UPDATED MAP here: https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/y0or3c/lanefiltering_enforcement_map_in_the_united/

This is a map I finally feel comfortable compiling after having scoured the web for every bit of information regarding different enforcement of lane-filtering in every single US state.

(EDIT: updated map based on new information in the comments, crosschecked by some quick research)

imgur.com/I4kmkHT.png

“I’ve seen this map before! It’s all wrong! Only a handful of states don’t have laws against lane-splitting!” NO, this is looking at different data. Whether or not a state has official laws against lane-filtering doesn’t really affect local LEO’s perception of it. A great example is Virginia, which technically has no laws against lane-sharing but has been shown by a lot of online data to be very strong in enforcement against all sorts of lane-sharing.

“Lane filtering? Don’t you mean lane-splitting?” Well, no – in this case, lane-filtering would refer to crawling through COMPLETELY stopped traffic at or less than 7MPH, for example at an intersection. It does NOT cover full-on lane-splitting through moving traffic, as enforcement is pretty black-and-white on that one: Either you’re in California, or you’re going to get a ticket (if they catch you).

With lane-filtering, however, it’s become clear that law enforcement in different states and cities approach the matter differently, regardless of what local laws say. I divided my map into 5 general categories:

Category 1: Legalized – This is California, Montana and Utah, where it is fully legal to lane-filter in the manner I described above. If you lane-filtered past an LEO in these jurisdictions, they won’t even look at you twice.

^{Estimated time that lane-filtering can be practiced before traffic stop initiated: Infinite*}

Category 2: Generally not enforced – These are cities where lane-filtering is either common practice or local law enforcement is familiar enough with the practice to allow it under the conditions I described above. A great example of this would be DC, where filtering has been common practice for decades. In these jurisdictions, you can filter without worry and generally filter past LEOs without anything happening. There have been rare reports of LEOS blipping their sirens or getting on the loudspeaker and telling the motorcyclist to stop, although full-on traffic stops are almost unheard of.

^{Estimated time that lane-filtering can be practiced before traffic stop initiated: ~ 10 years*}

Category 3: Rarely enforced by warning – These are states and cities where, for many reasons, local law enforcement is usually tolerant of safe lane-filtering and the practice sees somewhat common use. However, LEOs in category 3 zones may feel compelled to act if lane-filtering happens directly in front of them. It is not unheard of for traffic stops to occur in these jurisdictions, although they are more likely to occur for high-speed lane-splitting and overwhelmingly do not result in citations. Although a rider should feel reasonably safe lane-filtering in a category 3 zone, they should keep a sharp eye out for LEOs and refrain from lane-filtering in direct eyesight of one.

^{Estimated time that lane-filtering can be practiced before traffic stop initiated: ~ 2 to 4 years*}

Category 4: Usually enforced by warning – These are states and cities where local law enforcement is not tolerant of lane-filtering and will usually attempt a traffic stop when lane-filtering is witnessed. However, LEOs in these jurisdictions are slightly more tolerant in times of heavy traffic and/or very hot weather. In category 4 zones, LEOs who witness lane-filtering will usually initiate a traffic stop. Citations are still rare, but written warnings are common. A rider in a category 4 zone should be mentally prepared for a traffic stop if they lane-filter in category 4 zones, as it is a question of when rather than if.

^{Estimated time that lane-filtering can be practiced before traffic stop initiated: less than a year*}

Category 5: Usually enforced by citation – These are states and cities where, for a variety of reasons usually related to local customs, outlooks and lack of practice, lane-filtering will usually result in a citation being issued to the rider. As opposed to law enforcement in category 4 zones, LEOs in these jurisdictions will not be lenient towards lane-filtering motorcyclists in the event of heavy traffic or very hot weather. States and cities in category 5 zones have been proven to repeatedly cite filtering riders, and although warnings do occur as well, they are the exception rather than the norm. Riders who lane-filter under the conditions I described above should be ready to receive citations fairly quickly in these jurisdictions.

^{Estimated time that lane-filtering can be practiced before traffic stop initiated: Less than 6 months*}

^\) ^{Approximated only by data sourced on the map. May vary wildly for individual cases}

Lastly, it's important to note that bike type and other traffic infractions will skew this data. For the map, I assumed a conservative non-flashy motorcycle (commonly known as the "old-man bike", a non-loud exhaust, a clearly-visible plate and tags, that the rider wears a helmet, that no lights are out or missing, and that the rider was not speeding around the time that the lane-filtering occured.

Errors and mistakes

I most certainly have made some errors and mistakes in interpreting my data for certain states and cities. If you have personal anecdotes or other data that contradict my map, please let me know and I will fix it in the next revision.

If you want to understand my reasoning behind assigning a category to a particular state or city, ask me and I will provide my findings