Is Lane Splitting Legal in Nebraska?
Riders and drivers often use “lane splitting,” “lane filtering,” and “lane sharing” as if they mean the same thing. Nebraska's statute does not use those labels. It regulates the motorcycle's position and passing movement instead.
This article provides general Nebraska legal information. It does not decide whether a particular maneuver violated the law, assign fault for a crash, create an attorney-client relationship, or replace advice from a Nebraska attorney who has reviewed the current statute and facts.
What Nebraska law says about riding between lanes
Section 60-6,308 gives a motorcycle the full use of a traffic lane. It also sets several limits on how motorcycles may use a laned roadway.
| Statutory rule | What the text addresses |
|---|---|
| Full use of a lane | No vehicle may be driven to deprive a motorcycle of the full use of its lane, subject to the two-abreast rule. |
| No same-lane passing | A motorcycle operator may not overtake and pass in the lane occupied by the vehicle being passed. |
| No riding between traffic lines | A person may not operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows of vehicles. |
| Two motorcycles abreast | The statute states that motorcycles may travel two abreast in one lane and prohibits more than two. |
| Official-duty exception | The same-lane-passing and between-lanes restrictions do not apply to peace officers performing official duties. |
The statute also says that “motorcycle” does not include an autocycle for this section. Classification questions should be checked against the current vehicle records and law rather than decided by appearance alone.
Lane splitting, filtering, and sharing are different labels
People commonly use lane splitting for riding between moving lanes of traffic and lane filtering for moving between stopped or very slow rows of vehicles. Lane sharing can refer to two motorcycles traveling side by side in one lane, but the phrase is sometimes used more broadly.
Those informal distinctions do not add exceptions to the Nebraska text. Section 60-6,308(3) refers to operating between lanes or adjacent lines or rows of vehicles without creating a separate rule based on whether surrounding traffic is moving or stopped. A case-specific legal question still requires review of the actual maneuver, location, vehicle classification, and current law.
Two motorcycles riding abreast under subsection (1) are not the same as one motorcycle passing a car within the car's lane. The statute addresses those situations separately.
Lane position inside one lane is different
The Nebraska DMV Motorcycle Operator Manual advises riders to vary their position within a lane as conditions require. A rider may choose a left, center, or right portion of the lane to improve visibility, preserve a space cushion, and maintain an escape path.
Changing position within a lane is different from operating between lanes or rows of vehicles. The manual's passing guidance describes checking traffic and blind spots, moving into the passing lane when safe and permitted, and returning to the original lane. It does not replace the statutory text.
What if a rider is accused of lane splitting after a crash?
An allegation about lane position can matter, but a label does not reconstruct a collision by itself. The evidence may need to show where each vehicle was, whether traffic was moving, which lane markings applied, how a pass or lane change occurred, and what each road user could see.
A driver may allege that a motorcycle was between lanes. A rider may report that another vehicle moved into an occupied lane, opened a door, turned, or changed position without sufficient clearance. Police observations, video, physical evidence, and witness accounts may support or contradict either description.
Nebraska Revised Statute 25-21,185.09 addresses contributory negligence in covered civil actions. The firm's Nebraska comparative-negligence guide explains the proportional reduction, statutory bar, and evidence boundaries. Applying that law requires case-specific legal analysis; this article does not assign a percentage or predict whether a claim can proceed.
Evidence that can clarify position and movement
Safety and medical care come first. When it can be done safely, useful evidence may include:
- Original dash-camera, helmet-camera, traffic-camera, or nearby business video
- Witness names, contact information, and unedited statements about movement and signals
- The police report, diagram, photographs, measurements, and any citation information
- Scene photographs showing lane markings, intersections, traffic controls, sightlines, and debris
- Damage locations on the motorcycle and other vehicles
- Motorcycle gear, vehicle parts, and electronically stored information that counsel determines should be preserved
- Medical records and a contemporaneous account of symptoms after the collision
Keep original files and metadata. Do not crop, annotate, recompress, or post key evidence publicly before obtaining case-specific advice.
Common questions about Nebraska lane splitting
Is lane filtering allowed when traffic is stopped?
Section 60-6,308(3) does not state a stopped-traffic exception. It prohibits operating between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows of vehicles. A Nebraska attorney should verify the current text and how it applies to the specific roadway and movement.
Can two motorcycles ride side by side?
The statute states that motorcycles may operate two abreast in one lane and prohibits more than two abreast. That provision does not authorize a motorcycle to pass a car within the car's lane.
Can a motorcycle pass another vehicle in the same lane?
Subsection (2) says a motorcycle operator shall not overtake and pass in the lane occupied by the vehicle being overtaken. A lawful pass also depends on the roadway, markings, traffic, speed, and other applicable rules.
Does an alleged violation automatically make the rider fully responsible?
No article can assign crash fault from one allegation. The maneuver, causal connection, actions of every involved person, and admissible evidence require case-specific review under current Nebraska law.
Is there an exception for police motorcycles?
The statute states that the same-lane-passing and between-lanes restrictions do not apply to peace officers performing their official duties. The text does not create that exception for other riders.
When Nebraska legal review may help
Prompt review can help preserve video, identify witnesses, compare the police account with the physical evidence, and address an insurer's description of the motorcycle's position. Rensch & Rensch's Nebraska motorcycle-accident guidance explains the firm's services for injured riders and families.
Riders can also review the firm's guide to Nebraska motorcycle insurance requirements when organizing registration and policy records. Coverage, liability, and lane-use questions are separate issues and should not be collapsed into one assumption.
This article provides general legal information based on sources reviewed August 31, 2026. It does not create an attorney-client relationship or replace advice from a Nebraska attorney who has reviewed the current law and facts.
Sources
- Nebraska Legislature: Nebraska Revised Statute 60-6,308
- Nebraska DMV: Motorcycle Operator Manual
- Nebraska Legislature: Nebraska Revised Statute 25-21,185.09
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