New Arizona law stiffens penalties for motorcycle lane splitting

PHOENIX - Motorcyclists illegally passing vehicles is no longer just a standard traffic ticket in Arizona. A new state law reclassifies motorcycle lane splitting as reckless driving.

What we know:

Lane splitting occurs when a motorcyclist weaves through moving cars, a practice that has never been legal in Arizona. However, the punishments for doing so are now much harsher.

"If traffic is moving, it's called splitting. Splitting is illegal in Arizona," said Michael Infanzon, a motorcyclist.

Under the new state law, lane splitting is classified as reckless driving, which is a Class 2 misdemeanor.

"If you see a motorcycle weaving in and out of cars and coming between cars on the freeway, it's reckless driving. If you see it on the surface streets while traffic is moving, it's reckless driving," Infanzon said.

Dig deeper:

State lawmakers pushed for harsher penalties to curb dangerous maneuvers.

"People splitting lanes, popping wheelies on the freeway, in between cars, and they said this is reckless driving, we need to do something to stop this lane splitting," Infanzon said.

Importantly, lane filtering is still legal. This allows riders to pass stopped traffic at speeds up to 15 mph on roads posted at 45 mph or less. The key distinction is that traffic has to be completely stopped.

Local perspective:

With cooler weather bringing more motorcyclists back onto the streets, experienced riders urge everyone to brush up on safety.

"It's been over 110 degrees for the last 3 months, 4 months," said Logan Roberts, a motorcyclist. "Now all of a sudden they're going to go under 100, everybody's going to start coming out again and riding."

The message for riders is simple: know your limits and know the law.

"Get training, understand the law. More importantly, understand the penalties," Roberts said. "Because it's a major penalty now."

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