What’s the difference between lane splitting and filtering?

Colorado drivers, be prepared for motorcycles to pass stopped traffic: Beginning Aug 7., motorcyclists will be allowed to lane filter. Although filtering is permitted under the new law, lane splitting remains illegal  — so what’s the difference between the two?

“The first thing Coloradoans need to understand is that there is a seemingly small but important difference between lane filtering and lane splitting,” said Colonel Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, in a Tuesday news release. “One will soon be legal, and the other remains prohibited, so let’s all start by getting on the same page.”

A motorcyclist splits a lane when they ride between two rows of moving or stopped traffic that’s traveling in the same direction, often riding on the painted line. Lane filtering is when a motorcycle passes a vehicle that is traveling in the same direction and at a complete stop. Motorcyclists may use lane filtering to avoid traffic that is at a standstill or move to the front of a line of traffic at a stop light.

Under Colorado’s new law, Senate Bill 79, motorcyclists who wish to legally filter must follow five rules: Traffic must be at a complete stop, the road must have lanes wide enough to accommodate the vehicle and the motorcycle that is passing, the motorcycle can’t go over 15 mph, the motorcyclist must pass on the left without entering any lanes of oncoming traffic and the biker must be in control of the motorcycle and pass safely.

“It’s up to the rider to assess each situation and determine if the conditions are safe and legal to filter – it’s an option, not a requirement to filter,” Col. Packard said in the release. “It is also the responsibility of every motorist to share the road.”