Case Explained: Utah Bans Lane-Splitting, Makes Wheelies a Crime – Legal Perspective

There’s nuance between lane-splitting and lane-filtering, though most don’t know that. Lane-splitting is what most folks know and they can easily call to mind how they’ve seen or witnessed first-hand a motorcycle slicing through bumper-to-bumper traffic at low speeds and making their way to their final destination while the cars around move slowly. 

Lane-filtering, however, is when every car is stationary and waiting at a stop light, and motorcyclists are allowed to filter through the traffic to the light itself, thereby reducing their exposure to possible rear-ends. But the cars not moving is the difference between the two. 

Utah, my home state, allows lane-filtering. It does not allow lane-splitting, and a recent law passed last year not only makes it a crime to lane-split, but it also makes a wheelie a crime, too. Here’s what you need to know. 

Last year, HB0190 was amended by the Utah legislature, and within it, states “As used in this section: (a)(i)”Criminal offense” means a class B misdemeanor offense, a class A, misdemeanor offense, or a felony offense. (ii)”Criminal offense” includes: if the division or peace officer has probable cause to believe that the operator: (ii) used the motorcycle: (A)to perform a wheelie in violation of Section 41-6a-606.1; or (B)to engage in lane splitting in violation of Section 41-6a-704.1.”

Basically, what that means is that both lane-splitting and wheelies become a misdemeanor and can lead to the impounding and seizure of your motorcycle, along with you potentially getting a suspended license and/or losing your motorcycle endorsement within the state. 

Now, I get why you could potentially lose your license or get fined for a wheelie. Most folks don’t know how to do one, and they’re dangerous to do on open roads where most folks aren’t paying attention. It’s dangerous for you and dangerous for them. But lane-splitting has been proven to be an effective counter to both reducing traffic and reducing possible issues between cars and motorcyclists, as it allows the motorcyclist an avenue to extricate themselves from a potentially dangerous situation, i.e., getting away from a driver not paying attention or using Tesla’s very much not ready for prime time autonomous driving system, which ain’t autonomous. 

So to lump lane-splitting in with wheelies seems like a bad move on the legislature’s part, though I do understand that most folks don’t understand how it helps us riders, as well as those car drivers around us. They just see hooligans scaring moms in minivans by weaving their way through traffic. You can’t see, but I rolled my eyes on that one, cause it’s absolutely those folks complaining about lane-splitters. 

But again, lane-filtering, the act of filtering to the front of the line at a stop light, that’s still very much legal. Splitting, however, and wheelies, aren’t. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.