Staying In Your Lane
Transp. Code 545.060 — as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane, and no move until it can be made safely
Two duties. An operator on a roadway divided into two or more clearly marked lanes drives as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane, and may not move from the lane unless that movement can be made safely.
The standard the section writes is as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane, with any move out of the lane waiting until it can be made safely. How courts apply those words to a brief touch of a line is not on this page.
The center lane of three. On a roadway divided into three lanes with two way traffic, a vehicle is not driven in the center lane except when overtaking and passing with the center lane clear for a safe distance, when preparing for a left turn, or where the center lane is allocated to the vehicle's direction by official traffic control devices.
Devices. Official traffic control devices may direct slow moving traffic to a designated lane, designate lanes by direction, or prohibit changing lanes on sections of roadway.
Whether a particular drift over a line was a violation, or a reason for a stop, depends on the facts and on how the courts read the words as nearly as practicable, and is a question for a licensed Texas attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- Transp. Code 545.060 — Driving on roadway laned for traffic
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Texas attorney.