Common Car Driver Myths About Bikers
Filtering, the bike box, road tax and more - the truth behind eight common myths
Every biker’s heard it shouted through a car window at some point. “You’re not allowed to do that.” Most car driver myths about bikers start exactly like this. Someone repeats a rumour with total confidence and zero legal backing. Here are eight of the most common ones. Each gets the actual Highway Code rule or law behind it, not just an opinion.
Myth 1: “Filtering Is Illegal”
It isn’t. Filtering means riding between lanes of slower or stationary traffic. It’s legal in the UK and always has been. No single Highway Code rule spells it out by name. But Rules 88 and 160–169 on overtaking and lane use permit it, as long as it’s done safely.
How you filter matters more than whether you do it. Police guidance treats a big speed differential as the risky part. If traffic is stationary, keep it to roughly 10–15mph. If it’s crawling at 20mph, you might push to 25–30mph. Fly past at 50mph and that’s not filtering anymore. That’s dangerous overtaking, and it’s a careless or dangerous driving offence, not a filtering one.
Myth 2: “They Snuck Into the Cyclist Box, That's Illegal”
Sometimes this one’s actually true, just not for the reason drivers think. Advanced stop lines are the green boxes at some junctions, and they’re reserved for cyclists. Highway Code Rule 178 is direct on this: motorists, including motorcyclists, MUST stop at the first white line if the lights are red or amber, and must not encroach into the marked area beyond it.
Filtering up to that first line is completely fine. It’s the same rule that lets cyclists move up alongside queued cars. Riding into the box itself, past the first line, breaks a rule motorcyclists are bound by exactly the same as car drivers. It isn’t some biker-only free-for-all. It’s just someone breaking the same rule a car would be breaking.
Myth 3: “Undertaking Is Illegal”
Undertaking means passing on the inside, and it gets a bad reputation. But there’s no blanket ban on it in UK law, unlike some other countries. Highway Code Rules 163 – 169 generally discourage overtaking on the inside at speed, and it’s rightly seen as higher risk. Passing slower or queued traffic on the inside at a sensible speed is accepted practice, essentially the same thing as filtering.
Where it tips into an offence is the same test as everything else on this list. If it’s careless, inconsiderate or dangerous, you’re looking at a Road Traffic Act offence. Not because you undertook. Because of how you did it.
Myth 4: “Loud Pipes Save Lives”
This one’s more folklore than fact. There’s no solid evidence that louder exhausts meaningfully reduce collisions. Sound dissipates fast and doesn’t travel well ahead of a bike. Modern cars are increasingly soundproofed against exactly that kind of ambient noise anyway. Being seen consistently beats being heard occasionally. Proper lane positioning, a bright helmet, and predictable riding do more for your safety than decibels ever will.
Myth 5: “Bikers Don't Pay Road Tax”
Untrue. This one probably comes from bikes often sitting in a cheaper tax band, not from being exempt. Motorcycles are taxed under their own Vehicle Excise Duty rate tables, based on engine size. Unless a bike falls into a specific exempt category, like being registered before 1 January 1985, it needs taxing exactly like any other vehicle on the road. A smaller tax bill isn’t the same as no tax bill.
Myth 6: “It's Illegal to Ride Without a Jacket and Gloves”
The only piece of protective kit that’s actually a legal requirement in the UK is a crash helmet meeting the right standard, for riders and pillions over 16, under the Motor Cycles (Protective Helmets) Regulations. Jackets, gloves, boots and armoured trousers aren’t legally mandated. That’s exactly why you’ll see riders in shorts and a t-shirt on a hot day, and they’re not breaking any law by doing it.
That doesn’t make it a good idea. ATGATT, All The Gear, All The Time, exists as a culture for a reason. Tarmac doesn’t care what the law says. The gap between legal and sensible has probably put more riders in A&E than almost anything else on this list.
Gear and lids also cost real money to replace, which is exactly what personal injury and kit cover is designed to soften if the worst happens.
Myth 7: “Riding Two Abreast Is Illegal”
Also untrue. No UK law or Highway Code rule bans motorcyclists from riding two abreast, as long as it’s done safely and doesn’t obstruct or endanger anyone. Group rides regularly use a staggered two-abreast formation because it improves visibility and gives each rider more reaction space than a strict single-file line. It’s a recognised, sensible technique, not a rule violation waiting to be reported.
That doesn’t make it a good idea. ATGATT, All The Gear, All The Time, exists as a culture for a reason. Tarmac doesn’t care what the law says. The gap between legal and sensible has probably put more riders in A&E than almost anything else on this list.
Gear and lids also cost real money to replace, which is exactly what personal injury and kit cover is designed to soften if the worst happens.
Myth 8: “SMIDSY Means It's the Biker's Fault”
“Sorry mate, I didn’t see you” isn’t a legal defence. It definitely isn’t proof the biker did something wrong. Highway Code Rule 239 is direct here: before opening a car door, drivers must check for approaching cyclists, motorcyclists, and other traffic. The Dutch reach technique, opening the door with the far hand to force a shoulder check, exists specifically to prevent this.
If a door opens into a rider’s path, or a driver pulls out without properly checking, liability generally sits with the person who failed to look. Not the biker who was simply riding past. “I didn’t see you” describes a failure to look. It isn’t an excuse for one.
The Truth Behind These Car Driver Myths
Most car driver myths about bikers survive because they get repeated with total confidence by someone who’s never opened the Highway Code. Knowing the real rule doesn’t just win the argument. It’s useful the day it actually matters, whether that’s at a junction, in a witness statement, or when you’re deciding how to ride home tonight. Ride like you know the rules, because increasingly, it seems like most drivers don’t.
And if any of these situations ever does end in a claim, it’s worth having insurance from people who’ve actually read the Highway Code as closely as you have. Check your own cover is up to date, then get a quote and see the difference proper motorcycle specialists make.
