Parents with high schoolers at home are learning how to find and complete driver education courses, whether they’re ready or not. And the Texas Legislature has added a new requirement, and changed oversight responsibility among state agencies.
Starting Sept. 1, a one-hour “distracted driving” course is required for teenagers studying and applying for a driver’s license.
The class section addresses distractions from talking, texting, and messing with the radio, to eating, drinking and putting on make-up. Real-life stories and attention-grabbing statistics presented in several lessons persuade teenage drivers to stay focused behind the wheel.
The Department of Public Safety created the new driving requirement called "Impact Texas Teen Drivers." It's a free, online course meant to save lives.
The state Department of Transportation describes the “distracted driving” course for teens as one hour, and says, “Distracted driving is a dangerous epidemic on America’s roadways. In 2012 alone, over 13,990 people were fatally or seriously injured in distracted driving crashes. The message is simple – if you’re on the road, stay off the phone!”
Commercial and online drivers’ education courses are already adding ITTD lessons to their curriculum, especially the courses geared toward teens.
Once earned, it’s important to know the distracted driving certificate is only valid for 90 days. So parents should help make sure their teen schedules a driving exam within that window; otherwise they'll have to take it again.
Teens
Individuals under 18 years of age are required to complete a driver education course and present the Texas Driver Education Certificate (DE-964) at the driver license office.
When applying for a license, the driving test is required. The knowledge test will be waived if it was completed during the driver education course.
According to the DPS, an individual may start the classroom phase of a driver education course at 14 years of age, but cannot apply for a learner license until he/she is at least 15.
There are three types of driver education for teens:
• A traditional driver education course offered by a driver training school;
• Parent-taught driver education (PTDE);
• Driver education offered in public school.
Kerrville options
Here are the options – or lack of them – in the Kerrville area, in case a parent is just starting this discussion and search.
Tivy High School in Kerrville Independent School District used to offer driver ed in an on-campus class under a KISD teacher, and with practice driving in cars owned by the district. That option was dropped by KISD trustees at least eight years ago.
The TDLR website has a list of public school courses by ISD names, and mistakenly lists Kerrville ISD. TDLR staff said they got the list from the Region XIII education service center and hadn’t had time since House Bill 1786 was signed into law to update the school district list.
Fikes Driving School operated in Kerrville for years as a commercially-offered school that also led to getting a driver’s license. With the death of the owner, that school closed a few years ago.
According to TDLR, the next nearest driving schools to Kerrville are one in Fredericksburg, and several in San Antonio.
That leaves parents with the online “parent-taught courses” discussed on the TDLR website. There are 18 listed as of Sept. 4.
Driver Education options are available at the TDLR website under the link for “Driver Education and Safety.”
Adults
Individuals between 18 and 24 years of age are required to complete a driver education course and present the original certificate of completion at the driver license office.
A driver education course is not required for individuals who already have a valid driver license from another U.S. state, U.S. territory, or Canadian province or from France, South Korea, Taiwan, or Germany (i.e. countries with license reciprocity agreements with Texas).
When applying for a license, the driving test is required. The knowledge test will be waived if it was completed during the driver education course.
There are two types of driver education for adults:
• Six-hour adult driver education course which can be taken either online or in a classroom;
• Traditional driver education course offered through a driver training school.
Locally, officers at the Kerrville Police Department and the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said last week that training hasn’t been held yet for their departments on all changes as of Sept. 1 since the last state legislative session.
When they hold that training, they will find out if this “distracted driving” regulation applies mainly to driver education training, or also to situations their deputies see on the streets. It could be a factor noted in an accident report rather than a ticketable offense. (Use of hand-held electronic devices already is banned in school zones.)
But the new course will be part of driver education training going forward, for those signing up after Sept. 1.
Mary Muehlstein at Germania Insurance in Kerrville said under their auto policies, distracted driving isn’t usually reported by the driver when making a claim.
She said with the oldest of her own children, they chose an online driver education course from National Driver Institute, and continued with it when it worked well as a parent-taught course.
It did include getting paperwork first from the local DPS office and then asking for an appointment two to three weeks out, to return at the end of the course.
The ITTD information from DPS says this new section must be completed after the 32 classroom hours and all behind-the-wheel instruction has been given, and is the last step before taking the driving skills exam at the DPS office.
Recent state Legislative changes
According to the DPS website, beginning Sept. 1, 2015, the regulation of Driver Education Schools, Driver Safety Schools, Course Providers and Instructors under Chapter 1001, Texas Education Code and the Parent Taught Driver Education (PTDE) program, were transferred to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
For information about the regulation of driver education schools, providers, instructors and parent-taught driver education, visit the TDLR website at www.tdlr.-texas.gov Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
Parents also can visit www.dps. texas.gov and follow the links to “drivers licenses” and then to “driver education.”
Starting Sept. 1, a one-hour “distracted driving” course is required for teenagers studying and applying for a driver’s license.
The class section addresses distractions from talking, texting, and messing with the radio, to eating, drinking and putting on make-up. Real-life stories and attention-grabbing statistics presented in several lessons persuade teenage drivers to stay focused behind the wheel.
The Department of Public Safety created the new driving requirement called "Impact Texas Teen Drivers." It's a free, online course meant to save lives.
The state Department of Transportation describes the “distracted driving” course for teens as one hour, and says, “Distracted driving is a dangerous epidemic on America’s roadways. In 2012 alone, over 13,990 people were fatally or seriously injured in distracted driving crashes. The message is simple – if you’re on the road, stay off the phone!”
Commercial and online drivers’ education courses are already adding ITTD lessons to their curriculum, especially the courses geared toward teens.
Once earned, it’s important to know the distracted driving certificate is only valid for 90 days. So parents should help make sure their teen schedules a driving exam within that window; otherwise they'll have to take it again.
Teens
Individuals under 18 years of age are required to complete a driver education course and present the Texas Driver Education Certificate (DE-964) at the driver license office.
When applying for a license, the driving test is required. The knowledge test will be waived if it was completed during the driver education course.
According to the DPS, an individual may start the classroom phase of a driver education course at 14 years of age, but cannot apply for a learner license until he/she is at least 15.
There are three types of driver education for teens:
• A traditional driver education course offered by a driver training school;
• Parent-taught driver education (PTDE);
• Driver education offered in public school.
Kerrville options
Here are the options – or lack of them – in the Kerrville area, in case a parent is just starting this discussion and search.
Tivy High School in Kerrville Independent School District used to offer driver ed in an on-campus class under a KISD teacher, and with practice driving in cars owned by the district. That option was dropped by KISD trustees at least eight years ago.
The TDLR website has a list of public school courses by ISD names, and mistakenly lists Kerrville ISD. TDLR staff said they got the list from the Region XIII education service center and hadn’t had time since House Bill 1786 was signed into law to update the school district list.
Fikes Driving School operated in Kerrville for years as a commercially-offered school that also led to getting a driver’s license. With the death of the owner, that school closed a few years ago.
According to TDLR, the next nearest driving schools to Kerrville are one in Fredericksburg, and several in San Antonio.
That leaves parents with the online “parent-taught courses” discussed on the TDLR website. There are 18 listed as of Sept. 4.
Driver Education options are available at the TDLR website under the link for “Driver Education and Safety.”
Adults
Individuals between 18 and 24 years of age are required to complete a driver education course and present the original certificate of completion at the driver license office.
A driver education course is not required for individuals who already have a valid driver license from another U.S. state, U.S. territory, or Canadian province or from France, South Korea, Taiwan, or Germany (i.e. countries with license reciprocity agreements with Texas).
When applying for a license, the driving test is required. The knowledge test will be waived if it was completed during the driver education course.
There are two types of driver education for adults:
• Six-hour adult driver education course which can be taken either online or in a classroom;
• Traditional driver education course offered through a driver training school.
Locally, officers at the Kerrville Police Department and the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said last week that training hasn’t been held yet for their departments on all changes as of Sept. 1 since the last state legislative session.
When they hold that training, they will find out if this “distracted driving” regulation applies mainly to driver education training, or also to situations their deputies see on the streets. It could be a factor noted in an accident report rather than a ticketable offense. (Use of hand-held electronic devices already is banned in school zones.)
But the new course will be part of driver education training going forward, for those signing up after Sept. 1.
Mary Muehlstein at Germania Insurance in Kerrville said under their auto policies, distracted driving isn’t usually reported by the driver when making a claim.
She said with the oldest of her own children, they chose an online driver education course from National Driver Institute, and continued with it when it worked well as a parent-taught course.
It did include getting paperwork first from the local DPS office and then asking for an appointment two to three weeks out, to return at the end of the course.
The ITTD information from DPS says this new section must be completed after the 32 classroom hours and all behind-the-wheel instruction has been given, and is the last step before taking the driving skills exam at the DPS office.
Recent state Legislative changes
According to the DPS website, beginning Sept. 1, 2015, the regulation of Driver Education Schools, Driver Safety Schools, Course Providers and Instructors under Chapter 1001, Texas Education Code and the Parent Taught Driver Education (PTDE) program, were transferred to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
For information about the regulation of driver education schools, providers, instructors and parent-taught driver education, visit the TDLR website at www.tdlr.-texas.gov Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
Parents also can visit www.dps. texas.gov and follow the links to “drivers licenses” and then to “driver education.”
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