What is the Texas Parent-Taught Driver Education Online Course?
The Texas Parent-Taught Driver Education course allows a teen's parent or other qualifying individual to serve as their instructor for their driver education.
Completion of the course qualifies a teen to take the driving skills test and obtain a license. The course is
regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). The TDLR licenses private schools to offer the program.
The course consists of 32 hours of online classroom instruction and 44 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction and practice. Schools provide the
online course and a behind-the-wheel teaching guide. Parents monitor their teen's progress through the online course and follow the
guide to provide behind-the-wheel instruction and practice. The teen takes the first six hours of the online course to obtain a learner license.
Thereafter, the online course (a.k.a., "theory") and behind-the-wheel instruction/training (a.k.a.,"practice") occur in parallel.
The course is divided into two components:
- 32 Hours of Online Course (Theory);
- 44 Hours of Behind-the-Wheel Instruction/Training (Practice)
The TDLR regulates the topics that must be covered in both the online course and in the behind-the-wheel instruction and training. The 32 hours of online coursework include:
- Rules of the Road
- Distracted Driving
- Driving Emergencies
- Protecting Yourself While Driving
- Driving in All Seasons
- Adult and Child Safety Equipment
- Impaired Driving
- Driving Behaviors
- Recent Trends in Driving
- Best Practices and Procedures
The behind-the-wheel instruction and training is divided into two components:
- 14 hours of driving instruction (including 7 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction and 7 hours of behind-the-wheel observation);
- 30 hours of practice driving (10 hours of which must be done at night)
The topics covered in the behind-the-wheel instruction include:
- Pre-Drive Tasks
- Basics of Vehicle Operation and Control
- Attention and Communication
- Managing Vehicle Space
- Reference Points
- Turns, Changing Lanes, and Passing
- Parking
- Aggressive Drivers
- Distracted Driving
- Traffic Laws and Right-of-Way
- Safe Driving Techniques
- Driving in Adverse Weather
A 6-hour certificate is issued when a teen completes the first six hours of their online coursework. This certificate can be used to obtain a learner license. The learner
license allows a teen to begin their behind-the-wheel training. A Certificate of Completion is issued when the teen completes the course (both the online coursework and the behind-the-wheel instruction). This certificate is
submitted to the Texas Department of Public Safety to obtain a driver license.
Eligibility for Teens
Teens must be 14-17 years old to take the course and qualify for a learner license.
Eligibility for Instructors
There are a few requirements a person must meet in order to be eligible to instruct a Parent-Taught Driver Education course:
- The instructor must be the student’s parent, step-parent, grandparent, step-grandparent, foster parent or legal guardian appointed by a court.
A power of attorney is not considered a legal guardian. Additionally, a parent, legal guardian, or a judge of a court with jurisdiction over the student can designate a person to instruct the course who:
- is at least 25 years old;
- does not charge a fee for conducting the course; and
- has at least seven years of driving experience.
- The instructor must possess a valid license for the preceding three years that has not been suspended, revoked, or forfeited in the past three years for an offense that involves the operation of a motor vehicle.
- Instructors cannot have:
- a conviction (including a probated sentence) of criminally negligent homicide;
- a conviction (including a probated sentence) of driving while intoxicated in the last seven years; and
- a conviction in the preceding three years of:
- three or more moving violations described by Section 542.304, Transportation Code, including violations that resulted in an accident; or
- two or more moving violations described by Section 542.304, Transportation Code, that resulted in an accident.
Instructors are responsible for checking their criminal and driver records prior to requesting the PTDE Program Guide. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will verify the instructor’s record when it processes the student’s learner license and again when it processes the student’s provisional driver license.
If the DPS determines that the instructor does not meet the requirements, the DPS will deny the learner license or provisional driver license along with any prior classroom instruction or behind the wheel/in-car instruction provided by the ineligible instructor.
To verify your eligibility to be an instructor before ordering the PTDE Program Guide, please use the DPS Online Driver Record Request System.
Safe2Drive's Parent-Taught Driver Education Course
We're a small but hard-working team of driver safety experts who are dedicated to providing you and your teen with the
best course experience possible. Our goal is to make everything go smoothly for you.
Handing over the keys to your teen can be a little stressful--you're worried about their safety and the great responsibility that comes with getting behind the wheel.
We're here to ease your mind. With our Texas Parent Taught Driver Education course, you get to work WITH your teen on their driver education. You
don't have to worry about whether or not a stranger is doing a good enough job teaching your teen everything there is to know about driving--you're their instructor! We
provide all the information you need to get started.
Our online Parent-Taught Driver Education course is straightforward and convenient without sacrificing quality. You and your teen get to work
on the course at home or anywhere else with an Internet connection. And you're not on your own--we're here to guide you both through the entire process. Your teen will enjoy games,
videos, slideshows, and so much more while learning all of the latest Texas driving laws and defensive driving techniques.
We know you and your teen have a busy schedule, and it can be challenging
to set aside time. Our TDLR-approved course allows you to work on the course at the pace that's best for you*. What makes the flexibility of an online course so valuable is that you and your teen can work through the course instruction when you have free time, in short
bursts or for longer periods of time.
Safe2Drive's Texas Parent Taught Driver Education
course even gives your teen the option to take the Knowledge Test online. That means you both can save some time at the DPS!
But it’s not all about convenience. Our Texas Parent Taught course is fun and engaging, too!
Every lesson contains videos, games, slideshows, and so much more. Your teen will listen to real-life stories on the driving experience, watch animations that illustrate how to take and yield the right-of-way or
make tough vehicle maneuvers, and participate in a Live Vote on popular driving facts that tests how well their driving knowledge measures up to that of their peers. Here at Safe2Drive, our students actually have
a good time while they're learning. And when your teen enjoys the learning process, they'll remember the material better.
You will get to oversee your teen's progress through the course, and your teen will qualify for a learner license after just 6 hours! If you or your teen have questions at any point during the course, our
friendly and helpful Customer Support team is here to assist you. You can call, email, or Live Chat us! We are here to help you out every step of the way.
Texas is a big state with many roads, so we want to be sure your teen is as prepared as possible before starting the behind-the-wheel driver training. Safe2Drive's Texas Parent Taught
Driver Ed course will teach your teen everything they need to know to be the best driver possible. So let's get started!
*As per Texas law, your teen may complete a maximum of 2 hours of instruction per day.
A Quick Guide to Helping Your Teen Get a Texas Driver License
If you are eligible, you're ready to get started!
Step 1: Register for Our Course with Your Teen
Signing up is easy! Just click the Register Now button and we will guide you through all of the steps to set up your account with your teen.
Step 2: Request Your Parent Taught Driver Education Program Guide
You must request and receive the Parent Taught Driver Education Program Guide
from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) before your teen can begin the course. The PTDE Program Guide contains forms that your teen needs in order to get a learner license!
All you have to do is fill out the online request form and make payment. The guide costs $20. After you purchase the guide,
you will receive an email with a link to download the guide. Check your spam and junk folders if you do not see the email in your inbox.
Next, download and read the Parent Taught Driver Education Program Guide. To check the status of your order, or to download the guide if you do not have an email address, click here.
Your teen can start the course as soon as you have the Parent Taught Driver Education Program Guide.
Step 3: Have Your Teen Get a Learner License After 6 Hours
The next step is for your teen to complete the first six hours of the course. If your teen chooses to take the Knowledge Test online with us, he or she will need to take and pass this test at that point. Your teen also has the option to go to the DPS to take the Knowledge Test. Once your teen passes (woo!), you can accompany your teen to the DPS to apply for their learner license! We've put together a helpful list of all of the documents you need to bring with you.
Once your teen has their learner license, you are able to start the behind-the-wheel training together!
Step 4: Finish the Parent Taught Driver Education Course
Next, your teen will need to complete the remaining 26 hours of online instruction and the 44 hours of behind-the-wheel training. Once your teen has successfully completed the Texas Parent Taught course, we will award him or her a Certificate of Completion.
We provide a complete behind-the-wheel training guide for your in-car sessions.
Step 5: Complete the Free ITTD Course
Texas law requires your teen to complete their Impact Texas Teen Drivers (ITTD) course as a step toward getting a driver license. It's a free online
course, and your teen must complete it and receive a Certificate of Completion. Hang on to this certificate--your teen will need it when applying for a Texas driver license.
Step 6: Get Your Driver License!
In order for your teen to get a Texas driver license, he or she will need to complete the steps above, be at least 16 years old, have resided in Texas for at least 30 days prior to applying for their driver license, and have held their learner license for 6 months. Then, they will simply need to gather the required documents and head to the DPS with you to take the driving exam.
When your teen passes the driving exam, he or she will be issued a driver license.
Why Safe2Drive?
So, what makes us so special? At Safe2Drive, we put our customers above everything else. Our Customer Care team has won the prestigious Silver Stevie Award two years in a row for outstanding
customer service, and we pride ourselves on taking good care of our customers.
In addition, our course is top-notch. We are constantly updating our course to make sure it has all of the most up-to-date information, and we
have worked hard to ensure our course is fun and interactive so that your teen actually engages with the material. After all, this is the material your teen needs to know to stay safe out on the road!
Best of all, our course is easy to complete and extremely convenient. Your teen can fit it into his or her schedule with ease. Your teen can work on the course from the comfort of a desktop at home, or access it on the go on any mobile device.
So what are you waiting for? Get started today and help your teen get on the way toward receiving a driver license!
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