Frozen Bones Motor Cycle Club

Filtering: What is it?

Filtering is the action practiced by many motorcycle riders of passing other vehicles caught in slow-moving or stationary traffic.

I s it legal?

It’s not illegal in the UK, provided that it’s done safely. When the queues disappear and traffic flows return to normal police may regard filtering as dangerous riding. It’s an offence to cross or straddle a solid white line or to overtake the lead vehicle in a stationary line of traffic at a pedestrian crossing.

Worth knowing

The faster you ride relative to other traffic, the greater the risk of having a collision. The slower the overall flow of traffic, the greater your gain and the smaller the risk.

Action

Keep your filtering speed down and only filter when traffic is slow-moving or stationary. In this way you’ll give yourself time to take avoiding action if another vehicle changes lanes.

Hazards when filtering

·         Many drivers won’t have seen you. They may attempt to change lanes or even open doors without realising you’re coming through.

·        Watch for drivers of other vehicles who leave significant gaps ahead of themselves. Is this just for safety or are they planning  a lane change in your path?

·        Pedestrians may be picking their way across the road ahead of you.

·        When traffic is really heavy, you might find cyclists can get through the traffic more quickly than you. So be on the lookout and expect them to want to get past.

·        Other riders may filter more quickly than you. Don’t go any faster. Just let them through as soon as you can.

Best Practice

·        Wear high visibility reflective clothing so more drivers will see you. Use your dipped headlight as well.

·        Only filter when traffic speeds are 20 mph or below.

·        Set you filtering speed according to how quickly you may need to stop, not how fast you can successfully get through the queues.

·        Be ready to use horn, headlights and brakes with little or no notice.

·        Be polite and patient. Don’t get into disputes with drivers.

A true pleasure

Getting together for a ride out on a sunny Sunday is definitely one of life’s true pleasures for us motorcyclists. Well, it doesn’t just have to be on a Sunday, does it! Any day of the week will do, especially if the weather’s good, the bikes are in good nick and the group members are ready.

Proper planning

The best group rides leave nothing to chance and benefit from proper training. That means thinking about the route, the stopping-off points, the riding order and perhaps a few ‘house rules’ everyone can adhere to along the way.

Know your skill

It’s also vital to understand the different skill levels of each group member and to make provision for those who may want to push on a bit as well as those who prefer to take things easy.

Potential hazards

All the usual hazards of the open road apply when you’re group riding, with the potential added danger of other riders in close proximity.

·        Wander into another rider’s zone and you could end up on the floor with several others piling into you.

·        Inadequate following distance spells trouble, especially if the leader comes against debris.

·        Let your attention stray and you could read-end another rider.

·        Fancy testing your skill against other group members? Getting competitive leads to accidents.

·        That’s why you need to be even more alert when riding as part of a group.

Best practice

·        Keep in contact with the bike behind by the regular use of mirrors, particularly before and after junctions. Playing it  this way makes for a much safer and more satisfying group ride that when you’re focuses only on keeping up with the rider in front.

·        Make sure the group leader plans the route and that every rider gets a copy, plus details of stopping points and contact telephone numbers for other riders.

·        If you’re new in a group, give yourself plenty of time and space until you learn more about your co-riders and their habits.

·        Plan the riding order. Leader at the front, experienced ‘sweeper’ at the back to spot accidents, malfunctions etc and novices nearer the front where the more experienced riders can keep an eye on them and look after them better.