In Montana: What Is Lane Filtering And Is It Legal?

If one is traveling by motorcycle this year, there is a new law that helps with travel and increase certain flow of traffic. It's fairly new that came into effect in 2021.

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Sometimes one is on two wheels stuck in traffic and with ample room can safely pass to get along with the ride.

It's a little thing called Lane Filtering.

According to Montana Code. Lane Filtering is defined as the act of overtaking and passing another vehicle that is stopped, ie: red light traffic, or traveling at a speed not in excess of 10 miles an hour in the same direction of travel and in the same lane.

It's a bit different to more common term of Lane Splitting

Which according to Wikipedia is is riding a bicycle or motorcycle between lanes or rows of slow moving or stopped traffic moving in the same direction. It's also called whitelining, or stripe-riding. It allows riders to save time, bypassing traffic congestion, and may also be safer than stopping behind stationary vehicles.

Revzilla says that lane filtering and splitting is allowed more and more in different places around the world, and said it's a big advancement for lane sharing laws since Utah passed similar laws in 2018.

One may think that Montana might not be a place where traffic is so heavy that it necessitates such a traffic rule. However, tourist and construction season is on the way and Montana ranks in the top ten of states with registered motorcycle riders according to statista.com. You might see a few bikers out there.

Stay safe out there on the Montana roads this season and enjoy the scenery!