Texas permit practice test 2026

This is stricter than the all-driver texting ban. For a driver under 18 even a hands-free call is illegal unless it is an emergency.

At 15 you may apply once you have completed the first 6 hours of driver education classroom instruction (or all 24 hours) and have your driver education certificate (DE-964). A provisional license follows at 16.

The same period prohibits driving between midnight and 5 a.m. except for work, school or a medical emergency, and bans all wireless device use.

ABS preserves steering control. On gravel or deep snow it may even lengthen the stop, but you can still steer around the hazard.

Stop, help the injured, exchange information, and stay until you have met those duties. Leaving the scene is a criminal offense.

Increase your own space cushion and give them a chance to go by. Brake-checking turns their mistake into your crash.

500 feet keeps you clear of sudden stops and of the emergency scene itself.

Driving with a peephole is a citation in most states, and snow left on the roof slides onto your windshield or the car behind you.

Hand-held use in an active school zone is prohibited, and drivers under 18 may not use a wireless device at all.

Seeing both headlights of the vehicle you passed in your mirror means you have enough room to move back over without cutting the driver off.

Read the sign: many zones are time-based, others use flashing beacons or a when-children-are-present condition.

Under 8 and shorter than 4 feet 9 inches means a car seat or booster, in a seat that fits the child's size.

Liability is the coverage states require. Collision and comprehensive, which cover your own vehicle, are optional.

Legal to possess does not mean legal to drive on. Impaired driving laws cover cannabis the same way they cover alcohol.

Texas is a true zero tolerance state for minors: any detectable alcohol is enough, and the license suspension follows the first offense.

Belts keep you behind the wheel and away from the windshield, and they position you correctly for the airbag.

Use the gap under the hood or the side window, signal, slow gradually and stop off the road.

Refusing the test carries its own suspension, usually longer than the one for failing it, and the refusal can be used against you.

States set a deadline, often 10 to 30 days. Renewal notices and suspension notices go to the address on file.

A parked vehicle near the tracks can block a train crew's view and trap other drivers in the crossing.

Signal early and continuously. A signal given as you are already turning tells other drivers nothing they can use.

Five seconds looking at a phone at 55 mph covers the length of a football field blind. Every state restricts phone use for new drivers, and most restrict it for everyone.

The maneuver blocks the whole road for several seconds, so it needs a low-traffic street and a clear view both ways.

Six inches reaches the bottom of most cars, twelve floats many, and two feet of rushing water carries away pickups and SUVs. Turn around.

Driving without carrying the license is a separate violation in most states, even if you are licensed.