Checked against the handbook: January 2026 edition. Values below come from the Texas Driver Handbook published by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which we host as a free PDF on this site. Nothing comes from a driving school, a forum or another prep site.
The Texas written test is full of numbers: how far, how fast, how old, how long, how much. This page puts 49 of them in one place, grouped into 11 sections. The biggest sections are distances and following (9), speed limits (7), and graduated driver license (gdl) (6).
A few you will meet early:
- Legal BAC limit for drivers 21 and over: 0.08% BAC (age 21 and over)
- How often a standard driver license must be renewed: Every 8 years
- Minimum age for a learner license: 15 years
We started from our own Texas question bank, not from a generic list, so every row is a number our questions actually test. We then took the bank's answer out of the picture and read the figure in the handbook itself. If the handbook does not state a number, it is not on this sheet, even when a question tests it. In 2 places our question bank and the handbook differed. Those rows are flagged and show the handbook value.
Texas · Numbers reference
Every number the Texas written test can ask you for, in one place, taken from the official driver handbook and built to print.
Showing all 49 numbers
Driver license
1 number| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| Every 8 years | How often a standard driver license must be renewedStandard Texas driver license; some applicants get shorter terms |
Graduated Driver License (GDL)
6 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 15 years | Minimum age for a learner licenseApplicant must be at least 15 but no more than 18; adults 18 and older get a Class C license with the same restrictions |
| 16 years | Minimum age for a provisional licenseProvisional license applicants must be at least 16 but not more than 18 |
| 6 months | Minimum time to hold a learner license before a provisional licenseLearner, hardship, or combined learner and hardship license; extended by the days of any suspension |
| Midnight to 5:00 a.m. | Hours a provisional license holder may not driveExceptions: work, school-related activity, or medical emergency |
| No more than 1 passenger under 21 | Passengers under 21 allowed with a provisional licenseApplies to passengers who are not family members |
| 18th birthday | Age when Phase Two restrictions endPhase Two restrictions apply from issuance of the provisional license until the 18th birthday |
Speed limits
7 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 30 mph | Speed limit in an urban district with no posted limitUrban district |
| 15 mph | Speed limit in an alley |
| 70 mph | Speed limit on a numbered highway outside an urban districtCars and trucks; highway numbered by Texas or the U.S., including Farm to Market and Ranch to Market roads |
| 60 mph | Speed limit on a non-numbered highway outside an urban districtCars and trucks; highway not numbered by Texas or the U.S. |
| 75 up to 85 mph | Speed limits on many limited access highwaysSet by the Texas Transportation Commission, regional mobility authorities and local governments; always follow the posted limit |
| Slow to no more than 20 mph below the posted limit | Speed reduction when you cannot move over for a stopped emergency vehicleWhen the posted limit is 25 mph or more |
| Less than 5 mph | Speed to slow to for a stopped emergency vehicle on a low-limit roadWhen the posted limit is less than 25 mphOur question bank and the state handbook disagree here. The handbook value is published. |
Distances and following
9 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 4 seconds | Minimum following distance in good conditions above 30 mphAt 30 mph or less the handbook minimum is 2 seconds; allow more time in poor conditions |
| At least 4 to 6 seconds | Following distance behind a motorcycleGives the rider time to maneuver or stop in an emergency |
| 100 feet | Distance from an intersection or railroad crossing within which you may not passAlso applies when crossing an intersection or railroad crossing |
| 200 feet | Oncoming car distance by which you must be back in the right laneTwo-lane road; return before an approaching car comes within 200 feet of you |
| 15 to 50 feet from the nearest rail | Where to stop at a railroad crossingWhen a signal, lowered gate, flag person or visible approaching train requires a stop |
| 500 feet | Distance from an approaching vehicle to switch to low beams |
| 300 feet | Following distance within which to use low beamsWhen following closely behind another vehicle |
| Every 2 hours or every 100 miles | How often to stop on a long driveHandbook says to stop at least this often |
| Less than 14 feet wide | Outside lane width below which a bicyclist may take the laneLane with no designated bicycle lane next to it |
Parking distances
6 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 15 feet | Do not park within this distance of a fire hydrant |
| 20 feet | Do not park within this distance of a crosswalk at an intersection |
| 30 feet | Do not park within this distance of an approaching stop sign or signalApplies on the approach to a flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign or other traffic control signal at the side of the road |
| 20 feet | Do not park within this distance of a fire station driveway entranceAlso on the opposite side of the street, within 75 feet of the entrance |
| 50 feet | Do not park within this distance of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing |
| Within 18 inches | Farthest you may park from the curb when parallel parkingDo not park more than 18 inches from the curb or edge of the roadOur question bank and the state handbook disagree here. The handbook value is published. |
Signaling and turning
1 number| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| At least 100 feet | Signal this far before turning or stoppingSignal continuously and turn the signal off after the turn |
Child seats and safety belts
1 number| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| Under age 8, unless taller than 4 ft 9 in | Children who must use a child car seatChild in a seat of a vehicle equipped with a safety belt |
Vehicle, lights and insurance
6 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise | When headlights must be on |
| Cannot be seen clearly at 1,000 feet | Visibility distance below which headlights are requiredHeadlights required any time people or vehicles cannot be seen clearly for at least 1,000 feet |
| 2/32 of an inch | Minimum tire tread depthSame as 1/16 inch |
| 3 vehicles | Most vehicles that may be towed by mounting their front wheels on another vehicle |
| 4,000 lbs. or less | Farm trailer weight limit for exemption from registration, inspection and platesGross weight; temporary operation on highways |
| $30,000 / $60,000 / $25,000 | Minimum liability insuranceInjury or death of one person / two or more people / property damage |
Alcohol and BAC
3 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 0.08% BAC (age 21 and over) | Legal BAC limit for drivers 21 and over |
| Zero tolerance: any detectable alcohol | BAC limit for drivers under 21Texas treats any detectable amount as an offense for a minor who is driving |
| About 1 hour per drink | Time for the body to clear each drink |
License suspensions
3 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 180 days | License suspension for refusing a breath or blood testAdult; up to 730 days for subsequent offenses |
| 90 days | License suspension for a breath or blood test of 0.08 BAC or moreMay be suspended; up to 365 days for subsequent offenses |
| 60 days | License suspension for a minor with any detectable alcohol, first offenseDriver under 21; privilege denied if not licensed |
Fines and penalties
6 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| $175 to $350 | Fine for a first conviction of driving without insuranceFirst conviction |
| $500 to $2,000 | Fine for failing to yield the right-of-way and causing bodily injurySerious bodily injury carries $1,000 to $4,000 |
| $500 to $1,250 | Fine for a first conviction of illegally passing a school bus1st conviction |
| Up to $2,000 and/or up to 180 days in jail | Penalty for driving around a barricade where water is over the roadClass B misdemeanor |
| Fine up to $500 | Fine for an open container of alcohol in the passenger areaMotor vehicle passenger area on a public highway, whether moving, stopped or parked |
| $25 to $250 | Fine for not properly securing a child in a child safety seatPassengers under 8 and less than 4 ft 9 in tall |
Other states
Numbers cheat sheets for other states.
- California: every number on one page
- Florida: every number on one page
- Georgia: every number on one page
- Illinois: every number on one page
- North Carolina: every number on one page
- New Jersey: every number on one page
- New York: every number on one page
- Ohio: every number on one page
- Pennsylvania: every number on one page
How to use this sheet
Print it (the button above gives a clean one or two page version) or filter it on screen. Do not try to memorize the whole list in one go. Pick one section, say it out loud, then answer practice questions on that topic until the numbers stick.
What this sheet leaves out
The handbook is a summary of the law, not the law itself. Fines, court costs and fees change, and some are set by statute rather than printed in the handbook. We only list what the handbook (or, where marked, the statute) states, so check the Texas Department of Public Safety for anything that decides a real case. The handbook edition used here is January 2026; the numbers were last checked against it on November 7, 2026.
Practice the numbers
Start a free Texas practice test, or read the Texas DMV test cheat sheet for the exam format, documents and retake rules. You can also read the Texas Driver Handbook the numbers were taken from.
