Texas, just like other states, enforces traffic laws to help keep the roads safer for all motorists. If you want to avoid being stopped by police and issued a ticket, it is a good idea to understand the most common traffic violations in Texas.
1. Texting and Driving
Texting and driving are illegal in Texas. Even if they are not in your state, you still should not text and drive a vehicle. All it takes is a few seconds of being distracted while looking at your phone to cause a crash, run off the road, or go through a red light at a busy intersection.
2. Motorcycle Lane Splitting
Lane splitting is where a motorcycle will share the space with another vehicle in slowly moving and stopped traffic. This allows motorcycle riders the ability to get to where they are going faster. However, in Texas, this is against the law. If you attempt it, you can get a ticket. Plus, motorcycle driving on the shoulders is also illegal in most cases.
3. Using Mobile Devices
In Texas, there are many cities, towns, and municipalities where it is illegal to talk on your smartphone while holding the phone and driving. It is acceptable to use hands-free methods, like through your car’s infotainment system or a Bluetooth headset. It is also against the law for younger drivers to use a mobile device in any manner including texting, talking, or looking up directions while driving.
4. Speeding
Speeding is a common traffic violation in Texas that is highly enforced. Texas is among the top five states that issue the most speeding tickets, according to data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.1 It is important to remember speed limit signs are not suggestions; they are the law.
5. DUI/DWI
Driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated are common traffic violations even though they have some of the strictest penalties in Texas. If you get stopped and its determined that you are impaired, you will go directly to jail. You could also lose your license, face fines of $2,000 or more, and be sentenced to varying amounts of jail time.
6. Not Using Child Car Seats
You would be surprised that some people still don’t use a child car seat when it is required for children eight years or younger and those that are under four feet nine inches. Children need to be in a car seat, a booster seat, or another acceptable restraint seat or else you can get a ticket.
7. Not Wearing Seatbelts
Texas updated its seatbelt law a short time ago and now everyone inside a vehicle, including passengers in the back seat, must buckle up. If you or your passengers don’t, you can be stopped and issued a ticket.
What Can I Do if I Get a Ticket in Texas?
One viable option is to ask the magistrate or judge if you have the option to complete a Texas driving safety course online to keep the ticket off your record. Sometimes you can get the ticket dismissed for completing the course.
Another benefit of completing a defensive driving course online in Texas is keeping the points off your driving record. It is always in your benefit to keep your driving record clean. Just in case you get future tickets or cause a crash in the future, you can help to avoid surcharges from the State or further penalties due to points. If you have a drug and/or alcohol related offense, you may be required to complete a Texas Drug and Alcohol Driving Awareness Program (DADAP) as part of the penalty.
For more information about Texas driver safety courses online, please feel free to browse our website or contact Ticket School at (800) 558-9887 for further assistance in selecting the courses you need.
Source: