Riding by the rules
Knowing the rules and riding by them is important for the safety of every road user, especially motorcyclists.
Knowing the rules and riding by them is important for the safety of every road user, especially motorcyclists.
Road rules are there for a reason, even if some of them seem not to have been designed with motorcycles in mind. We’re more vulnerable than many other road users, so respecting the rules and encouraging good behaviour is in our best interests.
Courtesy goes a long way too, so if a driver extends a bit of cooperation be sure to thank them with a wave or nod.
It’s the rule we get asked about more than any other, mainly ‘Is it legal?’
The answer is, it can be. Depending on how you do it.
Let’s start with speed. There’s no speed limit for filtering set in legislation, nor any limit on the differential between your speed and vehicles you might be passing. But weaving through lines of vehicles at a much faster speed is unwise, dangerous and liable to anger other road users. Not only should you expect to be pulled over by police for such behaviour, they could consider prosecuting you for careless, or even reckless or dangerous, driving.
If you’re going to filter or lane split, keep your speed below 15km/h faster than the traffic and take extreme care.
Remember – If you're filtering keep your speed down to no more than15km/h faster than other traffic.