Heads up for Texan's

I got pulled over for a tail light out on the car. My DL license had expired shame on me I didn't check my mail for renewal some how. It was brought to my attention by the officer that it is now Texas law that if your license is expired or if you don't have it with you, you are supposed to be arrested and jailed. No comments please just a heads up I sure didn't know. I also was told that if you don't have proof of insurance they will impound the car.

Don grandfather to Chase age 10 w/cf
http://livingwithcysticfibrosiscf.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the heads up. My AL license expired shortly after moving to San
Angelo(last year) I have to take the written and driving test and I'll admit I'm scared I'll flunk. So I got just the ID card. Guess I need to take my chances on the tests. :( Wish me luck.

Good Luck. The new rules of the road I think are stupid and dangerous.

Don

So I should read the book to learn new rules? When I was 16 and took the test in AL, he told me he would let me slide "this time" I think I made an 82. I'm 32 now and think I drive just fine. :)
Where's Burleson?

Elizabeth

Texas!!!!!!! Yea Haw.

The thing that struck me the most is 1) you can pass another car using the shoulder, what? And in the dark can you see a car or pedestrian on the shoulder? 2) you used to keep 1 car length between you and another car for every 10 mph of speed now its 1.5 seconds. Time to get a stop watch.

Don

I noticed the shoulder passing right away. I was told it's because Texans are friendly. In AL you'd take the chance of tickets or completely being run off in the ditch.
Does the test get down to the seconds and all? If it does-i'm looking at a very long time studying :)

Elizabeth

Thats what my book says on both counts. I was always told that the shoulder was for emergency purposes.

Although I have taken trips to Houston and seen people driving in the center median because traffic was not moving at 80 mph which was to slow for them.

Don

In Houston, shoulders are NOT meant for passing other cars. Anyone you see doing this is doing it illegally and is a disrespectful driver. The center median is mainly used for making left or right hand turns through a busy thoroughway. Often called the 'chicken lane' because there are so many strip centers and so many trying to turn into either one on both sides. The rule of thumb is that you leave enough room for the person making a turn in the opposite direction from you to do so withouut having to go around you. This causes less congestion on both sides of the road. Occassionally, there is an inexperienced driver that will try to turn left 'around' another car. This is dangerous and causes accidents.

Also, most of the highways in Houston (not freeways) are equipped with a shoulder that is also used to make right turns into parking lots. If the speed limit on a multi-lane highway is 60 mph and there is a driver that slows WAY down to make a right turn from the right lane on the highway, you are asking for trouble. The driver making the right turn needs to turn on his indicator, move over into the shoulder turning lane and proceed to turn from there. NOT stop the entire highway for him to turn in. It does require that the driver be very careful of people pulling in and out of intersections and cautious of pedestrians. It's courteous and responsible driving. Most pedestrians know that they need to follow the rules of the road as well.

That might be how the shoulders are used within city limits, but down here in the Boonies of South Texas, we politely move to the shoulder to allow speedier drivers to go on past.

I do it all the time on the way to work if someone's eager to get here before I am. If I'm in my truck, I'll move on over... If I've got my horse trailer attached & loaded up, sorry Charlie... you're going to have to use the left lane to pass me.. I ain't risking running into somethign with my trailer that could injure the ponies. :)

The median I am talking about is on the I45 corridor going to Houston from Dallas and it is done regularly.
Personally I think their nuts for driving at that speed in the grass and dirt, yet I have seen it done more than once.

Don

AngelSong, ah yes, the wonderful rural areas and courteous drivers. I miss them,

Snipe, I agree, anyone driving on the grass lik that is nuts.

That was one of the first things I noticed about Texas drivers 40+ years ago.
When I was driving from San Antonio (USAF) to Tulsa and back , the drivers on the 2-lane roads were almost always nice enough to pull over onto the shoulder to allow faster traffic by. They they even gave a friendly wave as you passed. I always waved back.

And I have done the same for other drivers who wanted to go even faster than me.
I really liked our old highway sign motto - Drive Friendly.

One of the things that "bug" me now, are those who cross the double white lines, or make their own exit lane where one is NOT painted to get into some shopping center. And, they NEVER signal their lane changes.

That bugs me too, Bubba. Or when drivers follow too close behind.