Texas Traffic Code Cheat Sheet: Right-of-Way, Speed, and DWI

Texas traffic laws that catch drivers most often sit in a handful of Transportation Code sections: right-of-way, speed, signaling, phones, seat belts, the move-over rule, parking distances, DWI, crash duties, and the minimum insurance you must carry. What follows is a working reference to those rules, current for 2026.

Right-of-Way at Intersections

At an intersection with no signal or sign, you yield to any vehicle already in the intersection and to any vehicle approaching from your right. If you’re on an unpaved road meeting a paved one, the duty is heavier: stop, yield, and let paved-road traffic clear before you enter.¹

At a stop sign, priority runs by order of entry. After stopping, yield to any vehicle already in the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard.² At a four-way stop, the first driver to stop goes first. When two arrive together, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.

When a signal goes dark, treat the intersection as a stop sign. Stop, confirm the way is clear, and take your turn.³

Pedestrians in Crosswalks

The pedestrian rule is stronger than most drivers assume. At any crosswalk without a working signal, you must stop and yield to a pedestrian who is on your half of the roadway or approaching closely enough from the other half to be in danger. You also cannot pass another vehicle that has stopped at a crosswalk to let a pedestrian cross.⁴

Speed Limits and the Basic Speed Rule

Texas uses prima facie speed limits, meaning defaults that apply unless a sign says otherwise. In urban districts the default is 30 mph. In alleys it drops to 15 mph. School zones carry their own reduced limits when children are present, typically 20 mph and posted on signage.

Above every posted number sits the basic speed rule: you cannot drive faster than is reasonable and prudent for current conditions. Driving 30 in a 30 zone during a downpour can still draw a citation if an officer decides that speed was unsafe. The posted limit is a ceiling for good conditions, not a permission slip.

Passing and Overtaking

When you pass another vehicle on the left, you cannot merge back to the right until you are safely clear of the vehicle you passed.¹

Passing on the right is far more restricted than most drivers think. You may only do it when the vehicle ahead is making or about to make a left turn, and the road has enough unobstructed width for two lines of moving traffic in each direction. On a one-way street, you can pass on the right if the roadway is wide enough for two lines and free of obstructions. You cannot leave the paved portion of the road to get around anyone.¹

Signaling, Turning, and U-Turns

Your turn signal must run continuously for at least the last 100 feet before a turn.¹ For right turns, stay as close to the right curb or road edge as you practically can. For left turns, approach from the farthest left lane available for your direction.

U-turns are legal when you can complete them safely without interfering with other traffic, with one hard limit: no U-turn on a curve or near a hill crest unless approaching drivers could see your vehicle from at least 500 feet in either direction.⁵

Cell Phones and Distracted Driving

Reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a handheld device while driving is prohibited statewide. Using a hands-free setup (Bluetooth, speakerphone, voice commands) is an affirmative defense to a citation under this statute.⁶

Tighter rules apply to certain drivers and places:

School zones: any handheld device use is illegal, not just texting.
Drivers under 18: all handheld device use is prohibited.
Learner’s permit holders: no cell phone use at all during the first six months.
School bus drivers: no cell phone use while children are on board.

Some Texas cities have stricter local ordinances, including full hands-free requirements that go beyond state law. The statewide ban is a floor.⁷

Seat Belts and Child Safety Seats

Everyone 15 or older riding in a seat with a safety belt must wear it. The requirement covers every seat position with a belt, not just the front.⁸

Children younger than eight must ride in a federally approved child safety seat system unless they are already taller than four feet nine inches. The seat must be installed and used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, not just present in the vehicle. A violation is a misdemeanor with a fine between $25 and $250.⁹

Move Over or Slow Down

When you approach a stationary emergency vehicle, tow truck, TxDOT maintenance vehicle, or utility service vehicle with its warning lights on, you must either vacate the lane closest to it (on a road with two or more lanes in your direction) or reduce your speed.¹⁰

The required reduction depends on the posted limit:

Posted limit 25 mph or above: slow to at least 20 mph below the posted limit.
Posted limit below 25 mph: slow to no more than 5 mph.

Officers stationed behind emergency scenes watch for this specifically.¹⁰

Where You Cannot Park

Texas law bars stopping or parking within set distances of common landmarks. The numbers are worth memorizing.

Fire hydrant: 15 feet
Crosswalk at an intersection: 20 feet
Fire station driveway entrance: 20 feet, or 75 feet on the opposite side if marked with a sign
Traffic signal, stop sign, or yield sign: 30 feet on the approach side
Railroad crossing: 50 feet from the nearest rail
Public or private driveway: directly in front

Briefly stopping to pick up or drop off a passenger is allowed in most of these zones. Leaving the vehicle standing or parked there is not.¹¹

Driving While Intoxicated

Operating a motor vehicle in a public place while intoxicated is a crime. Intoxicated means a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher, or the loss of normal use of mental or physical faculties from alcohol, drugs, or any combination. A first offense is a Class B misdemeanor with a minimum of 72 hours in jail. If there was an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, the minimum jumps to six days. A BAC of 0.15 or higher raises the charge to a Class A misdemeanor with up to a year in jail.¹²

A second DWI is a Class A misdemeanor with a minimum of 30 days in jail. A third is a third-degree felony carrying two to ten years in prison.

Implied Consent

By driving on Texas roads, you have already consented to a breath or blood test if you are arrested on suspicion of DWI. Refusing triggers an automatic administrative license suspension, and officers can obtain a warrant for a blood draw in crashes involving injuries.¹³

After a Collision

If your collision results, or is likely to result, in injury or death, you must:

Stop immediately at the scene or as close to it as possible.
Determine whether anyone is injured and needs help.
Remain until you have exchanged name, address, registration, and insurance information.

Leaving the scene of a fatal collision is a second-degree felony. A collision involving serious bodily injury is a third-degree felony. Even for less serious injuries, hit-and-run penalties can include up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.¹⁴

For property-damage-only collisions, an investigating officer must file a written report when damage to any one person’s property appears to reach $1,000 or more.¹⁵ Exchange information and photograph the scene even when damage looks minor.

License, Insurance, and REAL ID

Carry a valid Texas driver’s license and proof of financial responsibility whenever you drive. A peace officer can ask for both during any lawful traffic stop.

Texas minimum liability insurance amounts, commonly written as 30/60/25, are:

$30,000 for bodily injury or death of one person per collision
$60,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more people per collision
$25,000 for property damage per collision

These minimums have been in effect since January 1, 2011.¹⁶ They are a legal floor, not a recommended coverage level.

REAL ID Compliance

Since May 7, 2025, only REAL ID–compliant licenses are accepted for boarding domestic flights and entering secure federal buildings. A compliant Texas license has a gold star in the upper right corner. If your card was issued or renewed after October 10, 2016, and has the star, no action is needed. Licenses without the star still work for driving, banking, and voting, but you’ll need a compliant card or a passport to clear a TSA checkpoint.¹⁷

License Suspensions

Texas repealed the Driver Responsibility Program on September 1, 2019, so the old point-based surcharges no longer exist.¹⁸

Suspensions still happen through other channels. The Texas Department of Public Safety classifies you as a habitual violator after four moving-violation convictions in any 12-month window, or seven within 24 months. Either threshold triggers a formal license suspension. Provisional license holders, typically younger drivers, face suspension after just two moving violations within 12 months.¹⁹ DWI convictions, failure to maintain insurance, and certain drug offenses carry their own separate suspension timelines on top of these rules.

1
Texas Constitution and Statutes. Texas Transportation Code Chapter 545 – Operation and Movement of Vehicles
2
Texas Statutes. Texas Transportation Code 545.153 – Vehicle Entering Stop or Yield Intersection
3
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 544.007 – Traffic-Control Signals in Certain Municipalities
4
Texas Constitution and Statutes. Texas Transportation Code Chapter 552 – Pedestrians
5
Texas Public Law. Texas Transportation Code 545.102 – Turning on Curve or Crest of Grade
6
Texas Statutes. Texas Transportation Code 545.4251 – Use of Portable Wireless Communication Device
7
Texas Department of Transportation. Texting and Cellphone Laws – Distracted Driving
8
Texas Statutes. Texas Transportation Code 545.413 – Safety Belts Offense
9
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 545.412 – Child Passenger Safety Seat Systems Offense
10
Texas Statutes. Texas Transportation Code 545.157 – Passing Certain Vehicles
11
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 545.302 – Stopping, Standing, or Parking Prohibited in Certain Places
12
State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 49.04 – Driving While Intoxicated
13
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 724.011 – Implied Consent
14
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 550.021 – Collision Involving Personal Injury or Death
15
Texas Constitution and Statutes. Texas Transportation Code Chapter 550 – Collisions and Accident Reports
16
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 601.072 – Minimum Coverage Amounts Exclusions
17
Department of Public Safety. Federal Real ID Act
18
Department of Public Safety. Driver Responsibility Program
19
Department of Public Safety. Driver License Enforcement Actions