A new traffic law in effect Tuesday July 1st is intended to benefit motorcyclists.
The new law allows motorcyclists to split lanes or filter through traffic under specific conditions.
"Splitting is when motor vehicles are in motion and filtering is when motor vehicles are stopped," Don Moehrle with St. Croix Valley Riders explains.
The law is intended for congested traffic scenarios.
"You cannot lane filter or split on freeway ramps that is entrances or exits," Moehrle says. "You cannot do it in roundabouts. You cannot do it in school zones and you cannot do it in single lane construction zones. You can only be between the two lanes moving in the same direction."
Moehrle states that the premise behind the bill is to prevent motorcyclists from being rear-ended by distracted drivers. A similar law has already been implemented in California, the only state where it is legal. Several other states have certain conditions - stopped or slow traffic - where it is allowed.
"This law will allow a motorcycle to travel no faster than 25 MPH between two lanes," says Moehrle. "You can't go any faster than 25, and you can't go any faster than 15 miles an hour over the speed of traffic. It's not like the California law that has no parameters on their lane splitting law."
You can get more information on the new law at the Minnesota Department of Transportation's website.
Lane Splitting: is allowed when two or more lanes of traffic are traveling in the same direction and traffic is moving. It allows a motorcycle to pass another vehicle in the same direction of travel and in the same traffic lane only under these conditions:
- At no more than 25 miles per hour.
- No more than 15 miles per hour over the speed of traffic in the relevant traffic lanes.
Lane Filtering: is allowed when two or more lanes of traffic are traveling in the same direction and traffic is NOT moving. It allows a motorcycle to move through traffic that is stopped, such as at a traffic light or traffic jam, only under this condition:
- No more than 15 miles per hour over the speed of traffic in the relevant traffic lanes.