Is Cutting Through a Parking Lot in Texas Illegal? Find Out!

If there is one truth in Tyler, Texas, drivers are impatient.

It's not just Tyler drivers, it's drivers in Dallas, Amarillo, Lubbock, El Paso, Austin, and all over the Lone Star State.

We have all witnessed Texas drivers blatantly running red lights and blowing through stop signs and every time this happens, the lives of other innocent drivers are put in jeopardy.

At some intersections, traffic is so bad that it backs up that some drivers end up cutting through business and shopping center parking lots to avoid waiting at the stop sign or traffic light.

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One Tyler business recently took to social media to post about people using their parking lot as a cut-through to avoid traffic that backs up at a nearby stop sign.

The business states that five of its employees were nearly hit one morning because of people who were flying through their parking lot to avoid the stop sign at Hwy. 155 and Old Noonday Road.

The business goes on to offer up an alternative route if the impatient drivers do not want to wait at the stop sign by using Westway Street instead.

Can Texas drivers be ticketed for cutting through parking lots?

Yes. This became law in 1995 and is often referred to as 'rat running'. According to the Texas Transportations Code Sec. 545.423, drivers may be ticketed:

(a) An operator may not cross a sidewalk or drive through a driveway, parking lot, or business or residential entrance without stopping the vehicle.

(b) An operator may not cross or drive in or on a sidewalk, driveway, parking lot, or business or residential entrance at an intersection to turn right or left from one highway to another highway.

Violations for using parking lots to avoid stop signs and backups

• First offense - a fine of $25-$99
• Second offense - a fine of $100-$200
• Repeat offenders - higher fines

If you cause an accident while in this parking lot, you could be held liable for any damage that you cause while cutting through the parking lot.

Those who read this social media post suggest the business installs some kind of gate to solve the cut-through problem. While that may be feasible, customers and employees of the business will be impacted and inconvenienced.

Drivers should have respect for other people and the businesses and not treat their parking lot as a shortcut and definitely not mistake it for the Autobahn and fly through it.