Use this reference with Get and understand crash reports. Jacob Alford’s reference on InjuredTexan.com groups TxDOT’s 70 current contributing-factor values in list 38 by the driving questions they raise. TxDOT supplies the official codes; this Guide explains how to read them alongside the evidence and related law. It also gives a limited explanation of automation fields that affect those entries. Other crash-report code lists are outside this reference.
Read the unit, contribution column and narrative together. A factor is the investigator’s opinion, not automatically a ticket, conviction, fault percentage or final court finding. Some factors describe circumstances that are not violations. The manual and statute can also use different wording, so the conditions and exceptions remain important.
Sources checked November 4, 2026: TxDOT CR-100 Version 29.0, revised June 4, 2025, and the current forms catalog. The current code sheet is reproduced at manual page 20. Use the form and law applicable to the crash date.
Vehicle-operation provisions in the Rules of the Road subtitle generally apply to highways unless a provision specifically says otherwise. A private-property report entry does not itself extend a highway statute to that location. Transportation Code §542.001; location definitions, §541.302.
Find the number
Select the number from the report to read its meaning, conditions and related law.
Find the driving question
All factors and explanatory sections
Read the officer opinion before drawing a conclusion
Read the unit, contribution column and narrative together before drawing a conclusion.
Was the driver going too fast or following too closely?
- Does “failed to control speed” mean the driver was speeding?
- How much following distance is enough?
- What if the other driver says I stopped suddenly or cut in?
- What if the driver blames rain or poor visibility?
- Why do reaction time and braking distance both matter?
- What changes when the vehicle ahead is a motorcycle?
- What evidence should be preserved before it disappears?
- What do the four crash-report codes mean?
- 22. Failed to control speed
- 44. Followed too closely
- 60. Unsafe speed
- 61. Speeding over limit
Separate failing to stop from failing to yield
Work out right of way at intersections and driveways
Read pedestrian and crossing factors carefully
Distinguish lane changes drifting and wrong way driving
Understand passing and shoulder movements
Read turning backing and starting factors
Identify distraction and mobile device evidence
Read alcohol drug fatigue illness and medication factors
Assess evasive action fleeing and road rage
Explain animals visibility fire and other circumstances
Distinguish disabled parked and unlit vehicles
Trace unsecured loads and oversize vehicles
Read school bus railroad construction and emergency vehicle factors
Understand the automation fields without assuming fault
Attorney reviewed by Jacob Alford · November 11, 2026
Disclaimer
Jacob Alford, a Texas personal injury lawyer, and Injured Texan PLLC at InjuredTexan.com provide this guide for general information, not legal advice about your particular claim. You are specifically warned about the dangers of attempting to handle a claim yourself.
In Jacobsen v. Allstate, the Court described Allstate’s own internal research that being represented (having a lawyer) meant a claim typically settled for 2–3 times as much. Allstate’s own research also showed that having a lawyer could multiply a recovery perhaps up to 5 times.
The Court documented the internal workings of Allstate’s training for its adjusters and showed just how rigged talking to Big Insurance can be. Read Allstate’s script and judge for yourself: Inside the Insurance Playbook: Jacobsen v. Allstate.
A recorded statement is designed to be used against you, and a verbal settlement can give up valuable rights. Get advice before a voluntary recorded interview or accepting an offer.
You do not need to decide whether to hire a lawyer before asking questions. Jacob Alford and Injured Texan PLLC at InjuredTexan.com offer a free, no-obligation discussion of the process, even if you do not want to hire a lawyer: 210-512-2222. Before you settle, make the free call.
