New NSW motorbike laws could increase personal injury and motor vehicle claims costs and complexity, according to the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA).

From tomorrow it will be legal for motorcyclists to travel in the spaces between lanes of slow-moving traffic, at less than 30kmh.

“From a liability perspective the new laws may create increased complexity in apportioning costs for personal injury claims under compulsory third party insurance, and for vehicle and property damage under motor vehicle insurance policies,” an ICA spokesman told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

ICA was not consulted about the new laws.

“Insurers are concerned these laws could result in increased risk to motorcyclists, other vehicle users and pedestrians,” the spokesman said.

The NSW Centre for Road Safety says government agency Transport for NSW held a two-month motorcycle lane filtering trial last year to investigate the impact on congestion and road safety.

It concluded lane filtering is a relatively low-risk activity in low-speed traffic.

The NSW Government has created a new offence – “lane splitting” – to outlaw moving past vehicles at faster than 30kmh. It will launch an awareness campaign to show the difference between lane filtering and splitting.