Riding a motorcycle may give you a lot more maneuverability than you’d have behind the wheel of a sedan or SUV, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t regulations for motorcyclists to follow. In fact, a few things that many motorcyclists do out of habit or practice are expressly against the law in Pennsylvania, even though they’re legal in other states nearby.
Understanding Hershey motorcycle traffic laws can be important not just to keeping yourself safe on the road, but also to preserving your right to file suit against someone who injures you by violating the traffic laws applicable to them. Our motorcycle accident attorneys can answer your questions about what Pennsylvania law says about motorcycle operation on public roads during a private consultation.
How Does State Law Classify Motorcyclists?
For the most part, Pennsylvania law treats motorcycles as identical to other motor vehicles, which means motorcyclists in Hershey generally have to follow all the same basic traffic laws and restrictions as other drivers. That means you can’t pass another car while riding a motorcycle unless you’re in a different traffic lane from them, and you can’t go over the speed limit, ignore stop or yield signs, or disobey right-of-way laws.
Other drivers also have to give you and your bike the same amount of space on the road that they’d give anyone in another car or truck. You’re entitled to the full use of a traffic lane while riding, as well as a safe distance between you and the vehicle behind you.
Can Motorcyclists “Lane Split”?
One thing that’s very common for motorcyclists in other states but illegal in Pennsylvania is “lane splitting”—in other words, riding on top of the lines separating traffic lanes in order to advance past a traffic jam or get to the front of a line of cars at a stop light. In addition to setting other rules out for motorcycle riders, 75 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes § 3523 prohibits motorcyclists from riding between “lanes of traffic” or “rows of vehicles” under any circumstances.
Unique Traffic Laws for Motorcyclists
While you’re not allowed to lane split or pass other vehicles in the same lane as yours while on a motorcycle, you are allowed to ride two abreast with another motorcyclist within the same lane of traffic. Per the statute above, you can’t ride more than two abreast inside a single lane.
You can advance through a red light on a motorcycle if you’ve waited several cycles without your light changing and there’s no oncoming traffic. This “Ride on Red” motorcycle regulation is meant to help riders in Hershey whose bikes aren’t heavy enough to trigger sensors under the road that tell a traffic light system a vehicle is waiting to proceed.
Talk to a Hershey Attorney About Motorcycle Traffic Laws
Unfortunately, even if you follow every rule and regulation that applies to you, that might still not be enough to keep you from getting hurt in a wreck caused by another law-breaking driver. Fortunately, you may have a right to file suit against the person who hurt you and demand compensation for every form of harm your injuries will cause you to sustain.
If you were hurt in a crash despite following Hershey motorcycle traffic laws, you have help available from our seasoned lawyers with a track record of winning cases much like yours. Call today to discuss your options with Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers.
