Driver's License Test Prep
Texas Practice Passing

You are passing a vehicle on a two-lane Texas road. The manual says you must be back in the right lane before an oncoming car comes within what distance of you?

  1. A.
    Only when they flash their headlights.
  2. B.
    Within 200 feet. Correct
  3. C.
    Within 100 feet.
  4. D.
    Within one car length.
The Why

The answer is "Within 200 feet."

The manual sets a hard clearance: complete your pass and return to the right lane before an approaching car comes within 200 feet of you. Drivers who reach for 100 feet are borrowing the figure from the keep-to-the-right list on the page next to this rule, where 100 feet is the ban distance for intersections, bridges, and tunnels.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Only when they flash their headlights.

The manual's return-to-lane cue on a two-lane pass is the 200-foot clearance, not a signal from the oncoming car. This answer applies a courtesy signal drawn from truck-passing habits to the standard two-lane maneuver.

C. Within 100 feet.

The 100-foot figure belongs to the keep-to-the-right list, which bars driving on the left near intersections and bridges, not to the two-lane passing clearance. This answer carries the 100-foot number from the keep-to-the-right list into the return-to-lane rule, which is stated in the manual as 200 feet.

D. Within one car length.

A car-length distance comes from following-distance drills for tailgating, not from the two-lane passing rule. This answer borrows a car-length habit from tailgating rules of thumb, when the passing chapter states the clearance in feet.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Passing in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Chapter 6: Signaling, Passing, and Turning (How to Pass on a Two-Lane Road)," p.39..

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