Texas drivers got real relief in 2019 when the state ended its hated Driver Responsibility surcharge program — the one that billed drivers annually for years after a ticket. And Texas doesn't run a conventional demerit-point system anymore. So a Texas ticket is cheap now, right?

Not quite. The machinery changed; the bill mostly didn't.

What still costs you in Texas

  • The conviction itself. Tickets still go on your record, and your insurer still reads that record at renewal. The 3-to-5-year premium surcharge — the biggest cost of any ticket, anywhere — is fully alive in Texas.
  • Habitual-violation consequences. No point ledger doesn't mean no memory: pile up convictions and license consequences follow.
  • Municipal fines. Texas has hundreds of small municipalities with their own courts and their own fine schedules. The state's small-town-speed-trap reputation is earned — thin strips of incorporated land along farm-to-market roads where the limit steps down fast and enforcement funds the budget. Texas law actually caps how much of a small town's revenue can come from traffic fines — a cap that exists because the behavior it limits exists.

The geography to respect

The famous 85 mph toll road (SH 130) and 75–80 rural interstates set a fast baseline — which makes the transitions violent. FM roads through one- stoplight towns, lake-town corridors on summer weekends, and the I-35 small-city gauntlet are where out-of-town plates get harvested. Same pattern as everywhere: the limit falls off a cliff, deceleration is "speeding," and the cruiser sits just past the sign.

Driving it clean

Dismissal-by-defensive-driving is available for many first offenses (one course per year, typically) — use it if you're caught. Better: don't donate. High baseline limits mean Texas transitions need lead time — exactly what a route-ahead voice gives you before every town line on the FM road.

Confirm current rules with Texas DPS — programs change, as 2019 proved.

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