To feel really frustrated that so many drivers don't know this?

[SharkiraSharkira]

I am a biker (as in motorcycle).

I'm a member of a few biking related pages on fb and recently my feed is inundated with videos and articles about bikers being assaulted by car drivers or run over/knocked off their bikes due to car drivers not looking or seeing them or even intentionally. Some of them have been really shocking!

One thing that seems to be coming up time and time again is drivers bemoaning bikers 'illegally overtaking' or 'pushing in' or 'riding between the lanes'. All of these things are perfectly legal for bikers and it is called filtering - it is used to make progress through traffic and some believe it is actually safer for bikers, being vulnerable road users. And yet 90% of the drivers comments on these videos are basically saying it is the bikers fault they got run over/maimed/attacked because they 'shouldn't have been between the lanes'. We are allowed to be!

Aibu to find it very frustrating that SO many drivers don't seem to know that this is legal?

Obviously there are always idiots that ride unsafely and I'm not referring to these people, rather those who follow the rules and filter legally and safely and still get abuse for it.

I know it's legal

I'm less convinced it's always a good idea for bikers to do it, mind.

I’d say that, like most legal road practices, it’s legal only if it’s safe. There are occasions when it wouldn’t be, and maybe that’s what people are reacting to.

You are riding around between heavy metal object moving at speed with nothing but a helmet and a bit of leather for protection. Do you really think that it's a good idea regardless of whether it is legal or not?

I know it's legal too but it seems so dangerous. I have always felt it should not be allowed and it would be safer if bikes had to behave like other road users. However, this isn't based on any studies or statistics, just experience as a road user.

I also knew that all that was legal.

I don’t like bikes overtaking me in slow moving traffic causing me to slow down to leave a full cars distance in the new gap they’ve made me create - they ARE pushing in and it’s no different than a car doing it.

I was under the impression it was only allowed in stationary traffic. Weaving between moving traffic seems dangerous to me. Very happy to be educated if I'm wrong and I never get angry at motorcyclists. I agree they are very vulnerable.

Well what pisses me off about it is that if I’m sitting in my lane doing the speed limit, I might naturally deviate a few CM to the left or right, still within the lines and not performing a manoeuvre so therefore not checking my mirrors.

A motorbike then speeds up the outside, doing above the speed limit and driving so close to me that I could quite easily take him out just by moving a few CM to the side.

That’s not safe, and it’s not legal because the bike is doing above the speed limit, and yet this is mostly the circumstances in which filtering takes place.

So, if you’re doing it legally then crack on. If you’re speeding then tough.

I think most people know its legal, but theres a huge difference between filtering, normally done when the traffic is slow and the ridiculous overtaking manouvers some bikers do. It is also dangerous, thats why its normally done in traffic jams etc.

You are riding around between heavy metal object moving at speed with nothing but a helmet and a bit of leather for protection. Do you really think that it's a good idea regardless of whether it is legal or not?

Yes.

I block them if I can so they can’t get past mwahaha

That should have been yes I agree..

I am also aware it is legal, but to me it seems a totally unsafe practice. You want to be treated like other road users, but reserve the right to weave in and out of very narrow spaces putting yourselves into car drivers’ blind spots so you can essentially jump the queue. I see quite a few bikers who don’t do it and just move in the middle of the lane with the flow of traffic, so plenty of room around them - presumably they’re of the same mind as me.

I don’t like bikes overtaking me in slow moving traffic causing me to slow down to leave a full cars distance in the new gap they’ve made me create - they ARE pushing in and it’s no different than a car doing it.

👍

I didnt know this! You have educated me although its never made me angry just scared for their lives watching them squeezing between lorries!

I block them if I can so they can’t get past mwahaha

Thats appalling. You could cause an accident doing dickhead shit like that.

It would be good if bikers could understand and obey speed limits.
Weaving in and out at high speed (and noisily) is hardly endearing.

And I’m happy for someone to explain how filtering is safe - I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it done when there isn’t the possibility of a moment’s inattention or miscalculation on the part of either a car driver or a biker leading to an accident.

I didn't know (or much care) if it was legal or not (I know it's common).
It looks flipping dodgy at 40-70 mph, though.

My issue with Mbikes is when they accelerate up into view out of nowhere. I'm not sure it's fair to expect other road users to plan for for instantly appearing M-bikes.

Can I add another thing that drivers around my ways seem to not know:
Dual carriageways with national speed limit signage is a 70 limit - not 60! Every day drivers will slow down to 60 when passing the speed cameras, really twists my tits.

Yes it is legal, and I love over a bit if I seen them coming. But sometimes it does look pretty unsafe.

Lots of things are legal but it doesn't mean they are safe. It's pretty stupid to assume you can weave about in traffic without giving any thought to what the cars may be doing. When driving in a car you don't just put your foot down and disregard other drivers; part of being a good driver is being aware of what others are doing around you. Surely that should also apply to motorcyclists?

mrsfezzwig You could say that about anything though.

I think smeaton summed it up perfectly about where its ok and where its not.

I knew it was legal. Sometimes they come through very close to the cars in order to do it though, and it doesn't always seem that safe.

It's good to have them in front of you though, at least you know where they are.

A biker took my Dads wing mirror completely off by zooming up the middle

Bloody idiot!

@WaitrosePigeon well dont you sound a joy. How petty? Seriously? Its a case of well i cant get past so nor can you?!? So if your vehicle would fit in that gap.. your saying you wouldnt go? I think you either need to grow up a bit or spend some time on a motorcycle to see it from the other side. We endure dangerous driving by people all the time. I totally agree there are idiots whom ride unsafely, and filter far too quickly who one day will learn the hard way. However its road-users like yourself who can cause accidents. Im a firm believer that everyone should be made to do a compulsory CBT before driving test to realise how much people simply dont look twice for bikes.