Are Motorcycles Allowed to Drive Between Cars? Rules by State

Whether a motorcycle may ride between cars depends on the state. California’s Highway Patrol says lane splitting is legal there, Arizona, Colorado and Montana allow slow filtering past stopped or very slow vehicles, and Washington’s statute bars riding between lanes. This guide quotes each state’s own statute or agency page, the speed limits those texts set, and what a UC Berkeley crash study found, as of October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice.

What Is Lane Splitting?

Lane splitting is riding a motorcycle between rows of vehicles that share the road. California Vehicle Code 21658.1 defines it as driving a two-wheeled motorcycle “between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane,” on divided and undivided roads and highways. That is the statutory answer to what it is called when a motorcycle goes between two cars.

The statutes read for this guide use different words for related acts. California says lane splitting. Colorado and Montana say lane filtering. Washington and Arizona never use either label: their codes simply say a person shall not operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent rows of vehicles, which is the behavior the other states regulate by name.

Lane Splitting vs. Lane Filtering: What’s the Difference?

The practical difference is what the surrounding traffic is doing. Colorado’s transportation department puts it plainly: filtering means passing vehicles that are stopped, while lane splitting means riding between lanes of moving vehicles and, in Colorado, it remains illegal. Montana’s statute defines filtering as passing a vehicle that is stopped or traveling no faster than 10 miles an hour.

Term	What traffic is doing	Where the sources read here use it
Lane splitting	Rider passes between rows of stopped or moving vehicles	California Vehicle Code 21658.1
Lane filtering	Rider passes vehicles that are stopped, or at 10 mph or less in Montana	Colorado (CDOT), Montana Code 61-8-392
Same-lane pass	Rider overtakes within the same lane, at 25 mph or less and no more than 15 mph over traffic	Minnesota Statutes 169.974

A motorcycle is also its own vehicle class in law, which is why legislatures can write rules for riders that apply to no one else. Our guide on whether a motorcycle is legally considered a car explains how that classification works.

Where Is It Legal? Lane-Splitting and Lane-Filtering Laws by State (2026)

Laws on this topic have been changing, so every row below names the text it comes from and the date this guide was checked: October 2026. Statutes get amended, and Colorado’s filtering law is written to expire. The table covers only the states whose official text was read for this guide.

State	What the text says	Source
California	Lane splitting is defined in the Vehicle Code; the California Highway Patrol states it is legal and publishes non-binding safety tips	Vehicle Code 21658.1; CHP
Arizona	Passing in the same lane and riding between lanes are barred, with an exception for a two-wheeled motorcycle passing stopped vehicles if it is safe, on a street with two or more lanes in one direction, a speed limit of 45 mph or less, at 15 mph or less	A.R.S. 28-903
Colorado	Filtering allowed past vehicles that are stopped, at 15 mph or less, on the left, if the lane is wide enough; splitting stays illegal; the law expires September 2027	CDOT; SB 24-079
Montana	A two-wheeled motorcycle may filter past a vehicle stopped or moving 10 mph or less, at no more than 20 mph, on lanes wide enough to pass safely	M.C.A. 61-8-392
Minnesota	Riding between lanes of moving or stationary vehicles is barred; a narrow exception lets a rider pass within the same lane at 25 mph or less and no more than 15 mph over traffic	Minn. Stat. 169.974, subd. 5
Washington	No operating a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent rows of vehicles; no passing in the same lane except a pedestrian or bicyclist with 3 feet of space	RCW 46.61.608

California: Lane Splitting

The Legislature added section 21658.1 in 2016 (AB 51, effective January 1, 2017). The section defines lane splitting and lets the California Highway Patrol develop educational guidelines. The CHP’s own page tells drivers that lane splitting by motorcyclists is legal in California. Its rider tips are not numeric limits: it says danger rises with higher speed differentials and higher overall speed, and that it is typically safer to split between the far left lanes. See the California Highway Patrol motorcycle safety page for the current wording.

Arizona, Colorado and Montana: Filtering Under Conditions

These three states allow a narrower version. Arizona’s statute caps the pass at 15 mph on streets with a posted limit of 45 mph or less. Colorado’s cap is also 15 mph, with the rider passing on the left and re-entering traffic when the stopped vehicles begin to move. Montana’s cap is 20 mph, higher than the others, but the vehicle being passed must be stopped or moving 10 mph or less. Colorado’s page also notes that vehicles slowly rolling in congestion do not count as stopped. Read the Colorado Department of Transportation lane filtering page for the full list of conditions.

Minnesota: Not Between Lanes

Minnesota is often described online as a lane splitting state. The text of Minnesota Statutes 169.974, subdivision 5, says otherwise: no person may operate a motorcycle between lanes of moving or stationary vehicles headed in the same direction. Paragraph (g) allows only an overtaking pass within the same traffic lane, at no more than 25 mph and no more than 15 mph over the speed of traffic, and paragraph (h) excludes roundabouts, school zones, single-lane work zones and freeway on-ramp queues from that exception.

Washington and States Not Covered

Washington’s RCW 46.61.608 prohibits operating a motorcycle between lanes or rows of vehicles. For Texas, Florida, Georgia, Utah, Hawaii and every state not listed in the table, this guide gives no ruling. Read that state’s vehicle code or ask its highway patrol or DMV, because a missing law is not permission and a recent amendment may have changed the answer. Our related page on riding between lanes of traffic and the companion piece are motorcycles allowed to go between cars cover other angles on the same question.

Is Lane Splitting Safe?

The best-known study is the 2015 analysis from UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC), described in Berkeley News. Researchers looked at motorcycle collisions reported by the California Highway Patrol from June 2012 through August 2013: nearly 6,000 crashes, of which 997 involved lane splitting at the time of the collision.

Injury, among riders in a collision	Lane-splitting riders	Other riders
Head injury	9%	17%
Torso injury	19%	29%
Fatal injury	1.2%	3%

The authors concluded that lane splitting is relatively safe if traffic is moving at 50 mph or less and the rider does not exceed the speed of surrounding vehicles by more than 15 mph. Lead author Thomas Rice said the speed difference was a bigger predictor of injury than speed alone, and that above a 15 mph difference the risk of injury rose significantly. About 69 percent of splitting riders in the data were within roughly 15 mph of traffic, while about 14 percent were at least 25 mph faster.

What the Study Does Not Show

Rice also cautioned that the data cannot estimate the risk of getting into a collision in the first place. The study compares riders who already crashed, so it says little about how often splitting causes a crash. Splitting riders were also more likely to ride on weekdays and commute hours, wear better helmets, ride slower and less likely to have been drinking or carrying a passenger, so the groups were not identical. In the study’s data, the most common splitting crash was a rider going too fast when a driver changed lanes.

Rider Tips From the California Highway Patrol

• Consider the whole environment: lane width, the size of nearby vehicles, road, weather and light.
• Keep the speed difference low; danger increases at higher speed differences and higher overall speed.
• It is typically safer to split between the far left lanes, and not next to big rigs, buses or motorhomes.
• Avoid sitting in other drivers’ blind spots or lingering between vehicles.
• Wear brightly colored or reflective gear and use high beams during the day.

The CHP adds that lane splitting should not be done by inexperienced riders and that the tips do not guarantee safety. Before a first filter in Colorado, Arizona or Montana, remember those states set their own, tighter conditions. See also our breakdown of how motorcycle stopping distances compare to cars and whether motorcycles are safer than cars.

How Drivers Can Help

Drivers share the legal duties here, wherever filtering or splitting is allowed. The California Highway Patrol tells drivers that intentionally blocking or impeding a motorcyclist in a way that could cause harm is illegal, and that opening a vehicle door to impede a motorcyclist is illegal. It asks drivers in the far left lane to move to the left of their lane to give riders room. Colorado’s page asks drivers to treat filtering riders with courtesy.

• Check mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes or turning.
• Signal before changing lanes or merging.
• Stay alert for riders even where the law does not allow filtering, since riders still pass.
• Do not drive impaired by drugs, alcohol or fatigue.

The first three points come straight from the CHP’s “Safety Tips For All Motorists.” Carpool lane questions are a separate matter; see what carpool lanes are called.

What This Guide Does Not Cover

• Penalties and fines for riding between cars in states where it is not allowed; ask the state patrol or a traffic attorney.
• Fault and insurance after a crash, which depend on the state and the facts.
• The 44 other states and the District of Columbia not named in the table.

This page is general information and does not replace legal advice. Statutes change, so check the current text before you ride.

FAQs

Is it legal for motorcycles to drive between cars?

It depends on the state. California’s Highway Patrol says lane splitting is legal there. Arizona, Colorado and Montana allow slow filtering past stopped or very slow vehicles under set conditions. Minnesota and Washington statutes bar riding between lanes. For any state not covered here, read its vehicle code or ask its highway patrol.

What is it called when a motorcycle goes between two cars?

Lane splitting is the term in California Vehicle Code 21658.1. Colorado and Montana call the slower, stopped-traffic version lane filtering. Both mean a rider passing between vehicles in the same direction of travel; the legal difference is how fast traffic is moving.

Is lane splitting a federal or a state law?

Every rule quoted in this guide is a state rule: the California Vehicle Code, Arizona Revised Statutes, Montana Code Annotated, Minnesota Statutes and the Revised Code of Washington. Colorado’s comes from a state bill, SB 24-079. Check the state where you ride, because the answer can change at the border.

Can motorcycles ride on the shoulder to get past traffic?

Not under the sources read here. The California Highway Patrol says riding on the shoulder is illegal and is not lane splitting, and Colorado’s filtering rule says a rider may not pass on the right shoulder. Passing on the shoulder is a separate question from filtering between lanes.

Is lane splitting safer for motorcyclists?

A 2015 UC Berkeley SafeTREC analysis of California crashes found splitting riders in a collision had lower rates of head, torso and fatal injury than other riders in a collision. The same researchers said the data cannot show whether splitting changes the chance of crashing in the first place, and that a large speed difference raises injury risk.

Is lane splitting legal in Texas, Florida or Georgia?

This guide does not cover those states, and no official page for them was reviewed. Do not assume either way. Read the state’s vehicle code section on motorcycles, or ask the state highway patrol or DMV, before riding between vehicles.