Traffic Laws and Rules of the Road for Motorcyclists
Traffic Laws and Rules of the Road for Motorcyclists
Montana applies its traffic code to motorcycles, but a few rules matter most for riders: the Basic Rule speed law, lane use, headlight and eye protection, passengers, and impaired riding.
Key rules
- Montana's Basic Rule requires a speed that is reasonable and prudent for conditions, even where no fixed limit is posted.
- A motorcycle is entitled to a full lane. Do not share a lane with a car.
- Montana allows two motorcycles to ride abreast in a single lane, but not more than two.
- Lane splitting and lane filtering are not authorized.
- Motorcycles must have the headlight on when operated on public roads; eye protection is required unless the bike has a windshield.
- Passengers need a proper seat and footrests.
- The 0.08 BAC limit and implied-consent law apply to motorcyclists.
- At intersections, yield as the law requires and never assume a driver has seen you.
Worked example
A rider stops at a red light behind an SUV. Sitting directly in the center of the lane puts the rider in the oil strip and in the driver's blind spot. Better: stop in the left or right tire track, leave enough gap to see the SUV's mirrors, and keep an escape path while watching the mirror for a rear-end threat.
Traps
Treating the Basic Rule as "no speed limit," riding three abreast, assuming a bicycle-style lane split is legal, and forgetting that a windshield does not excuse impaired riding or a missing endorsement.