Friday, Aug. 2, 2024
Does a new Colorado law let motorcycles ride between lanes past moving cars?
Motorcycles cannot pass using the right shoulder, and they cannot move in the opposite direction of traffic in the lanes.
California and Utah are among states that allow motorcycles to ride between lanes under some circumstances. The American Motorcyclist Association endorses the practice, saying it gives motorcyclists an “escape route” from being rear-ended. An Oregon transportation study found it also prevents air-cooled engines from overheating by keeping motorbikes in motion.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Colorado General Assembly Motorcycle Lane Filtering & Passing
- American Motorcyclist Association Lane splitting
- Utah Department of Public Safety Lane Filtering
- California Highway Patrol California Motorcyclist Safety
- Motocycle Lane Sharing Oregon Department of Transportation
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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