TCOLE Traffic Law and Enforcement 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Texas Transportation Code, a driver is required to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk when the pedestrian is:
- Only on the officer's side of the road
- In the half of the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling or approaching from the opposite half (Correct answer)
- Anywhere on the sidewalk adjacent to the roadway
- Only when a traffic control device signals walk
Correct answer: In the half of the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling or approaching from the opposite half
Texas Transportation Code §552.003 requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks when the pedestrian is in the vehicle's half of the road or approaching from the opposite half.
Question 2: A Texas officer clocks a vehicle at 90 mph in a posted 70 mph zone on a highway. Under Texas law, this is:
- Only a civil traffic infraction with no possible jail time
- A Class B misdemeanor if speed exceeds posted limit by 20+ mph outside a highway construction zone (Correct answer)
- A Class A misdemeanor
- An automatic license suspension offense
Correct answer: A Class B misdemeanor if speed exceeds posted limit by 20+ mph outside a highway construction zone
Racing or exceeding 85 mph, or exceeding the speed limit by more than 20 mph in construction zones, triggers Class B misdemeanor charges; plain speeding is generally a fine-only offense.
Question 3: The Texas Safety Responsibility Act primarily requires vehicle owners to maintain which type of financial responsibility?
- Personal injury protection coverage
- Uninsured motorist coverage
- Liability insurance meeting minimum statutory limits (Correct answer)
- Comprehensive collision coverage
Correct answer: Liability insurance meeting minimum statutory limits
Texas Transportation Code Chapter 601 requires owners and operators to maintain liability insurance at minimum statutory limits to demonstrate financial responsibility.
Question 4: Under Texas Transportation Code, a driver approaching an intersection with a flashing red light must:
- Slow and proceed if clear
- Yield to all cross traffic and then proceed
- Stop and yield as if at a stop sign (Correct answer)
- Wait for a full green signal cycle
Correct answer: Stop and yield as if at a stop sign
Texas Transportation Code §544.007 requires a driver facing a flashing red signal to stop and yield the right-of-way before proceeding, treating it as a stop sign.
Question 5: A driver with a standard Texas operator's license accumulates how many points in 36 months to trigger a mandatory surcharge under the Driver Responsibility Program?
- 4 points
- 6 points (Correct answer)
- 8 points
- 10 points
Correct answer: 6 points
Under the Texas Driver Responsibility Program, accumulating 6 or more points in 36 months triggers an annual surcharge on the driver's license.
Question 6: When executing a traffic stop on a highway at night, officers should position the patrol unit to:
- Align bumper-to-bumper with the stopped vehicle for safety
- Park directly behind the stopped vehicle with lights off
- Position at an angle offset to the left to protect the officer and create a safety buffer (Correct answer)
- Position entirely on the shoulder with all lights extinguished
Correct answer: Position at an angle offset to the left to protect the officer and create a safety buffer
TCOLE training standards recommend angling the patrol vehicle to the left of the stopped car to protect the officer from passing traffic and provide a safety zone.
Question 7: Under Texas law, a person commits the offense of racing on a highway if they participate in any of the following EXCEPT:
- A speed competition between two vehicles on a public road
- A drag race on a closed track sanctioned by the state (Correct answer)
- An acceleration contest starting from a standing position on a public street
- A vehicle test of endurance on a public highway
Correct answer: A drag race on a closed track sanctioned by the state
Texas Transportation Code §545.420 prohibits racing on public highways; sanctioned events on closed tracks are excluded from this prohibition.
TCOLE Traffic Law and Enforcement 4
Under the Texas Transportation Code, a driver is required to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk when the pedestrian is: