While driving in Europe, can I move into and share a lane next to a motorcycle? [closed]

While driving in Europe, can I move into and share a lane next to a motorcycle? [closed] - Side view crop female sitting in car behind window glass reflecting road with moving cars and street lights at night

I know most places in Europe allow (and sometimes even encourage) motorcycles to lane split and travel between cars. How do other drivers tell whether a motorcycle is currently occupying a lane as a car would, or is between lanes?

A hastily drawn diagram to illustrate. Can the red car in lane C move into lane B on the assumption that the yellow motorcycle in lane B is between lanes A and B? If not, would that change if the red car was a motorcycle instead?
enter image description here

Ideally I'm looking for an actual traffic law citation regarding this from at least one major European country, but anything helps.



Best Answer

No, you are neither legally allowed in most countries to share a lane with a car (some exceptions exist) nor do motorcycles in general tolerate cars well coming into their lane.

I drive myself motorcycle since almost 20 years. Most EU countries do not allow a motorcycle sharing a lane with a car (one exception e.g. Netherlands), what you observe are mostly impatient motorcycle drivers who take the risk weaving between two lanes to get faster forward. In fact this strategy is very common if a green light has only a short time and a queue is building...which gets longer and longer. This can also be observed on autobahns when the traffic is jammed and the cars are motionless or driving extremely slow.

While strictly in many countries illegal, this kind of driving (if careful) is tolerated by most car drivers (and the police often also look the other way) because you allow the car behind to skip your position. Also you are always the vulnerable person on the motorcycle; if something happens, you are likely to be (heavily) injured or killed. For this reason, it is always the motorcycle, not the car who is maneuvering in a lane.

Now motorcycles are often driving in convoy; during this the motorcycles are driving with two in a lane in a zig-zag pattern which gives optimal distance and close into two columns when the convoy comes to a stop.

Don't move close to a motorcycle with a car, this is a surefire way to aggravate the driver. You simply have no crush zone as motorcycle driver and the mass advantage means that even a slow collision can break or squash legs.




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While driving in Europe, can I move into and share a lane next to a motorcycle? [closed] - Car riding on asphalt road
While driving in Europe, can I move into and share a lane next to a motorcycle? [closed] - Person Riding Motorcycle on Road
While driving in Europe, can I move into and share a lane next to a motorcycle? [closed] - Multiple lane highway with driving vehicles located in Istanbul city suburb area on autumn day



Is it illegal to share the same lane next to a motorcycle?

No person may operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows of vehicles.\u201d Lane sharing is allowed with two motorcycles side-by-side.

Is motorcycle lane splitting legal in Europe?

Lane splitting by motorcycles is generally legal in Europe, and in Japan and several other countries, and is illegal in many states in the US, but is considered lawful in California (see list below).

Is it illegal for motorcycles to drive between cars?

The intent of filtering is to allow motorcyclists to make progress through slow-moving or stationary traffic. It is legal to filter through traffic as long as it is done safely.

Is it legal to cross lanes on a motorcycle?

The legality of lane splitting has long been a cause for debate in the United States. Many consider the act of riding a motorcycle between lanes in standstill traffic dangerous. In fact, in most states, lane splitting is illegal.



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