Lane Splitting Law in Arizona
Last Updated: December 29th, 2023
Arizona motorcycle riders have a new law they can choose to follow. Its name? Lane Filtering. It permits motorcycle riders to filter between stopped vehicles if certain parameters are met. Let’s dig into what it means for riders.
NEW LAW HISTORY
For several years, folks within the motorcycling community have clamored for the ability to filter between stopped vehicles as a means to prevent rear end crashes, to reduce traffic congestion, and to allow motorcyclist to get away from traveling amongst a pack of vehicles where risk increases. Michael Infanzon, member of ABATE of Arizona, worked with legislators repeatedly to make the law a reality. Due to his persistence and cooperation of policy-makers, he was able to introduce, and turn into law, Senate Bill 1273.
While the data is still coming in, a few preliminary studies (one in California and one in Utah) show that lane filtering, when meeting certain parameters, is no more risky than general riding and can in fact reduce our risk slightly.
LANE FILTERING LAW PARAMETERS
Arizona is now the fourth state to offer riders the flexibility of lane filtering. The ability to filter is not without its stipulations.
Here are some things you, as a motorcyclist, need to know:
- 45MPH OR LESS POSTED SPEED LIMIT The Arizona law only allows lane filtering on surface streets with a speed limit of 45 MPH or slower.
- SURFACE STREETS ONLY Permitted on streets that have 2 or more lanes in the same direction.
- MOTORISTS MUST BE STOPPED You may not pass a vehicle in motion. You may only overtake a vehicle between lanes that are stopped.
- SAFE RIDER SPEED The maximum speed for a motorcycle traveling between lanes is 15MPH and the maneuver must be considered SAFE.
Here are some exclusions:
- TWO WHEELS ONLY Sorry Trike, Spyder, Slingshot and Ural sidecar riders.
- NO FREEWAYS Even in the dead of summer when I-17 is backed up and it is 115 degrees and all vehicles are stopped
- SINGLE LANES Since it requires at least two lanes of traffic, doing things like riding in the bicycle lane or on the shoulder are not permitted
ARE YOUR CHOPS READY?
We want to stress that lane filtering is not mandatory for motorcyclists. Therefore, if you feel the maneuver is too high of a risk for your given skill, then simply skip it.
If, however, you deem your riding ability up to snuff and you think the risk level is acceptable, consider answering these questions confidently before riding between stopped traffic:
- Can you put your bike where you want it, when you want it, at all times?
- Can you stop your motorcycle in less than 9 feet at 15mph? (NOTE: Distinguished riders can generate a rate of deceleration equivalent to .81g or above).
- Can you swerve your motorcycle around an 8′ object in less than 13 feet at 15mph?
- Have you practiced traveling between large objects with less than 3 feet of clearance at 15mph?
If you are unsure, we recommend checking out one of our Skill Improvement Courses. We will help you understand your skill level through objective measurements.
REMAINS TO BE SEEN
Team Arizona placed several announcements about this new law on our social media pages and it was clear that the verbiage of the law doesn’t flesh out entirely what is permissible within the law and what activity falls outside the law. We reached out to a couple local agencies and have yet to hear back. From unofficial sources, it seems that it may take some time to understand what will be permitted.
Some questions that popped up on social media include:
- What if traffic is stopped when I start filtering but traffic starts moving before I get to the front?
- Once I’m at the front, who has right of way? The motorist in the lane or the rider in between the lanes?
- What happens if a motorists becomes aggressive?
These are all things that will take time to flesh out by local law enforcement agencies. We’ve seen lane filtering work for more than 100 years in other societies and we think the result will be a non-issue over time.
Our message to you, as a rider training organization, is fairly simple. Lane filtering is a choice and is not mandatory. If you deem the risk acceptable and decide to lane filter, just make sure you have adequate skills to conduct such a maneuver. Contact us with any questions! View our courses here.
