Motorcyclists and lane filtering

By the end of this topic you can

• You can look carefully for motorcycles at intersections and before changing lanes.
• You can judge that a motorcycle may be closer and faster than it looks.
• You can leave a safe following gap behind a motorcycle.
• You can respond calmly when a rider filters past you in slow traffic.

What you need to know and understand

• Lane filtering means a motorcycle moving slowly between stopped or slow vehicles travelling in the same direction; where it is allowed, riders must not filter faster than 30 km/h.
• Filtering is limited to fully licensed riders, and in states such as NSW, SA and Tasmania it is not allowed in school zones, next to parked cars or between traffic and the kerb.
• Lane splitting, which is riding between lanes of moving traffic at higher speed, is not legal.
• Motorcycles can hide in your blind spots and behind pillars and other vehicles.
• A motorcycle's small size makes it easy to misjudge its speed and distance.
• Treat a motorcycle as needing a full lane; never try to share a lane alongside one.

Look twice at junctions

Before turning right across traffic or pulling out from a side street, look carefully for single headlights. Your eyes are trained to look for cars, so a bike can be 'seen' but not noticed. Take a second look, especially in shadows, rain or low sun.

When a motorcycle is coming towards you, assume it is closer and faster than it seems, and wait if you are unsure.

When a bike filters past

• Expect it in queues at lights and in slow freeway traffic.
• Check mirrors before changing lanes or moving across in a queue.
• Do not swing your car to block the rider or open a door into the gap.
• Hold your position; the rider is responsible for filtering safely.

Space and following

Keep at least the same three-second gap behind a motorcycle as behind a car, more in the wet. Motorcycles can brake very quickly, and a rider may move within the lane to avoid potholes, oil or gravel. Give them room when overtaking and never cut back in close.

Common mistakes

• Turning right in front of an oncoming motorcycle after misjudging its speed.
• Changing lanes without a head check, missing a bike in the blind spot.
• Following too closely because a bike looks small.
• Moving across to block a filtering rider.

Test yourself: Motorcyclists and lane filtering

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Lane Filtering in Australia