Driver's License Test Prep
Texas Practice Speed Limits

A Texas city or county sets a new posted speed limit on a road within its jurisdiction. According to the manual, what must be true about the daytime and nighttime limits?

  1. A.
    A lower speed may apply at night, but never a higher one.
  2. B.
    The daytime and nighttime limits must be identical. Correct
  3. C.
    Only the daytime limit is posted; nighttime driving follows the basic speed law.
  4. D.
    The nighttime limit must be at least 5 mph lower than the daytime limit.
The Why

The answer is "The daytime and nighttime limits must be identical."

Texas requires any entity that sets or alters a posted speed limit to use the same number for day and night. Drivers who pick D are borrowing a split day/night rule from states that use one, or reading the special regulatory sign that posts separate DAY and NIGHT numbers as if it were the default rule for every road.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. A lower speed may apply at night, but never a higher one.

Assumes Texas allows only a lower nighttime limit; the manual requires the two limits be equal, not merely capped at the daytime number. This answer borrows the split-limit convention from other states and applies it to Texas postings.

C. Only the daytime limit is posted; nighttime driving follows the basic speed law.

Ignores the requirement that a posted limit applies around the clock; the reasonable-and-prudent rule overlays every posted limit but does not replace it after dark. This answer reaches for the basic speed law as a stand-in whenever the number is not obvious on the sign.

D. The nighttime limit must be at least 5 mph lower than the daytime limit.

Adds a nighttime step-down that Texas law does not require of local speed-limit setters. This answer carries over a split day/night speed rule familiar in other states.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Speed Limits in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Speed Limits," p.46..

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