Utah wants to break up on the split of the tape that has never been legal – rideapart.com

We have just ended the first month of 2025, which means that many places are launching their reports at the end of 2024. Among them is the Ministry of Transport in Utah, which have just released their mortality numbers since 2024 January 2025 .

Among the key points of the bullet in the press release of 2024 is that “Motorcycle deaths have reached a 15-year maximum 53.” IT THEN GOES ON TO STATE “THIS MARKS AN INCREASE Compared to Previous Years, With a Concentration of Deaths During the Summer Months (June Through August). Most Incident ttributed to Speed, Lack of Protective gear or loss of control.

These data are prompted by state legislators in the Committee on the Transport of the Home to Utah to prepare legislation that seeks to limit the behavior that it attributes to contribute to these increased numbers. On the face of it, this seems like a delightful goal. Certainly the most deaths in 15 years is bad, right?

To make it clear, any preventable death is a tragedy and I am not here to dispute this. But let’s look at the actual numbers, as well as the proposed legislation, right?

A quick look at the UDOT website for zero deaths shows us all the numbers published. And while it is not an incorrect claim that the 53 casualties of motorcycles registered in 2024 are the largest number of years, it is also not significant in accordance with the actual, real number of people who died in previous years.

Motorcycle mortality statistics in Utah with time – 2024 – shielded on January 31, 2025.

Photo from: Utah point

This is not so dramatic, but another real statement may be that the 50th athletes who died in 2022 are the largest number of deaths in the last five years.

Again, every death is a tragedy and it is nasty that riders have died (and continue to die). It is understandable that people on Utah (and legislators are also people in Utah) may want to take action to send these numbers back. The continuous increase in “serious injuries” (this is the numbers in the dark gray bars of this diagram) is also certainly something to worry about and want to turn around.

But so far, in 2025, Utah’s legislators have proposed two bills that are said to be aimed at increasing road safety, and this is specifically related to motorcycle behavior. As always, Rideapart is interested in the text of the accounts themselves, so let’s look.

First, we have a jute HB 234, which seeks to increase fines against motorcyclists operating motorcycles in Utah without approval of motorcycles. This bill, if adopted in its present form, will lead to a minimum fine of $ 350 for riders who violate it.

However, this adds a provision that if the rider is to be found in violation of this law, but subsequently granted evidence to the court within 30 days of the entry of a legal basis or sentence (which is later) that they have received their license for their license Motorcycle, the fine can be canceled. In addition, the bill, as it is written, offers an additional latitude at the discretion of the court, at this extra time it can be allowed to receive the approval of motorcycles with a “good reason shown”.

This bill, as proposed at the moment, will enter into force on May 7, 2025. It is currently advanced outside the committee to the full State House of Utah, so we will see how quickly it progresses.

The second bill, Utah. HB 190, it becomes a little easier. And here I had to check twice that Utah had not legalized before split because I was almost sure they did not.

Don’t worry; They are not. Separation of the tape is not now, nor has it ever been legal in Utah. Instead, at the moment a very specific and close definition of filtration of the tape is legally permitted in a hive state.

According to the Ministry of Public Safety of Utah, the filtration of the tape is only allowed under very specific conditions. You must be on a lane or move with two or more adjacent road sails that go in the same direction of travel. The speed limit should be 45 miles per hour or less, and you and your motorcycle have to walk faster than 15 miles per hour.

And here’s the kick: Every vehicle you pass must be completely stopped. Not just moves slowly; He stopped completely. In stagnation. Stationary.

If you have ever ridden in Southeast Asia, you have seen riders slowly make their way through a four -wheel -haired bumper -to -armor traffic to get on the front of the Stop Lights line. This is the type of filtration of the tape that Utah says is legal. It is worth pointing out, as some other jurisdictions determine “tape filtering” differently, which is partly partly why it is such a source of confusion for both riders and non-rider.

So what exactly does Uta HB 190 offer?

If we return to the text of HB 190, there are three specific prohibited actions on motorcycles that the text of this bill writes.

One is for the correct display of motorcycle registration plates, with provisions that they must be placed horizontally (not vertically placed or otherwise placed under the tail or in the wheel so that they are difficult to read) and do not have to They have covers on them that are either colored or translucent. There is an exception here that allows the use of luggage, which can partly darken the plate at times, as well as motorcycle trailers, so it is clear that some thought have entered this provision.

Another is a scheme of prohibition and punishment for wheels and this is an effective rule for three strokes and you. Assuming that in the first place you have a motorcycle license and violate this rule, the offender can face 90 days to suspend the license for the first time. For the second time, violators can face 180 days. Violate it for the third time and your license will be canceled if this bill is adopted as it is currently written.

But this is also important: All The above potential penalties may be controversial, as violators may simply be retained by motorcycles. (Hey, the good news is that you can’t have a second or third crime if you don’t have a bike, right?)

I have not yet been over because the final topic resolved in this bill is the division of the tape. Which, as noted above, is not now and has never been legal in Utah so far. So what does it give?

This bill, as it is written, spells out a penalty scheme for offenders participating in the split of the tape in the large state of Utah. Like a violation of the Statute of the Anti-College, the violators at the first time participating in what the state defines as a “strip division” can be terminated for 90 days.

If the offender does not have a motorcycle license, then their regular driver’s license will be stopped for 90 days. A second violation of the provision for the separation of the tape would lead to a 180 -day suspension, and a third violation would lead to the cancellation of your license in its entirety.

But again, just like the anticipation of the anti-magic, the whole rule of three strokes and you are completely disputed, since the law, as it is written, can see anyone who is divided by dividing by their motorcycle by the first crime. It essentially depends on the judgment of the order employee who pulls you substantially.

Listen, no rider wants to see or hear that other riders die in preventable ways while doing the thing they love. And there will always be people who behave by chasing and ruining things for the rest of us who just do whatever they want when they want.

However, I believe that at least part of the problem here is in clear communication (not for the mirror dry language, which is written most legislation) regarding what Utah considers to be legal filtration of the tape.

Why? As other jurisdictions determine the “band filtration” differently. And some believe that “tape filtering” if you pass between vehicles that run at slow speeds (like less than 10 miles per hour). For other road users, this is definitely slow, but this is still much faster than you are in complete stagnation.

Do you remember the numerous attempts to get Oregon’s condition to legalize the filtration of the tape that have not been signed in law so far? They have historically included a definition of “tape filtering”, which would allow motorcyclists to pass between vehicles traveling at speeds less than 10 miles per hour.

Is the only problem the only problem? Of course not. But there is a larger than zero percent chance of the extra clarity of what is expected by riders can help. Is it threatening to conquer motorcycles if someone goes wrong even once? This seems like a pretty drastic step, especially if a good part of the problem can be a lack of clear communication.

If you live on a jute and feel any kind of way of any of these bills, it is best to notify your state representatives how you feel so that you can take into account your contribution.