To ride in this part of the lane is inviting danger. No, motorcyclists are taught to ride in either track for safety. Less debris and oil than in the lane center. Better visibility and maneuverability in the tracks.

A motorcycle rider has some choice of where to ride in the lane. The best choice is the blocking position, a little to one side of the centre of the lane. The blocking position discourages other drivers from trying to squeeze past the same lane as the motorcycle.

The lead rider should ride in the left portion of the lane. The second rider should ride at least one second back and in the right portion of the lane and the third rider should be one more second back and in the left portion.

Staying out of the middle of the lane is usually a good idea, because you are only visible in the driver’s centre mirror which is not often checked. If you ride in the middle of the lane you will cop bumps and sewer covers which are positioned there so most vehicles straddle them.

Tailgating is dangerous because you do not have enough time to brake should the first car suddenly slow or stop, and if that “car” is a motorcycle, things will be much worse.

Simple answer, probably because anything less than a motorcycle cop, is going to be basically incapable of pulling over a motorcycle. They are much lighter, and much faster than a car.

According to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Basic Rider’s Course, every rider and passenger should wear a helmet, eye protection, over the ankle footwear with nonslip soles, long pants, a good jacket, and full fingered gloves. The helmet must not impede your peripheral vision.

The legality of lane splitting has long been a cause for debate in the United States. Many consider the act of riding a motorcycle between lanes, in standstill traffic dangerous. In fact, in most states, lane splitting is illegal, including Florida and Tennessee.

Nikides admits lane splitting can be dangerous so he rides conservatively. Despite its risks, lane splitting is allowed by California law. It defines lane splitting as driving a motorcycle “that has two wheels in contact with the ground, between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane.”

one state

During stopped or slow-moving traffic in California, motorcycles are allowed to pass between cars. This maneuver is known as lane splitting and is only legal in California. It is called this because the motorcyclist often rides on the line in between cars and “splits” the lane.

Do motorcycles have to stop at stop signs? Motorcycles are required to stop at stop signs. Motorcycles are not exempt from following traffic laws and are required to stop at any red light or stop sign prior to proceeding forward.

There are lot of factors in play, but in general, motorcycles stop faster than cars. A motorcycle is much lighter than a car, so in principle should stop faster, the same way an 18-wheeler truck will stop much slower than a car.

As most riders in the New York metro area know, this practice is both common and illegal. Many motorcyclists and scooter riders are ticketed for lane splitting, and in some cases the NYPD will even stop traffic to encourage motorcyclists to split lanes.

Lane splitting, when a biker rides on the line between two rows of cars, is illegal in this state. No more than two motorcycles can occupy a single lane.

3. It’s legal only in California. According to the American Motorcyclist Association’s website, every state except California bans the practice of lane splitting. Specifically, the states prohibit motorcycles from passing a vehicle in the same lane and riding between lanes of traffic or rows of vehicles.

Filtering is a means to make safe progress in stationary or slow-moving traffic. The manoeuvre is perfectly legal (see the Highway Code Rule 211) but there have been a raft of Civil Court decisions which criticise motorcyclists for filtering.

The current rule reads: “You should… never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends”. Just as with proposed new rules relating to cyclists’ road positioning, riding two abreast can help discourage dangerous overtaking.

You can pass slower moving vehicles on the left, or on the ‘inside’ when: you are riding on a one-way street where vehicles can pass either side. This does not include a dual carriageway.