The most dangerous place on a motorcycle
is standing still.
A red light. A rider boxed between two bumpers, watching the mirror, hoping the driver rolling up behind is looking at the road and not a phone. Lane filtering lets that rider move out of the way. Six states already allow it. Virginia still does not.
Every claim here links to a primary source with a verbatim quote. We want you to check our work.
Why filtering
Ask a rider about their worst moment in traffic.
Ask any rider about a close call and it usually is not a fast corner. It is sitting at a red light, boxed in, watching headlights get bigger in the mirror. Filtering lets a rider slip out of that spot. Important distinction: this is the slow move past stopped traffic, not high speed splitting between moving cars. That is what the bill actually legalizes.
head injury rate, filtering riders vs others, in crashes studied.
verified · news.berkeley.eduHonest caveat: the Berkeley study measured injury severity among crashes that happened. It did not measure whether filtering changes the odds of crashing. Rigorous before and after US crash data is still limited.
The case for more riders
103 hours a year, lost to congestion.
That is more than two work weeks the average Northern Virginia driver loses to traffic every year. And every rider who filters to the front is one less car in the line you are stuck in.
less time lost for all vehicles when 10% of cars shift to motorcycles, in one modeled corridor.
verified · newatlas.comVirginia motorcycle endorsements in 2023, more than twice the registered motorcycles.
verified · dmv.virginia.govOne claim we will not oversell: that more riders makes roads safer through sheer awareness. It is plausible, but we have not found solid data for it. The congestion and emissions numbers above are the ones that hold up.
On fairness
Yes, a filtering rider reaches the light a little sooner.
Here is the honest tradeoff: that rider is also one fewer car in your lane, so your queue is a little shorter too. And nothing stops you from riding. The objection is fair, but the tradeoff still comes out ahead for everyone in the lane.
Watch
See the case in a few minutes.
Short explainers on what filtering is, the safety record, why it helps every driver, and where it already works. Each has captions and a full transcript below it. When you are ready, contact your delegate.
Animated illustration. Narration is an AI synthesized voice.
What lane filtering actually is
Lane filtering is the low speed move past stopped or barely moving traffic, usually at a red light. It is not high speed lane splitting between moving cars. The difference is the whole argument.
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The safety case, honestly
Riders are seven times more likely to be hit while stopped than while filtering. Injury severity falls when the speed difference with traffic is small. We also say what the studies do not prove.
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Faster for everyone, not just riders
Northern Virginia drivers lose about 103 hours a year to congestion. Moving motorcycles out of the queue shortens the line for the drivers left in it. Yes, riders get ahead a little; it helps you too.
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Where it already works
Utah, Minnesota, and several countries already allow some form of filtering or splitting, each with clear speed limits. Virginia would not be first; it would be following tested laws.
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The record
This is not new ground.
Six states and several countries already allow some form of filtering or splitting, each with its own speed limits. Virginia would be joining a list, not running an experiment.
- California (2016)
First state to allow lane splitting; AB 51 added Vehicle Code 21658.1 and directed CHP safety guidelines.
verified · leginfo.legislature.ca.gov - Utah (2019)
Stopped traffic only, rider at 15 mph or less, roads posted 45 mph or less.
verified · ridetolive.utah.gov - Montana (2021)
Pass stopped or slow traffic (10 mph or less) in the same lane, rider at 20 mph or less.
verified · archive.legmt.gov - Arizona (2022)
Pass a vehicle stopped in the same lane at 15 mph or less on streets posted 45 mph or less.
verified · azleg.gov - Colorado (2024)
Pass stopped same-direction traffic at 15 mph or less when safe.
verified · leg.colorado.gov - Minnesota (2025)
Filtering and splitting up to 25 mph, no more than 15 mph over traffic.
verified · dps.mn.gov - New South Wales
Filtering past stopped or slow vehicles at 30 km/h or less.
verified · transport.nsw.gov.au - Virginia SB 435 (2026)
Stopped or slow traffic, rider up to 20 mph, divided highways, $300 fine for blocking a rider.
verified · lis.blob.core.windows.net
Act now
Tell your elected officials where you stand.
Enter your address and we will find your three elected officials: your Delegate, your Senator, and the Governor. You write a line or two in your own words, we help shape it into one message to all three, and it opens in your own email app ready to send. We never send anything for you, and your address is used once to find your officials, then thrown away.
Where do you stand?
Answering the opposition
The objections, and what the evidence says.
Watch where the bill died. SB 435 had passed the Senate 32 to 8. On March 4, 2026 it went to this House subcommittee and was laid on the table 8 to 0. Here is that hearing. The objections you see below are the ones raised in the room.
Virginia House Transportation, Highway Safety and Policy Subcommittee, March 4, 2026. We clipped these 13 minutes 50 seconds from the public record and changed nothing. Do not take our word for it, watch the full hearing on the General Assembly’s own system and check the vote yourself.
"Filtering is dangerous and increases crashes."
Riders are seven times more likely to be hit while stopped than while filtering, and injury severity falls when the speed difference with traffic is small. New South Wales ran a two-year trial and found it a relatively low risk activity before legalizing it.
verified · leg.colorado.gov"It will be hard to enforce and confuse drivers."
Utah, Minnesota, and others wrote narrow laws with clear speed limits and report workable enforcement. SB 435 was similarly narrow: stopped or slow traffic, a 20 mph rider cap, divided highways only.
verified · ridetolive.utah.gov"Motorcycles slipping past large vehicles is unsafe near trucks."
The bill limits filtering to low speed, stopped or slow traffic on divided highways, the setting where a stopped rider is most exposed to being rear-ended. It does not permit high speed splitting between moving trucks.
verified · lis.blob.core.windows.net"There is not enough US data to show it is safe."
We agree US before and after data is still limited, and we say so. The strongest evidence is international plus the enacted laws now running in several states. We publish the Virginia DMV study that reached no consensus too.
verified · dmv.virginia.govTransparency
What we collect, and what we do not.
Pledges and endorsements combined. The Virginia share counts both. Updates within about a minute while people are active.
Add your voice
It looks like you are outside Virginia. The Virginia tally only counts Virginians.
Pledges are anonymous. We store your stance, an optional screened comment, a Virginia or non Virginia flag derived at the edge, and how long you spent reading before voting. We never store your name, email, address, or raw IP. The headline tally combines pledges and comment endorsements, a count of public support, not an official vote.
Evidence Ledger
Check our work.
Every factual claim on this site is listed here with its primary source and a verbatim quote. 23 of 23 are verified. The same list is machine readable at /sources.json.
Riders splitting lanes when they crashed had lower injury rates: head 9% vs 17%, torso 19% vs 29%, fatal 1.2% vs 3%.
verifiedlane-splitting riders were less likely to suffer head injury (9 percent versus 17 percent), torso injury (19 percent versus 29 percent) and fatal injury (1.2 percent versus 3 percent)
Measured injury severity among crashes that happened, not whether filtering changes the odds of crashing.
UC Berkeley SafeTREC (2015) · news.berkeley.edu
The speed difference with traffic predicts injury more than speed alone; above a 15 mph differential, injury risk rose significantly. Filtering is relatively safe in traffic at 50 mph or less.
verifiedthe difference in speed between the motorcycle and the surrounding traffic was a bigger predictor of injury than speed alone
UC Berkeley SafeTREC (2015) · news.berkeley.edu
The study examined nearly 6,000 California motorcycle crashes; 997 involved lane-splitting at the time of the crash.
verifiedOf the nearly 6,000 accidents reported by the California Highway Patrol, 997 involved lane-splitting at the time of collision
UC Berkeley SafeTREC (2015) · news.berkeley.edu
A 2009 five-country European study found riders were seven times more likely to be hit while stopped than to crash while filtering, and filtering was involved in 0.45% of crashes.
verifiedmotorcyclists were seven times more likely to be hit while stopped compared to crashing while lane splitting
Colorado SB24-079 (enacted), citing MAIDS · leg.colorado.gov
New South Wales ran a two-year filtering trial and concluded it was a relatively low-risk activity, then legalized it.
verifiedLane splitting "was a relatively low risk riding activity for motorcyclists under the conditions of the trial"
Colorado SB24-079 (enacted), citing the NSW trial · leg.colorado.gov
In 2024, 6,228 motorcyclists were killed, 16% of all traffic deaths, among the highest counts since at least 1975.
verifiedIn 2024, there were 6,228 motorcyclists killed, 16% of all traffic fatalities
NHTSA, Motorcycle Safety · nhtsa.gov
Modeling a Belgian corridor, replacing 10% of cars with motorcycles cut total time lost for all vehicles by 40%; a 25% shift eliminated congestion.
verifiedtotal time losses for all vehicles decreased by 40 percent and total emissions reduced by 6 percent
Authors call it an order-of-magnitude estimate for one corridor.
Transport & Mobility Leuven (2011), via New Atlas · newatlas.com
Most of the modeled emissions drop came from less idling, not the vehicle mix: 5 of the 6 percentage points were from avoided congestion.
verified1 percent from the different traffic composition of more emission-reduced motorcycles and 5 percent from avoided traffic congestion
Transport & Mobility Leuven (2011), via New Atlas · newatlas.com
The average Northern Virginia driver loses about 103 hours and $2,500 a year to congestion; congestion cost Virginia drivers about $5 billion in 2022.
verifiedThe average Northern Virginia driver loses 103 hours to congestion each year and $2,500 in lost time and wasted fuel
TRIP, Keeping Virginia Mobile (2023) · tripnet.org
Hot-weather riding becomes dangerous above a 95F heat index; even 2% dehydration impairs reaction time; riders can lose up to 1.5 quarts of fluid an hour.
verifiedeven 2% dehydration can impair the reaction times and decision-making skills that keep us safe on the road
Harley-Davidson, Motorcycle Heat Safety · insurance.harley-davidson.com
Utah legalized filtering in 2019: stopped traffic only, rider at 15 mph or less, on roads posted 45 mph or less; it is also allowed on off-ramps.
verifiedLane filtering is legal in Utah anywhere the posted speed limit is 45 mph or less... it is allowed on off ramps
Utah DPS, Ride to Live · ridetolive.utah.gov
Utah's safety program says filtering reduces congestion at lights and helps prevent crashes where a driver hits a motorcycle stopped at a red light.
verifiedLane filtering cuts down on congestion at busy traffic lights. It also helps eliminate crashes from motorists hitting a motorcycle while stopped at a red light
Utah DPS, Ride to Live · ridetolive.utah.gov
Minnesota legalized filtering and splitting effective July 1, 2025, at up to 25 mph and no more than 15 mph over traffic.
verifiedMotorcycle lane splitting and filtering are legal on Minnesota roads as of July 1. The new law, passed by the Legislature in 2024
Minnesota Dept. of Public Safety · dps.mn.gov
California was the first state to formally allow lane splitting: AB 51 (2016) added Vehicle Code 21658.1, which authorizes splitting and directs the CHP to issue safety guidelines.
verifiedThis bill would authorize a motorcycle to be driven between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane
California AB 51 (2016), Vehicle Code 21658.1 · leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
Montana legalized lane filtering in 2021 (Senate Bill 9, MCA 61-8-392), effective October 1, 2021: a two-wheeled motorcycle may pass a stopped or slow vehicle (10 mph or less) in the same lane at no more than 20 mph.
verifiedthe overtaking motorcycle is not operated at a speed in excess of 20 miles an hour when overtaking the stopped or slow-moving vehicle
Montana Code Annotated 61-8-392 (Senate Bill 9, 2021) · archive.legmt.gov
Arizona legalized lane filtering in 2022 (SB 1273, A.R.S. 28-903(F)), effective September 24, 2022: a two-wheeled motorcycle may pass a vehicle stopped in the same lane at 15 mph or less on streets posted 45 mph or less.
verifiedSB 1273 ... took effect on September 24. The bill added subsection F to A.R.S. 28-903
Arizona SB 1273 (2022), A.R.S. 28-903(F) · azleg.gov
Colorado legalized lane filtering in 2024 (SB24-079): a motorcycle may pass stopped traffic in the same direction at 15 mph or less when safe.
verifiedfiltering at a speed less than 30 kmph (19 mph)
Colorado SB24-079 (2024, enacted) · leg.colorado.gov
New South Wales allows filtering past stopped or slow vehicles at 30 km/h or less; the filtering law does not apply to bicycles.
verifiedLane filtering is where a motorcycle rider moves past stopped or slow-moving vehicles at 30km/h or less. Lane filtering is legal in NSW
Transport for NSW · transport.nsw.gov.au
Virginia SB 435 (2026) let a two-wheeled motorcycle pass traffic stopped or at 10 mph or less, at up to 20 mph, on divided highways with two lanes each way; a $300 fine for drivers who block a filtering rider; and a statewide DMV education campaign.
verifiedA violation of this subsection is a traffic infraction punishable by a fine of $300
Virginia SB 435 (2026), LIS bill text · lis.blob.core.windows.net
SB 435 passed the Virginia Senate 32 to 8 on January 28, 2026, before dying in a House Transportation subcommittee. One senator later stated she intended to vote nay, which would have made the recorded margin 31 to 9.
verifiedRead third time and passed Senate (32-Y 8-N 0-A)
Recorded vote confirmed against the official LIS roll call (SV112): 32 yea, 8 nay, 0 abstain. Senator Durant is recorded stating she voted yea but intended to vote nay; the recorded result stands at 32 to 8, with her intended correction it would read 31 to 9.
Virginia LIS, SB 435 Senate roll call SV112 (2026 Regular Session) · lis.virginia.gov
Virginia had 431,601 motorcycle endorsements in 2023, more than twice the number of registered motorcycles.
verified2023 | 431,601
Virginia DMV, Motorcycle Endorsements 2018-2023 · dmv.virginia.gov
Virginia law already lets a cyclist pass another vehicle on either side while staying in the same lane; it bars riding between two lanes of same-direction traffic. The bill would allow motorcycles that same in-lane pass.
verifiedmay overtake and pass another vehicle on either the left or right side, staying in the same lane as the overtaken vehicle
Code of Virginia 46.2-907 · law.lis.virginia.gov
Virginia DMV's 2021 study reached no consensus and recommended no legislation; it found crashes where traffic was 20 mph or less were under 2% of motorcycle crashes.
verifiedlacking a consensus on the legalization of lane filtering in Virginia, the report contains no recommended legislation
A source that cuts against the case; published anyway per the transparency posture.
Virginia DMV Motorcycle Lane Filtering Study (2021) · dmv.virginia.gov
Common questions
Lane filtering in Virginia, answered.
How can I support lane filtering in Virginia?
- Contact your state delegate and senator, share the explainer videos, and tell other riders and drivers why low-speed filtering is safer and reduces congestion for everyone. Grassroots constituent pressure is how a bill like SB 435 comes back and passes.Ready to do more than write? Email Tom to volunteer to testify and the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists can call on your voice at the next hearing.
Is lane filtering legal in Virginia?
- No. As of 2026, Virginia has no law authorizing lane filtering or lane splitting, and both are currently treated as illegal. SB 435 would have legalized low-speed filtering, but it did not become law. Today a rider who filters can be cited. That is the status quo this campaign wants to change, carefully and at low speed, the way other states already have.
What is the difference between lane filtering and lane splitting?
- Lane filtering is a motorcycle moving between stopped or very slow traffic, such as at a red light, at low speed. Lane splitting is riding between lanes of traffic that is still moving, usually at higher speed. The distinction matters because the law treats them differently, and SB 435 addressed only the slower, narrower move.
What would SB 435 have allowed?
- SB 435 would have let a two-wheeled motorcycle pass traffic that was stopped or moving at 10 mph or less, at a speed no greater than 20 mph, on divided highways with at least two lanes in each direction. It also set a $300 fine for drivers who intentionally blocked a filtering rider, and called for a statewide DMV education campaign. It was a narrow, speed-limited bill, not a free pass to weave through moving traffic.
Is lane filtering safe?
- Research points one way. A UC Berkeley SafeTREC study found that filtering at a low speed difference is a relatively safe maneuver, and a motorcyclist stopped in a lane is especially exposed to being rear-ended. Filtering moves the rider out of that spot. The safety depends on keeping speeds low, which is exactly what every filtering law, including SB 435, requires.
Does lane filtering reduce traffic?
- Yes, and for everyone, not just riders. When a motorcycle moves up to the front rather than occupying a full car length in the queue, the line behind it is shorter. Modeling of a real highway found that replacing a share of cars with filtering motorcycles cut the time lost for all vehicles. A motorcycle takes a car's place in line but a fraction of its space.
What states allow lane filtering?
- As of 2026, Utah (2019), Montana (2021), Arizona (2022), Colorado (2024), and Minnesota (2025) allow lane filtering, each under specific low-speed conditions. California and Minnesota also allow the faster lane splitting. Several countries have allowed filtering for decades. Virginia would be following tested law with years of data behind it.
From around the web
Other voices on filtering.
These are not our videos. They are outside takes on lane filtering, from a popular rider channel, local news in states that already legalized it, a government road-safety agency, and a riding school. We did not make them and we do not control what they say, so treat them as perspective, not as our sourced evidence. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.