Safety Belts, Child Seats, Police Stops, Road Rage, Small Vehicles, Cargo, Towing and Carbon Monoxide
Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Texas Class C knowledge exam. The facts follow the official handbook; the wording is ours.
Source: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Texas Department of Public Safety, rev. January 2026, chapter 14 "Additional Safety Tips" (pp. 64–69) and Appendix A "Glossary".
Defensive driving
A defensive driver stays alert and keeps the eyes moving to track everything that is happening, looks for trouble developing all around, has a plan of action, and knows the law expects drivers to protect each other from their own mistakes. The keys to safe driving: good vision, obeying the law, proper care of the vehicle (regular maintenance, not just the yearly inspection), courtesy (safety comes before the right-of-way), proper signaling, and fitness to drive: let someone else drive if you are not physically or mentally alert.
Safety belts and child seats
The driver and every passenger, whatever their age, must wear a safety belt in any seat that has one, in cars, pickups, SUVs and trucks alike. A child under 8 must ride in a federally approved child safety seat unless the child is taller than 4 feet 9 inches. Belts keep you from being thrown from the car (you are five times more likely to be killed if thrown), from hitting the dashboard hard, and in better control of the car. There are no exemptions, only defenses to prosecution for postal workers, newspaper deliverers, utility and solid-waste truck workers, certain farm vehicle operators, and medical reasons with a doctor's note. Anyone 15 or older can be cited personally; the driver is cited for unbelted children under 17.
| Violation | Fine |
|---|---|
| Driver without a safety belt | $25 to $50 |
| Child under 8 and under 4'9" not in a child seat | $25 to $250 |
| Passenger 15 or older without a belt | $25 to $50 |
| Passenger under 17 without a belt (charged to the driver) | $100 to $200 |
| Child under 18 riding in an open pickup bed or flatbed (charged to the driver) | $25 to $200 |
Open beds: it is an offense to drive an open-bed or flatbed truck, or tow an open flatbed trailer, with a child under 18 in the bed. Defenses: a parade or emergency; moving farm workers between fields on farm-to-market, ranch-to-market or county roads outside a city; a beach; the household's only vehicle; or a permitted hayride. Likewise no one under 18 may ride in or on a boat or personal watercraft being towed (defenses: parade, emergency, beach). Carrying a person in a trailer or semi-trailer drawn by a truck or truck tractor is a Class B misdemeanor unless the driver did not know, the space is designed for habitation, or it is a parade, emergency, farm-worker move or permitted hayride.
When police stop you
Slow down and move safely to the right, as far from the traffic lane as possible: the right shoulder, or a well-lit side street or parking lot. Put the car in park, set the emergency brake, turn off the engine, switch on the hazard lights, and at night the interior dome light. Stay in the car, lower the window if you feel safe, and keep both hands in sight on top of the steering wheel; the officer may approach from either side. Tell the officer if you are carrying any weapon, and before reaching into the glove box or under a seat for your license or insurance, say where they are and follow instructions. Do not get out unless asked (it can look aggressive), check for traffic if you do, and tell passengers to stay put. Drivers who carry handguns should keep them apart from their documents. When released, signal and rejoin traffic safely.
The law requires you to stop immediately for an authorized emergency vehicle, or risk arrest. If the spot is unsafe or you doubt the vehicle is a real police car, turn on the hazard lights, drive slowly below the limit, call 9-1-1 and stay on the line while you stop and verify the officer, or drive to a nearby well-lit, populated place. If you stop somewhere unsafe, such as a bridge, the officer may direct you over the loudspeaker to move.
A traffic stop is an investigative detention that may last only a reasonable time; passengers may ask whether they are free to go. You cannot be punished for declining to answer questions, but the driver must show a license on request, and anyone lawfully arrested must give name, address and date of birth; a false name to an officer who has lawfully arrested or detained you is an offense, and fleeing an officer trying to arrest or detain you is an offense with higher penalties when a vehicle or watercraft is used or someone is hurt. You may refuse consent to a search, but an officer with probable cause may search the vehicle without it, may pat you down on a reasonable belief you are armed, and it is unlawful to physically resist. Do not argue the charge at the roadside: signing a citation is not an admission of guilt, only a promise to pay or contact the court; contest it before a judge or jury. Complaints about an officer go to the officer's superiors through the agency's procedure; note the agency, the officer and the vehicle.
Road rage
Aggressive driving, when an angry driver ignores the rules and deliberately provokes others, causes hundreds of injuries and deaths a year. Plan the trip with extra time; relax in congestion, which is usually temporary; tap the horn rather than holding it, and never confront or gesture at other drivers; signal lane changes and do not cut in; never slow down, brake or speed up to block someone from passing or entering your lane; do not tailgate; drive friendly and report aggressive drivers to the local authorities.
Small vehicles
- A neighborhood electric vehicle (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 500, top speed 35 mph) may be used only on streets posted 45 mph or less.
- A motor assisted scooter has at least two wheels on the ground, a brake, a gas or electric motor of no more than 40 cc, a deck to stand or sit on, and can be moved by human power alone; streets posted 35 mph or less only.
- An electric personal assistive mobility device (such as a Segway) is a self-balancing two-wheeled, non-tandem device for one person with an average power of 750 watts (one horsepower). It may be used on a sidewalk, on a bicycle-only path, or on a residential street with a limit of 30 mph or less only when crossing directly in a crosswalk, where there is no sidewalk, or when directed by a traffic device or officer; on a road it keeps as close as practicable to the right edge. Counties and cities may ban either type of vehicle from any street for safety.
Cargo, safety chains and towing
A vehicle bed carrying loose material may not have holes or cracks, must be enclosed by side panels, by a front panel or the cab, and by a securely closed tailgate, and the load must be covered front and back unless it is fully enclosed or does not blow or spill over the top. Loose materials such as dirt, sand, gravel and wood chips (but not agricultural products in their natural state) may not be carried on public roads unless the bed is fully enclosed and the top is covered with a tarp secured front and back.
A passenger car or light truck towing a trailer, semi-trailer or house trailer must use DPS-approved safety chains, except for agricultural trailers and trailers operating under federal motor carrier rules. When one vehicle tows another, the drawbar, chain, rope or cable may be no longer than 15 feet, must be strong enough for the load, must carry a white flag at least 12 inches square, and no more than three vehicles may be towed with their front wheels on the bed of the one ahead (except trailers hauling poles, pipes or machinery that cannot be taken apart).
Carbon monoxide
Cars produce carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless, tasteless and deadly gas; make sure you get plenty of fresh air. Never leave the engine running in a garage, or in a parked car with the windows closed, especially in an enclosed space with the heater or air conditioner on; do not leave the vents open while following closely behind another car; and do not drive with a defective muffler or exhaust. Move a poisoning victim to fresh air and call 911.
Driving with a disability
A Communication Impediment with a Peace Officer code can be added to the back of a Texas license or ID with a physician-signed form DL-101, like the donor or corrective-lens codes. The same impediment can be disclosed when registering the vehicle (form VTR-216), which places it in the law enforcement telecommunication system so the officer knows before approaching the car.
A few glossary facts
- Basic speed law: you may never drive faster than is safe for conditions, whatever the posted limit.
- Over-driving headlights means driving faster than you can stop within the lit distance: low beams limit you to about 45 mph and high beams to about 65 mph for stopping purposes.
- Parallel parking: the car must end up 6 to 18 inches from the curb.
- Urban district: territory along a highway built up with businesses, industry or homes at intervals under 100 feet for at least a quarter mile.
- Suspension withdraws the license for a definite period; revocation ends it for an indefinite period until requirements are met; cancellation withdraws it until the driver is qualified; denial withholds it from someone ineligible.
- A light truck carries no more than 2,000 lbs; a moped cannot exceed 30 mph, has no more than two brake horsepower and, if gasoline, 50 cc or less with no gear shifting.
- Hydroplaning is a tire riding up on water and losing contact with the road; highway hypnosis is a trance-like drowsiness from monotony.
- Tunnel vision is a field of view of 140 degrees or less.
Practise this with Texas Driver License questions
More of this guide
Who may drive in Texas, learner and provisional licenses under the GDL program, license classes and fees, the knowledge, vision and driving exams, renewals, and every way a license can be suspended, revoked or cancelled.
The single-sticker inspection system, required and forbidden equipment, registering a vehicle as a new resident, and the 30/60/25 minimum liability insurance with the penalties for driving without it.
Who yields at uncontrolled intersections, T-intersections, driveways and frontage roads, when to stop at railroad crossings, the Move Over or Slow Down law, school bus rules and pedestrian hybrid beacons.
Every traffic signal, sign color and shape, the common warning, regulatory and guide signs, railroad crossings, pavement markings, work zones, flaggers and the slow-moving vehicle emblem.
Hand signals and the 100-foot rule, when you may pass on the left or right, the seven steps of a safe turn, where you may never park, disabled parking fines, parallel parking and parking on hills.
The two- and four-second rules, stopping distances, statutory speed limits, headlight rules, entering and leaving freeways, highway hypnosis, breakdowns, skids, brake failure, blowouts, winter driving, roundabouts and Turn Around Don't Drown.
Passing and following large trucks, why drivers miss motorcycles, light rail safety, bicycle laws for riders and drivers, pedestrian rules, and the Texas texting and wireless-device laws.
How alcohol and drugs impair driving, the 0.08 limit and open-container rule, penalties for minors and adults, refusing a breath or blood test, and your duties after a crash with injury, damage or an unattended vehicle.