Texas Car / Permit practice
Texas Car / Permit: Speed & Space Management practice test
Choosing a safe speed, keeping a space cushion, adjusting for weather and traffic, and understanding stopping distance.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
11 questions · pass with 9 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
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Study questions with answers
11 sample Speed & Space Management questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.
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1. You are about to pass on a two-lane road. How much room from oncoming traffic should you plan for?
Correct answer: Enough to finish the pass and be back in your own lane while an approaching car is still 200 feet or more away
Before pulling out, judge whether you have the room to get around and settle back into the right lane while an approaching vehicle is still at least 200 feet off. If you are unsure, stay put.
Source: Texas Driver Handbook — Passing
2. What happens to the width of what a driver takes in as speed climbs from a standstill to 60 mph?
Correct answer: It narrows to roughly a fifth of what you take in standing still
Standing still, a driver sees 180 degrees or more. That field shrinks to roughly two-thirds at 20 mph, about two-fifths at 40 mph, and around a fifth at 60 mph, which is why hazards at the edges go unnoticed at speed.
3. In good conditions at speeds above 30 mph, what is the smallest gap you should keep behind the vehicle in front?
Correct answer: Four seconds
Below 30 mph two seconds is the floor; once you are moving faster than that, stretch the interval to four seconds, and open it further when the road is wet, crowded, or hard to see.
4. How does driving at a higher speed affect the distance needed to stop your vehicle?
Correct answer: the higher your speed, the greater the distance needed to stop
Stopping distance grows quickly as speed rises because both reaction distance and braking distance increase. Higher speeds need much more room to stop.
5. A minimum speed limit is posted on the highway you are using. This means that:
Correct answer: You may not travel slower than that speed under normal conditions
Minimum limits exist to keep traffic moving safely, and drivers have to obey them exactly as they obey maximum limits. If you are not willing to travel at or above the minimum, choose another road.
6. The total distance your vehicle needs to stop is made up of:
Correct answer: perception-reaction distance plus braking distance
Total stopping distance is your perception-reaction distance (while you notice a hazard and move your foot to the brake) plus braking distance (while the brakes slow the car). Both grow with speed.
7. Unless a different limit is posted, how fast may you drive in an alley in Texas?
Correct answer: 15 mph
The limit set for an alley is 15 mph. The same figure covers beaches and county roads next to a public beach where the commissioners court has declared it.
8. Even when you are within the posted speed limit, Texas law says you must:
Correct answer: slow down when rain, traffic, or other conditions make that speed unsafe
The posted limit is the maximum for ideal conditions. When weather, traffic, or the road are poor, driving that fast can be both unlawful and unsafe.
9. Another driver begins to pass you on a two-lane road. You should:
Correct answer: hold your lane and keep a steady speed or slow down slightly
When you are being passed, keep to the right and hold a steady speed or slow slightly. Speeding up lengthens the pass and makes it more dangerous for everyone.
Source: Texas Driver Handbook — Passing
10. About how long does the average driver take to spot a hazard, decide, and get on the brakes?
Correct answer: A second and a half
Roughly a second and a half passes before the brakes are even applied. At highway speed the car covers a great deal of ground in that interval, which is why total stopping distance runs so far beyond the skid itself.
11. Where nothing else is posted, the top legal speed for a passenger car on a Texas- or U.S.-numbered highway outside an urban district is:
Correct answer: 70 mph
Cars, motorcycles, and light trucks may run at 70 mph on those routes, and the state's lettered rural routes count as numbered highways too. Some limited-access highways are posted higher, so the sign in front of you always governs.
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Our own printable edition — nobody paid us to show it to you, and everything in it is free to read here too.