Alright, let me talk about something that gets a lot of us bikers scratching our heads, especially when you’re cooking in that Texas sun, stuck between rows of cars not going anywhere. Yeah, I’m talking about lane splitting. Or lane filtering, whatever you wanna call it. The temptation is real, folks. You see that sliver of space and think, “Man, I could be outta this mess.”
For the longest time, I heard all sorts of stuff. Some dudes would say, “Oh yeah, it’s kinda a gray area,” or “Cops don’t really care if traffic’s at a standstill.” Then you’d hear from others who got pulled over and slapped with a ticket. It was all just hearsay and opinions flying around, and honestly, it was getting confusing. I like to know where I stand, you know?
So, I Decided to Actually Figure This Out
I got tired of the guessing game. I mean, it’s your license and your cash on the line, right? So, I did a bit of my own digging. Wasn’t about to just trust some forum post from five years ago. I wanted to know what the deal was, straight up, for us here in Texas.
And well, after poking around, looking into the actual rules, the answer became pretty darn clear. Lane splitting is not legal in Texas. Simple as that. There’s no wiggle room, no secret handshake. It’s just not allowed.
What really nailed it down for me was finding out that they even passed stuff more recently to make it super clear. So, all that talk about it being “unofficially okay” or “depending on the cop”? That’s just wishful thinking, I reckon. The law spells it out now, so there’s no misunderstanding it.
I know, I know, some folks will still argue:
- “But it’s safer in stopped traffic!”
- “California allows it, why not us?”
- “I’ve done it a few times and nothing happened.”
Sure, I get the arguments. And yeah, maybe you’ve gotten away with it. But “getting away with it” isn’t the same as “it’s legal.” The rules are what they are.
So, there you have it. My little journey into figuring this one out. As much as it might be tempting when you’re stuck, it’s just not worth the risk of a ticket, or worse, causing an accident because someone didn’t expect you there. Ride safe out there, and stick to your own lane, at least here in the Lone Star State.
