ST PAUL, Minn. — Drivers can expect big changes on Minnesota's roads next year.
Last month, Governor Walz signed a new bill to legalize what's called lane filtering and lane splitting for motorcyclists beginning on July 1, 2025.
Minnesota now joins California, Utah, Montana, Arizona and Colorado as states that permit it the practices
"People hear about motorcycle accidents all the time, but when you’re in stop-and-go traffic, you shouldn’t be a sitting duck," said motorcycle enthusiast Phil Stalboerger.
Stalboerger was in a motorcycle accident in 2022 when a distracted driver hit him from behind going 30 mph.
"If this law had been in place in 2022, I wouldn’t have been rear-ended because I would have been between cars or on the side of cars away from high-speed traffic," said Stalboerger.
He helped advocate for a change by telling his story and several legislators agreed to find a way to prevent further accidents from happening. Gov. Walz signed the bill into law on May 24.
"This truly was a bi-partisan effort," said Stalboerger. "It was fun to be a part of something people rallied behind."
The law also added penalties for drivers who try to block motorcyclists and caps riders from going more than 25 miles per hour in traffic.
The act of sharing a lane has proven successful in other states. Some studies recognize it can be risky, but also find it's an effective way to lower the severity of injuries and reduce traffic congestion while keeping motorcyclists more safe.
"It’s a multi-faceted effort to stay safer and that’s the focus of this," said Stalboerger.
The Department of Public Safety will use money from the motorcycle safety fund to further educate the public on this change - from billboards to pamphlets and online safety videos.
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