Driver's License Test Prep
Texas Practice Road Markings

You reach a traffic light that requires you to stop at an intersection with no white stop line painted. Where does the manual say to stop?

  1. A.
    Where the front of your car crosses the sensor
  2. B.
    At the near edge of the intersection
  3. C.
    Before the crosswalk on the near side Correct
  4. D.
    Ten feet back from the signal pole
The Why

The answer is "Before the crosswalk on the near side"

At intersections without a painted stop line, you must stop before the crosswalk when a sign, a signal, or a pedestrian in the crosswalk requires the stop. Drivers picking the near edge of the intersection are using the ease-up-to-the-edge habit they rely on at uncontrolled corners to see cross traffic, and reading that pavement edge as the reference the manual actually pins to the crosswalk.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Where the front of your car crosses the sensor

A signal sensor triggers a light change but does not set the stop position; the crosswalk sets it. This answer confuses the pavement loop that trips the signal with the marking that fixes where the vehicle has to stop, using one function of the pavement to answer for another.

B. At the near edge of the intersection

The manual anchors the stop to the crosswalk, which sits ahead of the intersection edge itself. This answer uses the ease-up-to-the-edge habit drivers rely on at uncontrolled corners to see cross traffic, and mistakes that pavement edge for the reference the manual pins to the crosswalk.

D. Ten feet back from the signal pole

The manual sets no distance from the signal pole; the crosswalk is the reference point, not the hardware on the corner. This answer reaches for a fixed numeric setback like the 15-to-50-foot railroad-crossing distance and misapplies it to a traffic light, where the manual gives no such figure.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Road Markings in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Pavement Markings, Crosswalks," p.34..

More from this topic

Related Texas questions

More than a book

You just took one Texas question apart. The book does it for the whole test.

The Texas book unlocks a free companion: an adaptive study plan, progress synced across your devices, a denser laminate cheat sheet, and a test-day walkthrough. Verify your copy once, usually in seconds; there's nothing extra to buy.

Get the book on Amazon

$18.99 paperback, free companion included.

Free study plan

Your free Texas study plan

A short run of study emails for the Texas DPS test: what to drill, the rules people trip on, and a final pre-test checklist. The printable cheat sheet is free to grab either way.

One email a few times a month. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. Privacy.