The list of states that permit motorcycles to ride between lanes of traffic is small, but growing. Minnesota is set to join this distinguished group on July 1 and is actively educating both riders and drivers about how the new laws work.
Most states permitting lane splitting limit how fast you can ride between lanes, and how fast traffic can move before you must return to your lane. These states often use the term “lane filtering” to distinguish it from the free-for-all of California, which has no such limits. These vary from one state to another, but in Minnesota’s case, you may split through traffic moving at no more than 25 mph. You may ride no more than 15 mph faster than the surrounding traffic. You may also filter through stopped traffic at no more than 15 mph.
Minnesota joins Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Montana in permitting motorcycles to filter through stopped traffic. Minnesota is unique in that it permits splitting through moving traffic, though with limitations, unlike California. Several other states are also considering legalizing the practice, so the momentum seems to be growing.
Why lane split?
Why do motorcycles get special treatment? Why don’t they wait their turn like the rest of us? For one thing, it’s safer. If you’re stopped in traffic and an inattentive driver bumps into the back of your car, it’s a minor inconvenience that insurance will take care of. If you’re on a motorcycle in that situation, you get squished between two cars and are going to have a bad time. If you’re slowly moving between the lines of stopped cars, there is no way you’ll get rear-ended.
There are still a lot of air-cooled motorcycles out there, from brappy dual-sports to fancy Harley-Davidsons. If they sit still idling for too long, the engines will overheat. Lane splitting helps prevent this, as even a little bit of airflow through the cooling fins helps keep the temperature down.
Of course, this means motorcycles get where they’re going more quickly, sometimes in half the time through Los Angeles traffic. Believe it or not, getting the bikes out of the way also benefits everyone else stuck in traffic. The more motorcycles split through traffic, the less congestion there is for everyone else.
Finally, lane splitting is just fun. I’ve done it in Los Angeles, and it’s the only way to get around, sometimes literally because the traffic is so bad. It’s also a thrill to split right past a CHP cruiser with no consequences instead of getting a big ticket like I would elsewhere.
