Legal or Reckless Filtering???

[Sevorg]

Does anyone know what speed filtering becomes illegal wreckless riding?
I had to do a 25 mile filter on the M1 yesterday and wasn't sure if I was filtering or riding like a lemon!!

My guess is this, technically filtering is only when the cars are stationary but I reckon they were travelling an average of 40mph and was doing around 45-50....:confused:

[Bear]

It's a matter of opinion of the policeman viewing and the courts I reckon, but I'm sure one of our many boys in blue will answer definitively soon. If I'm going past a police car in traffic I usually stick to within 10 miles of the speed limit, or 10 mph faster than the traffic, whichever's slowest, but if you get pulled don't say 'well Bear told me..."

[Dangerous Dave]

More than 10mph faster than the other traffic is regarded reckless by most police officers, but it is a mtter of opinion to that officer. Another factor is also in your method of filtering, location, road lay out.

Basically on motorways, filter in one lane only (between 1&2 or 2&3 lanes) and less than 10mph faster than the other traffic and you will be ok.

There is no law on filtering, just a officers view of road safety and filtering traffic doing less than 30mph is really the only sensible option as you have time to react and will be less likely to be not seen.

[the_lone_wolf]

My guess is this, technically filtering is only when the cars are stationary but I reckon they were travelling an average of 40mph and was doing around 45-50....:confused:
If you averaged 45mph and the traffic averaged 40mph, 25 miles later you would arrive 4.5 minutes ahead of where you'd be if you'd sat in the queue...

meanwhile you'd have spent over half an hour trying to pick your way through traffic doing 40mph, a speed at which i doubt many would be expecting a motorcycle to come between them and the lane next door, and your chances of getting side-swiped would be about as high as they get

illegal or not, i probably wouldn't think the reward justified the risk...:reaper:

[Sevorg]

If you averaged 45mph and the traffic averaged 40mph, 25 miles later you would arrive 4.5 minutes ahead of where you'd be if you'd sat in the queue...
illegal or not, i probably wouldn't think the reward justified the risk...:reaper:

Good point well put. Thanks - I will take this on board next time I'm trying to rush home to beat the fall of darkness. After all, what are headlights for?? probably see you coming just as well!!

Cheers for the help all.

[sinbad]

I'm with t.l.w on this. If the traffic is making "decent" progress, I'm quite happy to be part of the queue.
I thought the law in the UK was that filtering through stationary or very slow traffic is legal but "lane splitting" moving traffic is not.

[philbut]

It can be very tempting to filter in situations like that, and I can't say I've never done it, but as lone_wolf has said, probably not worth the risk to you health / bike. I occasionally cut betwen two cars if the idiot in the faster lane is just dithering level with the slower one, but not down a whole line of cars.

[Bear]

If you averaged 45mph and the traffic averaged 40mph, 25 miles later you would arrive 4.5 minutes ahead of where you'd be...

With a massive grin on your face and a lot less stress and tension than the fools in cars. Stress and tension can lead to heart attacks you know. I just don't think the reward of being 5 minutes late justify the risk... :reaper:;)

[arenalife]

I usually initiate a moving filter when traffic speed drops to 20mph or so and come out of it when it gets back to 40 - 50mph

[Sid Squid]

Yes, if you're wreckless try to keep it that way.

If, however, you are reckless you're chances of staying wreckless diminish greatly.

[-Ralph-]

I usually initiate a moving filter when traffic speed drops to 20mph or so and come out of it when it gets back to 40 - 50mph

+1, though I'm not patient enough to wait for it to drop to 20, perhaps 35, but if the speed increases to 45 I'll drop back in behind a car and bide my time. As said, if your on the move at 40-45 be happy and sit still, in reality the traffic is not holding you up all that much.

People seem to be mooting 10mph as a differencial speed, which I'd agree with if traffic is standing still or slow (which I guess it is in England a lot of the time), but if it's moving at 20 mph I sometimes increase that to 15 mph and ride at 35, or if weaving rather than filtering in more spread out traffic (we have that in Scotland!), I'll take it up to 40.

I do weave, i.e, if I have a 20 seconds of having a lane to myself, I'll occupy it, then move back to the white line when I need to, I just feel safer and less likely to get sideswiped for those 20 seconds.

In Scotland we only have one stretch 3 lane motorway, and thats the M74 through Dumfries and Galloway which is probably one of the quietest motorways in the UK and doesn't suffer traffic. So we only have one choice and thats filter down the middle between lanes 1 and 2.

[ThEGr33k]

I usually initiate a moving filter when traffic speed drops to 20mph or so and come out of it when it gets back to 40 - 50mph

+2 or there abouts. Depends on lane width etc etc. I agree though moving through traffic is worth it just because it stoppes me getting annoyed with the traffic.

I have been in a 50 mile que on the M5 one on the way down to Cornwall. That took a while to get through. Mostly standing to 10 MPH too. I actually felt sorry for those at the back on the que :p

[DanAbnormal]

I have a little rule about filtering to stop me being silly.

Traffic moving less than 30mph I will filter no more than 10mph faster than the traffic.

If traffic is stationary I will filter at no more than 25-30mph. Even that is too fast really, as I found out last September when I was knocked off while filtering.

People filter past me while I'm on the M3 and I'm happily doing 70mph. I see this rider who seems to love weaving in and out and undertaking at about 90mph on the M3. It's only a matter of time mate. :(

[New Leaf]

hooligan dan??

shouldn;t that be Nancy Boy Dan?

lol - just horsin mate, i agree with ya 100%. you have to balance the often negligable benefit you gain from filtering with the potentially horific consequences.

[Blue_SV650S]

If you averaged 45mph and the traffic averaged 40mph, 25 miles later you would arrive 4.5 minutes ahead of where you'd be if you'd sat in the queue...

meanwhile you'd have spent over half an hour trying to pick your way through traffic doing 40mph, a speed at which i doubt many would be expecting a motorcycle to come between them and the lane next door, and your chances of getting side-swiped would be about as high as they get

illegal or not, i probably wouldn't think the reward justified the risk...:reaper:

Your maths is off there ... at an average of 45mph, you would complete 25 miles in 30 mins 20 seconds (4 mins 10 sec before the 40mph person), where did this filtering for an 'hour' come from !?! ;) If you traveled for an hour you would have covered 45miles. That is 5 miles more than the 40mph person. At 40mph it will take them 7 min 30 sec to do those 5 miles ... so 1hr 7.5 mins total for the 40mph dude.

Anyhoo :D ... if you are going to filter, you are unlikely to bother if it only gives you +5mph ...

I ONLY filter if at >10mph differential, else as you were alluding to, what is the point?!?! ;)

So to conclude, logically, filter at high differential or not at all!! :D

To be honest, unless I am totally chilled, I filter if the traffic is doing less than the legal limit for that road ...

[-Ralph-]

Your maths is off there ... at an average of 45mph, you would complete 25 miles in 30 mins 20 seconds (4 mins 10 sec before the 40mph person), where did this filtering for an 'hour' come from !?! ;) If you traveled for an hour you would have covered 45miles. That is 5 miles more than the 40mph person. At 40mph it will take them 7 min 30 sec to do those 5 miles ...

Anyhoo :D ... if you are going to filter, you are unlikely to bother if it only gives you +5mph ...

I ONLY filter if at >10mph differential, else as you were alluding to, what is the point?!?! ;)

So to conclude, logically, filter at high differential or not at all!! :D

To be honest, unless I am totally chilled I filter if the traffic is doing less than the legal limit for that road ...

You a bit bored today or something? ;)

[Blue_SV650S]

You a bit bored today or something? ;)

Just a stickler for detail/fact at times ... like the fact on a re-read you indeed actually said over HALF an hour .. not an hour as I read it first time (hence my 'where did you get the hour from' and the hour based calculations bit!) :oops: :D

Although I have noticed the error now and could correct my original post wrt the hour comment/calculation part, for comedy factor, I'll leave it in!! :mrgreen:

[Ed]

Just a stickler for detail/fact at times ... like the fact on a re-read you indeed actually said over HALF an hour .. not an hour as I read it first time (hence my 'where did you get the hour from' and the hour based calculations bit!) :oops: :D

Although I have noticed the error now and could correct my original post wrt the hour comment/calculation part, for comedy factor, I'll leave it in!! :mrgreen:

You really should become a maths teacher:D

Maybe not - mine, Piggy Deeprose, didn't have sense of humour...

[DanAbnormal]

hooligan dan??

shouldn;t that be Nancy Boy Dan?



Only on Friday nights.....:D

[the_lone_wolf]

Your maths is off there ... at an average of 45mph, you would complete 25 miles in 30 mins 20 seconds (4 mins 10 sec before the 40mph person), where did this filtering for an 'hour' come from !?! ;) If you traveled for an hour you would have covered 45miles. That is 5 miles more than the 40mph person. At 40mph it will take them 7 min 30 sec to do those 5 miles ... so 1hr 7.5 mins total for the 40mph dude.

lol, wut?



speed = distance / time

therefore time = distance / speed

the distance is 25 miles as quoted in the original post:
I had to do a 25 mile filter on the M1 yesterday...

@40 mph you will cover it in 25miles/40mph = 0.625hours

@45 mph you will cover it in 25miles/45mph = 0.55hours (yes i know technically 0.555 recouring but as near as dammit)

therefore the difference in time between runs at 40 and 45 mph is 0.075 hours (0.075 = 0.625-0.55)

0.075 * 60 = 4.5 minutes

QED

:p

[Blue_SV650S]

lol, wut?



speed = distance / time

therefore time = distance / speed

the distance is 25 miles as quoted in the original post:


@40 mph you will cover it in 25miles/40mph = 0.625hours

@45 mph you will cover it in 25miles/45mph = 0.55hours (yes i know technically 0.555 recouring but as near as dammit)

therefore the difference in time between runs at 40 and 45 mph is 0.075 hours (0.075 = 0.625-0.55)

0.075 * 60 = 4.5 minutes

QED

:p

Its your 'near as dammit' assumption that is your downfall Daniel-son! :D

Try the same sum using fractions, or with the true(er) figure for 5/9 of 0.555555555555556

(( 5/8 )-( 5/9 ))*60 = (0.625 - ~0.555555555555556)*60 = 4 1/6 = ~4.16666666666667 or 4 mins 10 seconds to you and I!!! ;)

[21QUEST]

....stuff.......

:rolleyes: :lol:

If you were a dog, I reckon, you'd be a terrier :smt045 ;)

Oh , haven't checked your sums bluey, so it better be correct haha


Ben

[injury_ian]

lol call it 4mins 20?

[Rhiwbina_Squirrel]

lol call it 4mins 20?

Hahaha :smt045

[the_lone_wolf]

Its your 'near as dammit' that is your downfall Daniel-son! :D

Try the same sum with the true figure of 0.555555555555556

0.625 - 0.555555555555556 = 4.16666666666667 or 4 mins 10 seconds ;)

:rolleyes:

[Blue_SV650S]

:rolleyes:

My-bad!! :oops: :D

'Rounding errors are a beeeatch'

quod erat demonstrandum :lol:

[Sevorg]

So errr, that's the maths lesson sorted and very much appreciate by the way:(. Back to the original question. Do we have any input from any of our friends in blue???

[-Ralph-]

So errr, that's the maths lesson sorted and very much appreciate by the way:(. Back to the original question. Do we have any input from any of our friends in blue???

I never see a police car, but not much they are going to do when they are stuck in the traffic and you are over 1/2 mile in front within 30 seconds. A bike cop is more likely to stop you and have a wee educational chat, than to write you a ticket.

They are not going to be standing in the middle of the motorway with a speed gun to see if you are doing more than 10mph over the speed of the traffic.

If you stick to the advise above you will appear to an onlooker as if you are being sensible so they probably wouldn't bother you anyway.

What you do need to watch is what I was saying about the fact that I weave and use whatever lane is available to me. At 45mph this would be seen as undertaking.