State Watch

 

Oregon
H.B 2314 would allow motorcyclist and moped riders to split lanes if traffic is stopped or is traveling 10 mph or slower, the rider travels no more than 10 mph faster than traffic and the rider merges with traffic when traffic speed exceeds 10 mph. The law would apply to highways with speed limits of 50 mph or higher.

Texas
H.B. 748 would repeal the exceptions to the state’s mandatory helmet law. The law currently exempts riders 21 or older who have completed a motorcycle safety course or who have health insurance coverage.
Also S.B. 273 would allow motorcyclist to split lanes on limited or controlled access highways when traffic is moving at 20 mph or slower, if the rider does not travel more than 5 mph faster than surrounding traffic.

Virginia
H.B.1872 would require the adult motorcyclists to register as organ donors if they wish to ride without a helmet. The bill also makes failure to wear a helmet a secondary offense, which means law enforcement officers would not be allowed to stop riders simply for being helmetless.
Also H.B. 2446 would allow motorcyclists to ride on the shoulder of limited access highways when traffic is stopped or is traveling 10 mph or less, the motorcyclist must not exceed 15 mph and must take the first available exit.
And H.B. 2193 would add grass clippings to the list of substance a person may not throw or deposit on the roads. Grass clippings create a hazard for motorcyclists.

Utah
H.B143 Changed registration and state wide fees for all- terrain vehicles, dirt bikes and street-legal ATV’s. Under the new law, registration fees for off- road vehicles will not exceed $35 while the fee for a street- legal ATV will not exceed $72. The state’s Motor Vehicle Division requires that $1 of the registration go to the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Rehabilitation Fund. State wide fees foe ATV’s and snowmobiles will vary, based on the age of the vehicle.

 

Also Utah became the second U.S. state to formally recognize a type of lane splitting, with the governor’s signature on a bill legalizing the filtering of motorcycles between lanes of stopped traffic.

“This is a major victory for motorcyclists in Utah and across the country,” said Mike Sayre, on-highway government relations manager for the American Motorcyclist Association. “As more states acknowledge the benefits of lane splitting, motorcyclists can become safer on the roads, and motorists can find some relief from traffic congestion.”

H.B. 149 allows motorcyclists traveling no faster than 15 mph to filter between lanes of stopped traffic traveling in the same direction on roads where the speed limit is 45 mph or less.

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Walt Brooks (R-St. George) and state Sen. David P. Hinkins (R-Orangeville), was signed by Gov. Gary Herbert on March 21. The bill takes effect May 14.

There are provisions in the bill automatically repealing the law on July 1, 2022, if the legislature takes no action to extend it.

The AMA endorses lane splitting, given the long-term success in California and the University of California study by Berkeley researchers showing that it enhances motorcycle safety. And the AMA will assist groups and individuals working to bring legal lane splitting and/or filtering to their state.

Michael Theodore
National Road Captain