New Texas Law (No BS)

OMFG.

yet another reason to join the "Houston 100 Club" and display that sticker prominently.

 

Thank God I'm getting out of there.

 

And coming up to DFW where 70 is impeading the flow of traffic

 

Since when is a cop giving a ticket an "emergency vehicle"? Someone should fight this "interpretation" of the law.

 

Under TX law, any police car is an "emergency vehicle", regardless of what the driver is doing.

Section 541.201 of the Transportation Code. In pertinent part, 541.201 states ----------. In this subtitle: (1)“Authorized emergency vehicle” means:

(A)a fire department or police vehicle.

(B)a public or private ambulance operated by a person who has been issued a license by the Texas Department of Health;

(C)a municipal department of public service corporation emergency vehicle that has been designated or authorized by the governing body of a municipality;

(D)a private vehicle of a volunteer firefighter or a certified emergency medical services employee or volunteer when responding to a fire alarm or medical emergency;

(E)an industrial emergency response vehicle, including an industrial ambulance, when responding to an emergency, but only if the vehicle is operated in compliance with criteria in effect September 1, 1989, and established by the Texas Industrial Fire Training Board of the State Firemen’s and Fire Marshall’s Association of Texas; or

(F)a vehicle of a blood bank or tissue bank, accredited or approved under laws of this State or the United States, when making emergency deliveries of blood, drugs, medicines, or organs................

 

and three of them are landfills!!

 

Try one of these.
www.themirt.com

 

"SECTION 2. Subchapter D, Chapter 545, Transportation Code, is amended by adding Section 545.157 to read as follows: Sec. 545.157. PASSING AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLE.
(a) On approaching a stationary authorized emergency vehicle using visual signals that meet the requirements of Sections 547.305 and 547.702"

Question:
What are the "visual signals" that meet the requirements of 547.305 and 547.702?

In other words: Do Porky's lights need to be on?

 

There was an item on the Austin news last night about this. They said this new law is being heavily enforced in Houston and DFW, but not yet Austin - per the APD.
That's the good news. the bad news is that APD said they intend to start enforcing it beginning next month.
Just glad I haven't yet heard of anyone getting a ticket becuase of their dealer license plate frame. Apparently there's also a new law that nothing on the plate can be obscurred, which technically makes a license plate frame illegal.
A final note- in the report, an APD spokesperson (how's that for PC!) said they would also start enforcing the law about requiring a front plate on cars.

Guess revenue must be down......

 

Re: the license plate frames, as I heard it explained, as long as the word 'Texas' wasn't partially covered, you should be Ok. I took all of mine off just to be safe...

The front plate is what they aim their laser guns at (very reflective), so it makes sense that they will start to crack down on that as laser guns become more commonplace.

I too do my best to slow down or move over, but 20 mph just seems extreme. That's just asking to get rear-ended around here.

 

Too true, I have almost given up on trying to stop when the light goes yellow... Taking life into hands as Motorcycleist in a land of SUV's

 

FYI,

Nearly every Saturday morning, at the Precinct Line walkover spanning 183 (airport freeway) there is a local police officer in the walkover with a radar gun and four to six patrol cars lined up at the next onramp. They are usually working westbound traffic but will occasionally jump over and hit the eastbound side.

Just last week ,as I was on my way eastbound toward work, a ricer cut me off and flipped me off as he did so. I was about to put my car up his tailpipe when I noticed that the police were working our lane and the officer was just pointing his radar gun in our direction. I hit my brakes in time but the ricer continued to cut in an out of traffic while accelerating. He must have been doing about 80 mph when he went under the walkover. He he he!!! In about half a mile he was getting to present his story to the officers in the two patrol cars that had pulled him over. This is one time that justice has proven itself right.............

 

Oddly, now that you work for a german car company, there is a word in German for taking guilty pleasure in the suffering of others, That poor ricer HAHAHAHAAHA

 

Hells yeah.

FWIW, I always try to move over a lane when there's an occupied car parked on the shoulder for whatever reason.

 

Well good luck trying to slowdown on H's freeways, this is an accident waiting to happen or should I say legislated to happen. What are these idiot legistaltors thinking, do they even drive.

Some time I'm driving at say 75 next to a 2.5 ton SUV, and I'm thinking if heres is an emergency my little 1,200 kgs Porsche has no problem braking with 4 pot Brembos on all 4 corners but what about that huge SUV?

Simply insane, if you see any emergency vehicle on the side of the road start looking backwards, forwards, sideways the manage to slowdown 20 mph and keep the abusive law enforcement officers happy, insane.

I'm pissed

 

Their logic is that on a multi-lane highway, you should be able to move over a lane, then you can maintain speed. If you can't move over, then traffic is too heavy to be driving 75 anyway...

Of course, with all the courteous drivers in Houston, anyone of them will let you in...

 

Ran across this last week, but luckily at was at a stop light. My wife's co-worker got pulled over for the same thing. For school zones, I think you have to slow down to 5mph, but I am not sure.

 

Usually, I try to stay out of any heated debates related to law enforcement. Probably because I am a cop myself (no, not from Texas). However, new law or not, I think it's BS that he actually cited you for the infraction.

Just my $.02