Is Lane Splitting Legal in Massachusetts? (2026 Law)

No. Massachusetts has no statute that authorizes lane splitting or lane filtering, and its single-lane statute, G.L. c. 89, section 4A, rules both out: a driver on a way divided into lanes must stay "entirely within a single lane," and motorcycle operators "shall ride single file when passing, and shall not pass any other motor vehicle within the same lane, except another motorcycle." The Registry of Motor Vehicles' Motorcycle Manual says riders "are prohibited from riding alongside motor vehicles within a marked travel lane." A violation is a civil motor vehicle infraction with a $100 scheduled assessment plus a $5 surcharge. For how other states treat the same maneuvers, see our guide to lane splitting laws by state.

Information last verified on 2026-10-09. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Massachusetts state law in the General Laws: the lane, passing and right-lane rules in chapter 89 (sections 2, 4A and 4B) and the penalty in section 5, the civil motor vehicle infraction rules in chapter 90C (sections 1 and 3), and the speed and reckless or negligent operation rules in chapter 90 (sections 17, 20 and 24). It also covers the Registry of Motor Vehicles' Motorcycle Manual, the official table of citable motor vehicle offenses, and the Division of Insurance's surcharge rules (211 CMR 134). It does not cover municipal ordinances, insurer pricing outside the surcharge rules, or the law of other states.

What Massachusetts law says about riding between lanes

Massachusetts does not use the sentence many states carry from the 1968 Uniform Vehicle Code, a model traffic code: "No person shall operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows of vehicles." Its rule is G.L. c. 89, section 4A, "Driving vehicles in a single lane; motorcycles, riding and passing":

"When any way has been divided into lanes, the driver of a vehicle shall so drive that the vehicle shall be entirely within a single lane, and he shall not move from the lane in which he is driving until he has first ascertained if such movement can be made with safety. The operators of motorcycles shall not ride abreast of more than one other motorcycle, shall ride single file when passing, and shall not pass any other motor vehicle within the same lane, except another motorcycle."

Two parts of that section reach riding between vehicles. A motorcycle riding the line between two lanes is not "entirely within a single lane." A motorcycle squeezing past a car in that car's lane passes "any other motor vehicle within the same lane," which only a pass of another motorcycle escapes. Moving up between rows of stopped cars at a light involves one or both.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles' Motorcycle Manual (2015 edition) reads the law the same way. Its lane-sharing section says "Motorcycle riders are prohibited from riding alongside motor vehicles within a marked travel lane," and its special rules for motorcycles say "Do not ride along pavement lines or between lanes of traffic." The manual is guidance, not law, but it states the Registry's position.

Splitting, filtering, shoulders and riding two abreast

Passing on the right and the breakdown lane

G.L. c. 89, section 2 requires a driver passing a vehicle going the same way to "drive a safe distance to the left of such other vehicle" and not return to the right "until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle." It permits passing on the right in narrow cases:

"The driver of a vehicle may, if the roadway is free from obstruction and of sufficient width for two or more lines of moving vehicles, overtake and pass upon the right of another vehicle when the vehicle overtaken is (a) making or about to make a left turn, (b) upon a one-way street, or (c) upon any roadway on which traffic is restricted to one direction of movement."

The 1968 Uniform Vehicle Code adds that such a pass may "in no event" be made "by driving off the pavement or main-traveled portion of the roadway." Section 2 contains no such clause, and Massachusetts law does not define "roadway" or "shoulder" in the chapter 90 definitions section, G.L. c. 90, s. 1, which defines a "way" as "any public highway, private way laid out under authority of statute, way dedicated to public use, or way under the control of park commissioners or body having like powers."

The breakdown lane is covered by G.L. c. 89, section 4B:

"When the right lane has been constructed or designated for purposes other than ordinary travel, a driver shall drive his vehicle in the lane adjacent to the right lane except when overtaking another vehicle or when preparing for a left or right turn; provided, however, that a driver may drive his vehicle in such right lane if signs have been erected by the department of highways permitting the use of such lane."

Nothing in section 4B or section 2 singles out motorcycles. Section 2's permission to pass on the right covers three situations, and none of them mentions a breakdown lane. The official offense table lists a separate "Breakdown lane violation" under section 4B.

A 2023-2024 Senate bill, S.2238, "An Act allowing, in specific situations, motorcyclists' use of a breakdown or access lane or splitting travel lanes," would have changed this. It accompanied a study order, S.2585, and did not become law. In the 2025-2026 session, H.3620, "An Act relative to certain motorcycle travel," sought to let motorcyclists travel in breakdown lanes during periods of heavy traffic; on February 25, 2026 it accompanied a study order, H.5143, and did not become law.

What happens if you are caught lane splitting in Massachusetts

A civil infraction with a $100 assessment

Chapter 89 sets its own penalty. Under G.L. c. 89, section 5, "Whoever violates any of the provisions of sections one to four C, inclusive, except as otherwise provided herein, shall, upon complaint made within three months after the commission of the offense, forfeit not more than one hundred dollars."

Because that penalty does not include imprisonment, a section 4A violation is a "civil motor vehicle infraction," which G.L. c. 90C, section 1 defines as "an automobile law violation for which the maximum penalty does not provide for imprisonment," with exceptions not relevant here. The same section says a scheduled assessment "shall not exceed the maximum assessment or fine established by law for each such violation."

The official table of citable motor vehicle offenses lists the amounts:

Paying counts as a conviction

Under G.L. c. 90C, section 3(A), paying the assessment "shall not be admissible as an admission of guilt, responsibility or negligence in any criminal or civil proceeding, except that such payment shall be an admission of responsibility and shall operate as a conviction for purposes of any action by the registrar pursuant to chapter ninety and for purposes of the safe driver insurance plan."

Those payments count toward license action. Under G.L. c. 175, s. 113B, the Registrar suspends a license for 60 days, after a hearing limited to the accuracy of the records, once a driver has 7 at-fault accidents or moving-violation convictions, including payments under chapter 90C, in any 3-year period. A driver with 3 surchargeable incidents within 24 months must complete a driver education program; if proof is not filed within 90 days of the Registrar's notice, the license is suspended until it is.

Insurance surcharge points

The Division of Insurance's list of traffic law violations classes "Motorcycle, single file when passing" and "Operating on ways divided into lanes" (both c. 89, s. 4A), and "Passing on right" (c. 89, s. 2), as minor traffic law violations. Under 211 CMR 134.13(5), "Two Surcharge Points shall be assigned to each minor traffic law violation" within the policy's experience period, but "No Surcharge Points shall be assigned to a minor traffic law violation which is the first traffic law violation, as determined by Surcharge Date, within the Policy Experience Period if the disposition of the violation was non-criminal under M.G.L. c. 90C." The Division's list carries a last-updated date of August 25, 2020.

Other rules and heavier charges

Reckless and negligent operation are separate charges with their own elements; whether a particular ride meets them depends on the facts. A stop for lane splitting can also involve the general speed rule:

Reckless or negligent operation under section 24(2)(a) is punishable by a fine of $20 to $200, imprisonment for two weeks to two years, or both. The court reports the conviction to the Registrar, who must revoke the license immediately unless the court or magistrate recommends otherwise, and may revoke it even then; an appeal does not stay the revocation. After a first conviction, no new license issues until 60 days after the conviction; after a later conviction within three years, not until one year after the revocation (s. 24(2)(b) and (c)).

Recent changes to these rules

The acts of 2025 and 2026 listed in the Massachusetts session law index include none whose title amends c. 89, sections 2, 4A or 5, or c. 90, sections 17, 20 or 24, and the current text of section 4A shows no recent amendment. The lane-splitting bill filed in the 2023-2024 session, S.2238, and the 2025-2026 breakdown-lane bill, H.3620, each went to a study order rather than becoming law.

Federal law and lane splitting

We found no federal statute or regulation that addresses lane splitting; the rules come from state traffic law. The federal motorcyclist safety grant rule, 23 CFR 1300.25, sets criteria for training, motorist-awareness and impaired-riding programs and says nothing about lane use, and NHTSA's motorcycle safety guidance does not mention splitting or filtering. Massachusetts's own statute controls.

If a crash happens while splitting or filtering

Riding outside a single lane violates section 4A, and that fact can come up after a collision. How it bears on fault, insurance and an injury claim is covered in our guide to Massachusetts motorcycle accident laws. For the rules that apply to crashes generally, see Massachusetts car accident laws.

Related pages

• Lane splitting laws by state
• Massachusetts motorcycle accident laws
• Massachusetts car accident laws

This article provides general legal information about Massachusetts law, not legal advice. For advice about a specific situation, contact a lawyer licensed in Massachusetts.

Last updated: 2026-10-09.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is lane splitting legal in Massachusetts?

No. G.L. c. 89, s. 4A requires a vehicle on a way divided into lanes to be driven entirely within a single lane, and bars motorcycle operators from passing any other motor vehicle within the same lane, except another motorcycle.

Is lane filtering legal in Massachusetts?

No. Section 4A's single-lane rule and its bar on passing a motor vehicle within the same lane have no exception for stopped traffic, and the RMV Motorcycle Manual says riders are prohibited from riding alongside motor vehicles within a marked travel lane.

Can motorcycles ride in the breakdown lane in Massachusetts?

Not as a travel lane. G.L. c. 89, s. 4B requires drivers to use the lane next to a right lane built or designated for purposes other than ordinary travel unless signs permit its use, and c. 89, s. 2 permits passing on the right in three listed situations, none of which mentions a breakdown lane.

What is the fine for lane splitting in Massachusetts?

The official offense table lists a $100 assessment plus a $5 public safety surcharge for a marked lanes violation under c. 89, s. 4A, and c. 89, s. 5 caps the forfeiture at $100. Paying the assessment operates as a conviction for Registry and Safe Driver Insurance Plan purposes.

Does a lane splitting ticket raise my insurance in Massachusetts?

It can. The Division of Insurance classes section 4A lane violations as minor traffic law violations, which carry 2 surcharge points, but no points are assigned for the first traffic law violation in the policy experience period if it was handled as a civil infraction (211 CMR 134.13(5)).

Can two motorcycles ride side by side in Massachusetts?

Yes. G.L. c. 89, s. 4A bars riding abreast of more than one other motorcycle, so two abreast is within the rule, but riders must ride single file when passing.