Texas Turning

[fishchoke]

I have a buddy that got pulled over and apparently harrassed for making an 'improper turn'. This was in the Dallas Area, Texas. The cop was following my buddy on an R6, who made a right turn onto a 6 lane boulevard. Having 3 lanes to choose from, buddy pulled into the middle lane and accelerated up to the speed limit. Several cars, including the cop, did the same exact thing, but cop pulled over the R6. The cop said that you MUST turn into the closest lane to you. Is this true?

[LiViN's Easy]

I think so, your actually suppose to stay in your lane through the turn.
When you make that right hander your not suppose to fade into that left lane but suppose to say in the right lane.

[OFFICER737]

Yeah you have to turn into the nearest lane unless there is a turn lane indicator section (an arc with broken lines showing the lane through the turn).

[chaos14]

i got pulled over for that a few times in the city i grew up in....just so happens it was always around bar closing time and i always got a warning....stupid cops, any excuse to try and bust someone

[Maichena]

My friend was involved in an accident because some kid didn't pull into the closest lane while making a right turn. My friend was at a traffic light, facing south, waiting to make a left at the light. This kid was heading west, makes a right turn and into the middle lane of a 3 lane road. He didn't notice the Acura heading north. The Acura tries to swerve left to avoid the kid, clips the left side of the kid's car with the right side. Acura flips over and slides into the opposite lane, grinding 3 cars, including my friend's car. Cops arrive a few mintues later, followed by the kid's parents. Parents argue with the cops, claiming that kid was not at fault, leaves with the kid after everything settles down. Kid flips the cops off while leaving with parents. Friend was shaken but not injured. I don't know the details after that.

If you are turning into the outer lane, you're probably going too fast for the turn. 10mph more on a turn won't save you any considerable time.

[NCGSXR]

Originally Posted by chaos14

i got pulled over for that a few times in the city i grew up in....just so happens it was always around bar closing time and i always got a warning....stupid cops, any excuse to try and bust someone

Sounds to me like they had RS to stop you and they did. Don't hate the cop for doing his job. Follow the rules and you won't be getting stopped.

[kneedraggin650s]

Originally Posted by chaos14

i got pulled over for that a few times in the city i grew up in....just so happens it was always around bar closing time and i always got a warning....stupid cops, any excuse to try and bust someone

Would you rather get pulled over for 10mins and get a warning while the cop tries to nail a DUI or would rather the cop not do his job and YOU get nailed by the DUI?

[G-Daddy]

I think that, if you're turning to the left, you can turn into any lane - or the safest lane. If you're turning to the right, you have to select the right lane, or safest closest lane to your turn.

Your buddy made an illegal turn, and the cop was having a bad day - maybe he didn't get his donuts, or something, and he doesn't like sportbikes.

[Craig 380]

Yes. This is a legal stop. The cop probably wasn't looking to harass anyone. It most likely was an opprtunity to speak with someone on the bike who MAY be on a potentially STOLEN ride. We can thank all the idiots out there that keep stealing our bikes. Tell your friend to be thankful for the warning. It IS a ticketable offense in Texas. Should you really piss off the cop, you could be arrested for the offense rather than released with a ticket.

[fishchoke]

Thanks for the info guys, very helpful.