FILTERING CLIVE’S TOP FIVE TIPS
It’s legal
There’s nothing wrong with filtering and it’s one of the main advantages of being on two wheels, and I encourage riders to do it. You just have to be vigilant to stay safe.
The drivers in the line of traffic won’t have seen you
Put your headlight on full beam if you want but most drivers still won’t know you’re there. Make all your decisions based on this.
Make sure you’ve always got somewhere to go
There’s nothing more embarrassing than filtering past a line of stationary vehicles and an oncoming HGV having to stop because you’ve got nowhere to pull in. Moving away from the traffic helps your view, not just of suitable gaps, but drivers’ heads suddenly turning, front wheels steering and, of course, junctions…
Beware any junctions or lay-bys on the off-side
There are two risks; either someone will pull out of their drive, look right and drive into you, or someone in the queue will use it to do a surprise U-turn. I know this because many years ago, I parked a BMW patrol bike into the pillar of a car that did exactly that. I had my blue lights on — I was going to the accident that was at the front of the queue — but it was entirely my fault.
Watch out for gaps
If you’re filtering on a motorway and there’s a gap, expect someone to change lane into it. If you’re filtering down the outside of a line of traffic in town and there’s a gap, expect a car to pull out of it from a side road you can’t see.
‘Make sure you always have somewhere to go’