Driver Ed | Learning to Drive in Texas: Driver's Ed Options
The Texas Department of Public Safety has a handy Web site that can give you access to all the ins and outs of getting any kind of driver’s license imaginable. For parents of the average teen though, understanding the Texas driver’s ed requirements is all you could possibly need.
Parent-Taught Driver’s Ed
In 1997, Texas implemented a driver’s education option that allows parents to take charge of their child’s learning experience behind the wheel. Open to teens between the ages of 14 and 17, this program has very strict guidelines and requirements.
The person to be instructing the teen must have held a Texas driver’s or a license from another U.S. state for the previous three years before engaging in teaching someone to drive. Military personnel can have this requirement waived under certain conditions. The instructor must be free of any convictions for criminally negligent homicide or driving while intoxicated. If their license was suspended, forfeited or revoked in the past three years, they don’t qualify either.
Dishonesty won’t pay in this case. The State doesn’t check an instructor’s records until the teen applies for their license. If any wrongdoing turns up at that point, all class and driving time is void and the student has to start over from the beginning.
A form and a fee begin the process.
Requirements for Receiving a Permit
The State of Texas requires students to complete 32 hours of classroom time, 7 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction and 7 hours of supervised practice driving. The hours can be completed either in a block fashion, where the classroom education takes place before any behind-the-wheel time begins, or concurrently, where a student can begin to drive with an instructor after only 6 hours of classroom time. The student must complete the remaining 26 hours of classroom time while also spending time in the car.
Texas allows for a number of options regarding driver’s education. A standard, school-based program is permitted. Parent-taught driver’s education is allowed. Online driver’s ed is also permitted, but only with specific driving programs that the state has approved.
If you opt for a parent-based program, additional rules apply. Videos and films can be used for up to 10 hours of classroom time. You must maintain an accurate log that clearly displays the time spent at each task.
No driving is to take place before the instructional permit is issued and the home education packet arrives. The program must be completed before the child turns 18.
Choosing the Right Program for your Teen
As a parent you want to do the best thing for your child. Sometimes fitting an additional activity in during the week is impossible. Weekends are more relaxed, but driving schools may not operate at that time, or they may be so overwhelmed by other requests that they can’t fit your teen in to their schedule.
To ensure your teen has a complete, well-rounded driver’s education, opting to teach them yourself makes sense. The State of Texas has already checked the materials you plan to use and found them acceptable. Many insurance companies will offer a discount when they see that your child has completed such a program properly. Best of all, you can order materials early and take your time.
When faced with so many options in Texas, driver’s ed can really be tailored to fit your child’s needs.
Wanting your teen to become a collision free driver? Yes, it's possible! We have developed a premier at home driver education course which is proven to work. Less than 2% of our graduates have had a collision in their first year of driving. Become collision free today! Visit www.driveredinabox.com
