- Utah lawmakers are examining lane filtering and other motorcycle safety measures after increased fatalities last year.
- A working group will explore extending the lane filtering law set to expire July 2027.
- UHP suggests stricter laws involving helmet use and safety training.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers want to take a deeper look at lane filtering and other motorcycle safety measures, as they look to solve a spike in motorcycle fatalities.
Members of the Utah Legislature's Transportation Interim Committee agreed on Wednesday to form a "small" working group to explore improvements before potentially opening any new bill files for future legislation, including an extension of the state's lane-filtering law, which is slated to expire next year without intervention.
Their vote came after the Utah Highway Patrol recommended expanding helmet or safety education requirements in response to last year's 72 motorcycle fatalities, the highest total in Utah's record.
"I do think we need to address this. The education component is really critical," said Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, the committee's chairman, as he recommended the working group.
Failure to yield and following too closely, either by motorcyclists or other drivers, are two of the biggest factors among fatal crashes, said UHP Col. Greg Holley. Motorcyclists failing to remain in their lane, either due to speed or distraction, was another major factor, as were other vehicles making improper turns, such as a left-hand turn in front of a motorcycle.
Over half of last year's motorcycle fatalities were riders 35 or younger, and over 90% were male, according to the agency. Holley pointed out that over 75% of motorcyclists who died last year didn't have a motorcycle endorsement, and over a quarter of riders who died over the past five years had never completed a safety course.
Over 40% of the crashes were single-vehicle, indicating issues with speed or skill, he added. Motorcycle riders who were not wearing helmets were also 2½ times more likely to suffer fatal injuries in a crash, according to UHP.
"(Motorcycle safety training) is really where we'd like to see people put a lot of emphasis. We want hands-on training and we're just not seeing the use of that statewide," Holley said, adding that stricter training laws could help reduce crashes, while a universal motorcycle helmet use law could help reduce the severity of injuries when a crash does happen.
UHP has seen this as less of a factor when it comes to lane filtering, where a motorcyclist can move between vehicles stopped on certain roads and at off-ramps, as long as traffic is stopped and riders pass at a slow speed.
It's a law Utah passed in 2019 and extended in 2022, but it is set to expire on July 1, 2027.
Motorcycles being rear-ended accounted for a small percentage of crashes, and fatal crashes are even rarer, despite the recent uptick in crashes, Holley said. UHP reported a larger issue: people filtering onto unapproved roads or lane-splitting, illegally passing between vehicles while traffic is moving, which it believes could be tied to educational components.
"From our perspective, since it hasn't had very much of an effect in making things more safe or more dangerous, (we're) neutral on any considerations on a sunset or not," Holley said.
Motorcycle safety advocates who attended the meeting were more supportive of the lane filtering and other education opportunities, while lawmakers had mixed feelings.
Multiple riders shared their experiences, including being hit from behind, as to why they supported extending the law.
"When a lane filtering maneuver is performed correctly ... it creates a safe scenario for both riders and vehicles alike because it takes unprotected vehicles, such as motorcycles, scooters and bicycles, out of the zone of danger," said Dean Rogers, president of the Salt Lake chapter of American Bikers Aimed Toward Education.
Rogers also recommended greater safety, including requiring additional training. He and others were less enthusiastic about stricter helmet laws, saying the state's current law requiring them for anyone under 21 should help, since many younger riders are involved in fatal crashes.
Rep. Walt Brooks, R-St. George, who ran the 2022 bill that extended the lane filtering sunset date to 2027, said he still believes the law benefits riders because there haven't been any major increases in accidents. Conversely, Rep. Karen Peterson, R-Clinton, believed that could mean the law isn't working, and only encouraging unintended consequences.
"At this point, if the data is saying it's neutral, I'm not sure it is safer because then it feels like other things feel allowable on the road that aren't," she said. "It's like we opened it just enough that the perception was other things were legal, even though they weren't legal."
The committee ultimately agreed to form a working group of diverse voices to explore all the issues further before opening any bill files that suggest legislative action, including whether to extend the lane-filtering law and, if so, for how long.
House Majority Whip Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, said it's a key step in making sure the state strikes the right balance between regulation and personal freedom.
"I think this is an important issue," she said.
