Arizona Legalizes Lane Filtering

Riders in Arizona can soon legally advance through stalled traffic. In late March, the state Senate and House approved a bill legalizing lane filtering. Meanwhile, Utah extended its lane filtering authorization by five years.

The Arizona Senate Bill 1273—championed by ABATE of Arizona—allows riders to cruise between lanes at a speed no faster than 15 mph if all other vehicles are stopped. The speed limit on the road must be 45 mph or less, and riders aren’t allowed to pass vehicles using the shoulder or the median.

The law is set to take effect around mid-September. ABATE of Arizona hoped that the new rules will reduce motorcycle accidents from rear-end collisions. The Arizona Department of Transportation said rear-end crashes accounted for 30% of all motorcycle crashes in the state in 2020.

“This law has been four years in the making, but we had a really great sponsor for the bill this year with Senator Pace. He is an active motorcycle rider and it was key to have someone who understood the danger of being rear-ended. This is all about safety and nothing more than part of the plan to reduce motorcycle fatalities in Arizona,” said Micheal Infanzon, legislative director of ABATE of Arizona.

The Arizona law is modeled after Utah’s lane filtering legislation, which recently received a five-year extension. Utah legalized lane filtering in 2018, and the practice has reportedly improved riding safety in the state. Lane filtering is also legal in California and Montana.