Adventure Bike Rider Forum

chrisinflight wrote:I think these are the rules for filtering- feel free to correct them.
Illegal to cross solid white line or zig-zag lines. Illegal to filter after passing a no overtaking sign. Illegal to overtake the lead vehicle at a pedestrian crossing. And last but not least for guidance, I would,t filter when traffic moving more than 20mph.

First rule is generic, the second two rules are for overtaking (which filtering is treated as in law, again there are no specific laws about motorcycle filtering).

The last point (20mph) is guidance, but could be used to determine whether or not you were filtering appropriately. That said I've filtered with plenty coppers at 40mph when the traffic is doing 20, so it's doing more than 20mph than the traffic around you that's likely to get you a tug.

I understood it to be that filtering should be kept below 20mph. If all traffic is moving at 20mph then it is considered to be flowing and filtering is not appropriate. I don't think there are hard and fast rules but things like "without due care and attention" are more likely to be inforced outside these guidelines

DaveCon wrote:I understood it to be that filtering should be kept below 20mph. If all traffic is moving at 20mph then it is considered to be flowing and filtering is not appropriate. I don't think there are hard and fast rules but things like "without due care and attention" are more likely to be inforced outside these guidelines

The speed limit is 70mph on a motorway, but you're unlikely to be stopped by a police car for speeding if you are doing 80. That doesn't mean you are supposed to, or are allowed to do 80.

No filtering above 20 mph is the guideline, but you are unlikely to be stopped by a police car for filtering if you are doing under 40mph, and are less than 20mph faster than the cars around you.

Make sense now?

I've never heard of any guidelines suggesting speed limits for filtering so my attitude is that if the traffic drops below the speed limit them I can filter. A little bit of common sense has to be applied so obviously doing 70mph through traffic trickling along at 30mph isn't the best of ideas but if it drops to 60 then I'll carry on right up the middle at 70.

My normal cruising speed on motorways or dual carriageways is about 80-85mph but I don't filter at all until the traffic around me is below 70mph because there's a major risk of being nicked if you do that.

Personally, if the traffic is flowing above 20mph then I tend not to filter, as any time saved isn't worth bothering about. But, I don't live in the overpopulated traffic jam that is the south east of the UK.

AndyB wrote:I've never heard of any guidelines suggesting speed limits for filtering so my attitude is that if the traffic drops below the speed limit them I can filter. A little bit of common sense has to be applied so obviously doing 70mph through traffic trickling along at 30mph isn't the best of ideas but if it drops to 60 then I'll carry on right up the middle at 70.

My normal cruising speed on motorways or dual carriageways is about 80-85mph but I don't filter at all until the traffic around me is below 70mph because there's a major risk of being nicked if you do that.

The guideline is out there and well established.

As there is no specific law around it, it falls down to case law and precedents set. Typically in court motorcyclists filtering at above 20mph are found to be either at fault in an accident, or guilty of careless driving.

If the traffic around you is doing more than 20mph you are no longer deemed to be filtering, it's deemed to be lane splitting.

Lane splitting at 60/70... in the eyes of a courtroom you're 100% at fault whatever happens and however blind or stupid the other driver may have been, and based on the coppers I know, I'd expect to get nicked if caught (that's not to say I'd never do it, because 60mph lane hoggers can be really annoying, but I'd have a good look around for police first).

http://www.motorcyclecompensation.co.uk ... dents.aspx

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2011 ... filtering/

http://www.bikelawyer.co.uk/mcn-law-col ... pedestrian

http://www.markthompsonlaw.com/motorcyc ... -examples/

http://www.network.mag-uk.org/sept07p9.html

http://www.rac.co.uk/forum/showthread.p ... -judgement