Moray

Filtering and the Law
Don’t filter traffic doing more than 20mph and don’t pass at more than 20 mph over their speed.Contrary to the belief of some motorists, filtering is entirely legal in the UK, providing that it is done safely. Typically once traffic speeds are high enough to suggest that the traffic is no longer queuing, the police may then regard your manoeuvre as a dangerous overtake. So for example on a Motorway a rider unlikely to draw police attention if they filter traffic doing 20ish mph or less and they themselves don’t pass at much over an additional 20mph.
This will typically see your maximum filtering speed set at 40mph. Although in some situations this can be increased a little, while in others this absolutely needs to be lower.



Where is it Illegal to Filter?
As with any manoeuvre, you must not cause danger or force other vehicles to alter course or speed. Typically its not a matter of where, but when. There are a few situations where it would be illegal to filter. Two that spring to mind is passing queuing traffic in a no overtaking zone (e.g. solid white lines or after a no overtaking sign) or on the approach to a crossing, with zig-zags.

Trashman

"Filtering" isn't the problem - if I am in a queue in the outside lane and it is not appropriate to pull in to the middle lane due to traffic, if I see a bike behind me i will quite happily move as far right as I can if he chooses to "filter" (here the space inside me is big enough for a bike to filter, not for me to puill into as I am either too close to the car behind or in front).

What pi$$es me off is when the traffic is very heavy and my attention is required to be focussed on what is happening in front, and a biker, having sat in a blind spot, then chooses to "filter" with his headlight on main beam, a car immediately beside me and he does so at way more than 20MPH over my speed and cuts in front once complete.

Oh look, the illegal things are what pisses "us" off.

Moray

All I can say is there must have been a gap for the bike to get into, and of course there should be if you are a careful driver and leave a big enough gap in front of you, in case the unexpected happens. If he was speeding however I totally agree, he was a ****! What pisses me off is when you leave a gap in front of you in case some arsehole ploughs into the back of you, and some ****** car driver pulls into that gap if your lane is moving faster, just to get one car length ahead. You see the car driver is always in the wrong, bikes have the space to progress and should be allowed to do so. Thats why we ride motorbikes.

pauld37

So the gap is left by careful drivers in case of the unexpected, not so some **** on a bike can pull in to it

asagi

Nine times out of ten if you leave a 'careful drivers gap' it will be some 4 wheeled rep mobile chopping lanes trying to get one car further up the queue and problably causing a motorcyclist who is legally filtering to take avoiding action.

Danny B

Why would anyone ride a motorbike and not filter through traffic?
That is the sole purpose of commuting to work by bike. How many bikers do you see stuck in traffic jams?

Filtering is the only reason that I ride a bike to work, I sure as hell don;t ride for the love of it in the cold winter months.

Moray

Filtering on a motorbike is quite legal as long as there is a gap and you do it within the law stated. Motorbikes are made for progressing through traffic, and we have to be aggressive about it, cause car drivers have a severe attitude problem that a bike can progress when they cant. I think a car trying to jump one car length ahead and pointlessly not progress is far more dangerous and stupid.

Fluffmeister

How many 4 wheeled ***** (normally in BMW's) will gap fill when moving at "motorway" speeds. That gap is also there for a reason, to allow a safe braking distance.

If I am on the bike or in the car, there are pro's and con's. I rightly or wrongly see filtering as a bonus to the fact that I am in a more dangerous environment and getting cold and pissed wet through.

All car drivers should be made to do CBT before their car test, it would help people see the equation from both sides......

Go Moray go Moray go

Fluff'

Fluffmeister

And whilst I am on a mini rant .......

Every morning down the M62 towards mancland, it goes from 3 lanes to 2 lanes just after the M6 / M62 interchange. You get the best part of half a mile of warning signs telling you it is going to drop to two lanes. Why the **** do drivers insist on hammering down to the head of traffic and try to bully their way into the more sensible road users.

A couple of weeks ago a **** in a 3 series was actually shaving (electric of course) whilst trying to barge in, he hit a girl in a corsa and tried to do a "runner" so I casually blocked him with the scoob, got out and had an exchange with him until plod turned up. The copper's eyes lit up when I mentioned what the numpty had been up to and even asked him to open the glove box etc to reveal a nice Remington (razor, not shotgun)

I hope he got what was coming to him, and that the bird fleeces him for gazillions in compensation for whiplash

Fluff

Moray

I think everyone should be made to ride a motorbike for 2 years before sitting car test. Make them better car drivers from a reading the road ahead stand point. Filtering is legal and if a car driver knocks me off I will take them to court and win. Also very funny how car drivers state the bike was in my blind spot routine . If you have a head and neck, turn it and look out your rearside/rear windows, dont rely on mirrors alone. If you ride a motorbike you would know that is called a lifesaver. Cause guess what we have a blind spot on motorcycle mirrors also

fastfrank

Being a biker and scoob driver I can see both sides of the coin. Although I can sympathise with the comment about a biker who uses his full beam, I really don't care anymore after my past experiences, so ride with my twin full beams on (only filtering) to make sure I get seen!!

Stuck in traffic queues leaving a relaxing gap always entices those useless folk to switch lanes - that really annoys me.

I was recently hit by some bint whilst filtering down the offside of a single lane traffic queue. She was pulling out with the intention to overtake many vehicles and then turn down a side road. What a dumb ***. Unfortunatley that can be seen as a 50/50 dangerous manouver on her behalf and on mine... happy days hey

Moray

I dont agree with 50/50 blame I am afraid.

1). Car driver should have checked mirrors.
2). Car driver should have indicated and then looked over shoulder after checking mirror to make sure no one in blindspot!
3). Then if all safe he/she should have manouvered.

You were first to overtake I assume as she pulled out on you. If you were speeding that is only way you would have been to blame. If she pulled out overtook traffic and did not pull back into her lane prior to turning right, that would be dangerous driving as not a legal overtake manouver. Of course if there was double white lines on road you would have both been to blame. But yet again she shouldnt have overtaken as it was congestion and traffic was not progressing at safe speed to overtake and pull back in to safe gap.

hades

So you're suggesting that the only way a biker could possibly be in the wrong when filtering is if they are speeding, and otherwise it's automatically the car's fault for not checking well enough?

Let me be clear - I have no problems with bikes filtering in traffic, am quite happy to let them past, and generally try to keep an eye out for them. However, the bike does have responsibility to check where they're going, control their speed to sensible differentials, signal appropriately etc. I just don't accept that all accidents are the car's fault, any more than I'd accept they're all the bikes fault. I suspect bikes are less likely to cause an accident as they have more to lose, but you can't lay the blame on cars for everything.

Whether in a car or on a bike, driving to allow for / minimise the chance of being "collected" by someone else's mistakes has to be the best way, and is a large part of advanced driving.

Moray

I couldnt agree more, but bikes are allowed to Filter, cars are not So if bike has not broken any laws while filtering and car pulls out and hits you, then of course it is always going to be car drivers fault. As they should use ther neck and look physically before moving, that way there would be far less accidents. I never rely on my car mirrors alone, I always look behind as a last check.

mgcvk

Does it really matter. Someone is always going to p!ss off someone else. If bikes want to filter let 'em as long as they use their common sense and realise that however "bike aware" drivers try to be, you will not ALWAYS ALWAYS see them. Headlights on seems good idea to me. I would if I had a fast bike. But if I had a fast bike I would be dead by now end of story!

Hol

iTrader: (1)

Not according to the highway code they are not!. I just read what it says on filtering, and also crossng the white line at traffic lights
But then bikers convenient forget things like rules.

Except for the 'misinterpreted' ones like you posted p the top, -which relates to overtaking a slower car, 'whilst keeping to the prescribed speed limit'.
Even if that is the same same 30mph the cars are doing.

If you wanted a one-sided argument, you should have stayed in the bikers forum where everyone is misguided and rants on like Hook-Hamza.

If you feel that you bought a bike to circumvent the normal rules of the road, thats fine, admit you did that! but don't try and claim that it is your 'right'. Its your WRONG! You just get away with it.

In all the B Movies, the bad guy always wear's a mask

Moray

How can a car filter ? It needs a whole lane to do so lol. Or do you mean motorcycles are NOT allowed to filter? And I also guess you stick to the speed limit religously! Filtering is when traffic is congested and moving below speed limit, not moving at the speed limit.

WRXtra power

Thing is, if someone pulls out and you go into the back of them its your fault. You were driving to fast to slow down in time. Bikers always blame the driver for not looking and to be honest I am sick of seeing the adverts on TV about it. Half the time we don't see you because you don't drive in a straight line you just weave in and out of lanes, both under and overtaking. I know there are lots of stupid drivers out there who just don’t think when they are driving but there are twice as many bikers that take too many risks IMO

Car or Bike, an accident is an accident and the blame should stay constant across the board.

Ok, had my moan

richieh

yawn
i wont return the abuse you gave me in the past but try reading here http://www.survivalskills.clara.net/..._skills_20.htm
richie

Soulgirl

My husband filters through traffic jams, and why not. Trouble is, car drivers get jealous. Recently he had a passenger open his door in an attempt to knock him off (yes, on purpose) and yesterday someone from the opposite side of the road swerved toward him giving him the finger and swearing!

It's better to let bikes through as this reduces the queue of traffic that has to wait Plus of course, they get cold, wet and miserable

Danny B

I don't agree that it should automatically be the car drivers fault, that is just plain nonsense in my opinion.
As a Mon-Fri commuter myself I now and again see bikers weaving in and out of the traffic always trying to get one car ahead and have a complete disregard for other road users.
A lot of these filtering claims tend to be 50/50 as it is a very grey area indeed.

Hol

iTrader: (1)

Hmmm, A site written by bikers

We DO have different opinions.

Especially on the correct use of the word 'Filter' and over/undertaking.

Taking an obligatory CBT! - Do they actually teach you ignore the flow of traffic and to be generally inconsiderate of other road users as part of the course

bugeyewrx

Genuine question : If you are driving along the road and indicate to turn right in plenty of time , reach your turning , check your mirrors etc , but don't see the bike filtering past you and turn across the front of them , who's at fault you for turning across them or the biker for filtering when it's not safe to do so ( you were indicating to turn right ) ?

richieh

i think you'll find roadcraft is the police manual
did they teach you mirror signal blind spot manouvre (assuming you have a licence of course) as part of your training, or just to ignore what you see in them cos they are smaller and faster than you
richie

richieh

as long as the car is correctly positioned and indicating then the bike is at fault
becomes the car drivers fault when they deiberatly block or fail to signal/observe. all that i didnt see you is rubbish
if you are not capable of observation or anticipation then you shouldnt be on the road whatever your transport.
richie

richieh

i think a lot of the fault lies in the car drivers perception of a bikers actions as dangerous when in reality they are often not.
richie

trails

iTrader: (41)

not filtering but wtf, i've got an opinion after all

....except when they are leaning the bike over on a corner on the opposite side of the road; a bike cornering suddenly becomes a much larger object which does not have space to progress. It does however scare the bejesus out of oncoming vehicals...

i always give bikes room because i think bike are venerable and would hate to be responsible for injuring another person. Your car driver is always wrong attitude is very funny tho, well done must have taken a while to come up with me i blame women, they ARE always wrong (i'm being facetious btw...)

Jza

So let me get this right - when you see couriers on the M1 driving at 70mph between the middle and fast lane - thats ILLEGAL

Jza

WRXtra power

Quote me if I am wrong, but isn't that exactly what happens in the Driver awareness ad on TV, blaming drivers for not looking out for bikers??

Now you see him, Now you see him, Now you see him!!!! You know the one....

Prime example of biker not paying attention I think, not the driver of the car.

I give plenty of room for bikers but only because they will try and squeeze through the smallest of gaps and give no room for error. I don't want to have to get my car resprayed because of a **** (choice of word is optional) in leathers with no patience.

And as for the opening of the door comment, the biker shouldn't be that close to a car anyway!!!!! I guess the driver was trying to make a point....

DazW

iTrader: (1)

"Thing is, if someone pulls out and you go into the back of them its your fault. You were driving to fast to slow down in time"

Not true & i have the ins claim to prove it!