Motorbikes on the motorway

[Compostella]

We've all been there, crawling along at 20mph on the motorway and bikes are all passing between lanes 2 and 3.

This morning I was in that situation sitting in lane 2 and I wanted to change to lane 3, I positioned myself for the manouvre, switched on my indicator and then checked my mirrors and blind spot. When I checked my blind spot I saw a bike nearly level with me and turned off my indicator so he could pass.

When he went past he was gesturing to me and shaking his head (I could almost here him tutting).

Now, I did everything possible there to drive correctly and he still had a problem which got me thinking, are they actually allowed to pass on the inside of lane 3, along the white lines?

[Ethel]

You were in the wrong.

The procedure is:

Mirror - signal - manouvre

You signalled before mirror

[madmondeo]

car Vs bike - i knows who's chances i'd rather take

[Compostella]

Okay but are the bikes allowed to pass cars in the gap between lane 2 & 3?

Isn't it undertaking which is okay when the nearside lane is moving faster but in this case it wasn't.

Ethel, I didn't ask to be told if I was right or wrong, save your judgments please.

[redcrx]

if there was traffic in lane 3 and the bike was riding in the gap between then why would you be manoevering into lane 3?
if lane 3 was clear then surely the bike was in the correct lane and riding as it should

[Ethel]

I wasn't judging - but you said you had done everything correctly, when you obviously hadn't.

If you had looked in the mirror first you wouldn't have frightened the biker by signalling your intention to move straight into him or her.

I don't understand what you are saying either - either there was no traffic in lane three so you could move in and the biker wasn't undertaking, or there was so you couldn't have moved in but the biker was undertaking.

[Toureman]

As Ethel said, you did very little correctly.

1. You positioned your self without indicating.

2. You switched on your indicators without checking your mirrors.

3 He gestured because you had positioned yourself without indicating, or checking your mirrors and you only saw him at the last minute causing him to brake sharply.

No overtaking or undertaking took place.

The biker was filtering which if done with care is legal.

When changing lanes it is the driver changing lanes who is at fault if there is a collision.

[Loosehead]

It's known as filtering and yes it's perfectly legal.

[gouldc]

Even if it wasn't legal, there is a case law (name escapes me) which would place blame on both parties (something like 70/30 in favour of the car over the motorbike if I remember correctly).

The case law relates to a vehicle waiting to turn right across one lane into a side road. A bike overtakes the stationary vehicle which turns as the bike is alongside.

Obviously the bike is carrying out a dangerous manouever (we assume the car is indicating), but as is previously posted - mirror, signal, manouver.

Personally, I pull up as close to the centre line as I can (or kerb for those cyclists) - if I'm stuck in traffic, they're all stuck in traffic!

[Compostella]

Ahh, so its filtering and its legal

Thanks guys

[Whickerman]

It's not so cut and dried...

http://www.motorcycle-training.f2s.com/filteri ng.html

Here's a (poorly written - no references) article, I think possibly about the case gouldc was referring to
http://www.sites4bikes.com/Motorbike_filtering .htm

...and some other thoughts on the subject
http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/mspicer/entry/motor bikes/

[gouldc]

That's the case - Powell vs Moody (so many floating around in my head!) 80/20 in favour of the car then.

[Toureman]

In a recent case which was in the motorcycle news the car driver was found to be 100% to blame so setting a precedent but sorry I can't quote it.

[Toureman]

In gouldec's case the bike was overtaking not filtering.

goulde seems like a driver who is jealous of bikers being able to pass him.

[gouldc]

Yep -hit it on the head Toureman!

Seriously though, I don't mind filtering - it's the morons on mopeds or pedal cycles that decide they can filter when I'm stuck at traffic lights and pull in front of me that annoy me.

They can't pull off as quickly as I do (and let's face it, they're not going to reach 30 any time within the first hour), so I end up having to pull back around them.

If I had a big truck and bullbars, and no-one was around, I'd drive striaght over them