A bicyclist who doesn’t obey traffic laws:
- Is in the right because bicyclists don’t have to obey traffic laws.
- Can be ticketed. ✓
- Will always receive a warning from law enforcement.
- Will have their bicycle impounded.
Answer: B. Can be ticketed.
A bicyclist who does not obey traffic laws can be ticketed.
Why this is the answer
The Texas handbook treats a bicycle as a vehicle. It says anyone riding a bicycle has the same rights and responsibilities as a person driving a vehicle, unless a rule cannot apply to a bicycle by its nature. It also says a bicyclist is subject to the same penalties for violating a traffic law as a motor vehicle operator, and that traffic convictions go on the person’s driver record whether the offense happened on a bicycle or in a motor vehicle. That is why a bicyclist who ignores traffic laws can be ticketed.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Is in the right because bicyclists don’t have to obey traffic laws. — Bicyclists are not exempt from traffic laws; the handbook says a bicycle is a vehicle and its rider has the same responsibilities as a motor vehicle driver.
- C. Will always receive a warning from law enforcement. — Nothing in the passages says law enforcement must give only a warning; the handbook says bicycle riders face the same penalties for traffic law violations as motor vehicle drivers.
- D. Will have their bicycle impounded. — The passages do not mention impounding a bicycle; they say the rider is subject to penalties and convictions go on the driver record.
Remember it
Think of a bicycle as a vehicle: same road rules, same traffic-law penalties.
Official handbook: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Chapter 11: Motor Vehicle Crashes , p. 62