splitting and lane filtering? Lane splitting is erstwhile a motorcyclist rides betwixt moving vehicles, and this is still forbidden successful Colorado. In fact, nan only authorities wherever it is wholly ineligible is California. True lane splitting remains forbidden everyplace other successful nan U.S., which intends that states for illustration Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, and Utah person each legalized immoderate type of lane filtering.

Lane filtering is erstwhile a motorcyclist passes aliases overtakes stopped aliases slow-moving cars successful nan aforesaid lane. The caller Colorado rule specifies that cars must beryllium stopped erstwhile a motorcyclist passes them successful nan aforesaid lane. This is commonly done astatine extremity lights, erstwhile a motorcycle rider will walk a statement of stopped cars and propulsion up adjacent to nan beforehand car without leaving nan lane. Once postulation starts moving, nan rider must extremity filtering done nan lane. The caller rule besides specifies that nan rider whitethorn not transcend 15 miles per hr erstwhile doing this and whitethorn not walk connected nan right.

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It's evident from nan galore conflicting laws among various states that location is simply a quality of sentiment connected whether lane splitting aliases lane filtering is safe. However, Colorado Senate Bill 24-079 – which amended nan rule connected lane splitting to let for filtering — cites respective information studies to warrant nan decision. 

The investigation listed includes a 2009 study by nan European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers which recovered that "motorcyclists were 7 times much apt to beryllium deed while stopped compared to crashing while lane splitting". It besides cited 2 studies successful California that concluded that motorcyclists are 43 percent little apt to beryllium rear-ended erstwhile they divided lanes.

The information connected lane splitting isn't wholly cut-and-dry, however. Consumer Reports shared a 2012 survey of motorcyclists conducted by nan California Office of Traffic Safety which recovered that 14.9 percent of respondents had been successful an mishap while lane splitting. Beyond that, a French study released successful 2021 recovered that lane splitting led to motorcycle accidents going up by 12 percent successful areas nether study. 

Ultimately, riders and drivers alike request to thrust defensively, beryllium alert of their surroundings, and travel nan section laws — moreover if those laws are changing soon.