Is Lane Splitting Legal in Indiana? What Riders Need to Know

Is lane splitting legal in Indiana? No. Indiana does not permit a motorcycle to ride between lanes of moving or stopped traffic, and it does not allow lane filtering to the front of a red light. Indiana Code 9-21-10-6 gives every vehicle the full use of its lane and allows motorcycles to share a lane only two abreast, by mutual consent.

This post from Vaughn A. Wamsley Personal Injury explains what the Indiana lane splitting law actually says, why riders see conflicting advice online, and the part that matters after a crash: how insurers use lane position to blame the rider, and how an Indianapolis motorcycle accident attorney pushes back under Indiana’s comparative fault rule.

Key Takeaways

• Lane splitting, lane filtering, and shoulder passing are prohibited for motorcycles in Indiana; no exception applies for stopped traffic or low speeds.
• Indiana Code 9-21-10-6 states that a motorcycle is entitled to the full use of a traffic lane and that no vehicle may be operated in a way that deprives another vehicle of the full use of its lane.
• The same statute allows two motorcycles to ride side by side in a single lane if both riders consent, which is the only form of lane sharing Indiana permits.
• California permits lane splitting, and states such as Utah and Arizona allow limited lane filtering at stops, which is why online advice often does not match Indiana law.
• A rider who was lane splitting at the time of a crash is not automatically barred from compensation; under Indiana Code 34-51-2-6, recovery is lost only if the rider’s fault is greater than everyone else’s combined.
• Indiana Code 34-11-2-4 gives an injured rider two years from the crash date to file a personal injury lawsuit.

What Does the Indiana Lane Splitting Law Actually Say?

Indiana has no statute that uses the words “lane splitting.” The rule comes from Indiana Code 9-21-10-6, which covers traffic lanes and restrictions on their use. The statute says a motorcycle is entitled to the full use of a traffic lane, and that a vehicle may not be driven or operated in a manner that deprives another vehicle of the full use of a traffic lane. It then adds that motorcycles, other than autocycles, may be operated no more than two abreast in a single lane, and only with the consent of both riders.

Read together, those sentences close the door on lane splitting. A motorcycle threading between two cars occupies part of each car’s lane and takes away the full use the statute guarantees. The two-abreast language shows the General Assembly knew how to authorize lane sharing when it wanted to, and it limited that permission to two motorcycles that agree to ride together.

Lane splitting, lane filtering, and lane sharing defined

• Lane splitting means riding between two lanes of traffic moving in the same direction, usually at speed on a highway. Prohibited in Indiana.
• Lane filtering means moving between stopped or very slow vehicles to reach the front of a line, typically at a traffic signal. Prohibited in Indiana.
• Shoulder passing means using the paved shoulder to get around congestion. Prohibited in Indiana under general traffic rules.
• Lane sharing means two motorcycles riding side by side in one lane. Permitted in Indiana with both riders’ consent under Indiana Code 9-21-10-6.

Has the Indiana General Assembly changed this rule?

No. The Indiana General Assembly last amended Indiana Code 9-21-10-6 in 2015, and neither the 2025 nor the 2026 legislative session changed it. The 2026 Indiana Code published by the General Assembly carries the same text. Riders who hear that “lane filtering passed” are usually hearing about another state.

Why Do Riders See Conflicting Answers About Lane Splitting?

Because the United States has no single rule, and the states that allow some version of the practice get most of the attention. California is the only state that broadly permits lane splitting, and the California Highway Patrol publishes safety guidelines for it. Utah, Arizona, Montana, and Colorado have adopted narrower laws that allow lane filtering between stopped or slow vehicles under set speed and road conditions. Motorcycle forums, national safety articles, and riding videos filmed in those states describe filtering as normal, and the advice travels.

None of that applies once you cross into Indiana. A rider who learned to filter in Phoenix or Salt Lake City and does the same thing on I-465 or Meridian Street is committing a traffic violation, and an officer can cite it. Our page on what to do after a motorcycle accident in Indianapolis is written for Indiana riders and Indiana rules, not borrowed from another state.

What Are the Penalties for Lane Splitting in Indiana?

A lane-use violation under Indiana Code 9-21-10-6 is an infraction, which means a traffic ticket and a fine rather than a criminal charge. The practical penalties often outweigh the fine. A citation goes on your driving record, your insurer may raise your premium, and if a crash follows, the other driver’s adjuster will read the ticket first.

If the lane splitting is combined with high speed, weaving through traffic, or other aggressive riding, an officer may add a reckless driving charge, which is a criminal offense in Indiana. Every case depends on what the officer observed and what the crash investigation shows.

Does Lane Splitting Make a Motorcycle Crash the Rider’s Fault?

Not automatically. Indiana uses modified comparative fault, found in Indiana Code 34-51-2. Under Indiana Code 34-51-2-6, an injured person can recover only if their own contributory fault is less than the fault of all other persons who contributed to the injury. A rider assigned 50 percent of the blame still recovers half of their damages. A rider assigned 51 percent recovers nothing. Vaughn A. Wamsley explains this threshold in detail in Indiana’s 51 percent bar rule.

A traffic violation is evidence of fault, not proof. The jury or adjuster still asks what the other driver did. A driver who changed lanes without signaling, opened a door into traffic, or looked at a phone while creeping forward in a jam shares responsibility, and that share can easily exceed the rider’s.

How an insurer builds the lane splitting argument

1. The adjuster pulls the crash report and looks for any note about lane position, “between vehicles,” or a citation to Indiana Code 9-21-10-6.
2. The insurer argues the rider was somewhere no vehicle should have been, so the driver could not reasonably have seen or anticipated the motorcycle.
3. The insurer assigns the rider most of the fault, often 60 percent or more, and denies the claim or offers only a fraction of its value.
4. If the rider gave a recorded statement admitting to “going around” traffic, the insurer treats that as a confession to the violation.

Evidence that rebuts the lane splitting claim

• Dashcam, helmet camera, or traffic camera footage showing the rider’s actual lane position and speed.
• Photos of the final rest positions, the point of impact on the car, and debris, which can show the car moved into the rider rather than the reverse.
• Proof the driver changed lanes or opened a door without checking, including the driver’s own statement, witness accounts, or a citation issued to the driver.
• Evidence that traffic was stopped or crawling, which bears on whether the rider’s conduct contributed to the collision at all.
• Phone records, if distracted driving is suspected, obtained through the discovery process after a lawsuit is filed.

The Indianapolis lane-splitting motorcycle accident page describes how these crashes typically happen on local roads and how the firm preserves this evidence early.

What Should an Injured Rider Do If Lane Position Is Disputed?

Lane position cases turn on the first 72 hours. Follow these steps.

1. Get medical care immediately, even if you walked away. A gap in treatment is the second most common argument an insurer uses against riders, after lane position.
2. Do not describe your lane position to the other driver’s insurer. You are not required to give a recorded statement to someone else’s carrier.
3. Write down everything you remember about the traffic pattern, the car’s movement, and the driver’s behavior while it is fresh.
4. Preserve your gear and the bike. Do not repair the motorcycle until you have photographed and inspected it.
5. Ask nearby businesses for surveillance video from the past few days. Many systems overwrite footage in a week or two.
6. Contact a lawyer before the two-year deadline in Indiana Code 34-11-2-4 gets close. Evidence disappears long before the deadline does.

Where these crashes happen in the Indianapolis area

Stop-and-go traffic on I-465, the I-65/I-70 split downtown, US 31 through Carmel and Westfield, and the Keystone Avenue and 96th Street corridor in Hamilton County produce many of the lane-position disputes we see. Congested traffic tempts riders to filter and drivers to make sudden lane changes, and the resulting collision gets argued both ways. The Indianapolis motorcycle accident lawyers at Vaughn A. Wamsley know these roads and the local crash-reporting practices of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Carmel Police Department, and the Indiana State Police.

Common Mistakes Our Attorneys See in Lane Position Cases

Vaughn A. Wamsley has represented Indiana motorcyclists for decades, and the same errors show up in case after case.

• Admitting to lane splitting when the rider was actually in a lane. Riders sometimes describe a legal pass as “going between cars” because they are rattled. Precision matters.
• Accepting a low offer because the rider assumes a ticket ends the case. Under Indiana’s comparative fault statute, a ticket is one factor, not a verdict.
• Letting the police report stand uncorrected. If the responding officer’s narrative misstates the lane position, a supplemental report or witness statement can correct it, but only if someone acts quickly.
• Posting about the crash. A photo captioned “filtered through traffic” will be found.
• Skipping a check of uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Indiana Code 27-7-5-2 requires insurers to offer this coverage unless the insured rejects it in writing, and it can be the only meaningful source of recovery when the at-fault driver carries state minimum limits.
• Waiting to call a lawyer until the insurer denies the claim. By then, the video is gone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is lane filtering legal in Indiana at a red light?

No. Indiana does not allow a motorcycle to move between stopped vehicles to reach the front of a line at a traffic signal. Indiana Code 9-21-10-6 gives every vehicle the full use of its lane, and that rule applies whether traffic is moving or stopped.

Can two motorcycles ride side by side in Indiana?

Yes. Indiana Code 9-21-10-6 allows motorcycles, other than autocycles, to ride no more than two abreast in a single lane, as long as both riders consent. This is the only form of lane sharing Indiana law permits.

Which states allow lane splitting?

California is the only state that broadly allows lane splitting in moving traffic. Utah, Arizona, Montana, and Colorado allow limited lane filtering between stopped or slow vehicles under specific conditions. Indiana is not among them, and practices legal in those states can get you cited here.

If I was lane splitting, can I still get compensation after a crash in Indiana?

Possibly. Under Indiana Code 34-51-2-6, you lose the right to recover only if your fault exceeds the combined fault of everyone else involved. If the driver who hit you changed lanes without looking or was distracted, the court weighs that driver’s fault against yours, and you may recover damages reduced by your percentage of fault.

How long do I have to file a motorcycle accident lawsuit in Indiana?

Indiana Code 34-11-2-4 requires you to file a personal injury lawsuit within two years of the date the injury occurred. Claims against a city, county, or state agency involve much shorter notice deadlines, so speak with an attorney early if a government vehicle or road condition was involved.

Talk to an Indiana Motorcycle Accident Attorney Who Knows the Lane Splitting Rules

Is lane splitting legal in Indiana? No, and a driver’s insurer will try to make that one fact the whole story. It is not. Indiana’s comparative fault law considers everyone’s conduct, and a driver who turns, merges, or drifts into a motorcycle shares the blame. Vaughn A. Wamsley Personal Injury, with offices in Carmel and downtown Indianapolis, represents riders throughout Marion County, Hamilton County, and the rest of Indiana, and our Indianapolis motorcycle accident attorney team knows how to gather the footage and witness accounts that put lane position in context.

Your consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we recover for you. Contact Vaughn A. Wamsley online or call 317-846-1080, and read our guide to the first 24 hours after a motorcycle crash while you wait for the call back.