Texas parent-taught drivers ed has become much more popular over the past several years. With Texas online drivers ed courses, your job as a parent actually isn’t all that difficult. As long as you sign up for a reputable online drivers ed course like this one, you will receive a step-by-step parent guide while your kid does all the “bookwork” on the computer. Not a bad deal, huh?
Of course, as a parent, you probably have a lot of questions about what a Texas parent taught drivers ed course is like. As a certified driving instructor, I wanted to help answer some of the questions you might have.
List Of Frequently Asked Questions About Texas Parent Taught Drivers Ed
Below is a list of commonly asked questions about the Texas parent taught drivers ed program. If you still have any questions or concerns after going through this list, please feel free to ask in the comment box below. As stated above, I am a certified driving instructor and will do the best I can to answer any questions.
Is Classroom Based Drivers Ed Safer Than Homeschool Drivers Ed Courses?
Definitely not. In fact, there is growing evidence to support the opposite. Even before the internet was available, Texas allowed some students to take drivers ed from home using VHS tapes and workbooks.
However, over the past 10 years or so, those types of programs are becoming harder to find. These days, everything is done online. Taking a drivers ed course online has several advantages as you can see in my list of the top 6 reasons why online drivers ed is better than a classroom.
The main advantage is how interactive these online courses are. Rather than sitting in a classroom getting lectured at, students watch videos, animations, graphics, play educational based games, and take interactive quizzes along the way.
Heck, there is even a drivers ed course available in Texas that is entirely based around humor. It’s not only funny, it makes for a great learning environment while students retain a ton of info in a short period of time.
As compared to classroom based online drivers ed courses, students seem to be more successful in passing their written permit exams on the first try. With long-term studies, students were shown to have a lesser chance of a crash 2 years after they got their drivers license if they went through a online drivers ed course. So while your concern about safety is legitimate, there isn’t much to fear.
What Happens If Someone Fails The Permit Exam?
Every student gets 3 attempts to pass the permit exam in Texas. If someone fails after 3 attempts (rare), they will need to retake the course. Most reputable Texas parent taught drivers ed courses guarantee success.
What Are The Requirements?
In order to complete a Texas drivers ed online, your child must be at least 14 years old (although most wait until 15 or 16). From there, the courses will be designed to meet the 32-hour state requirements. Parents will be mailed a packed from the Texas TEA Agency indicating all of the proper steps necessary including both “classroom” work and behind the wheel training requirements.
How Much Does It Cost?
Prices depend on which online drivers ed program you sign up for. I recommend you only go with one of the online drivers ed programs on this list, but there are several options available. Just be aware that the lowest priced online drivers ed programs are not going to be the best.
What Is The Process Like And How Long Does It Take?
To get started, students will need their parents or guardians to sign up for a Texas state approved online drivers ed course. In order to meet state requirements, there will be a couple of forms to fill out and physically mail into the state. While you wait for confirmation, your child can start going through the online course.
The online drivers ed course is a state mandated 32-hours. The first 6 hours are done in order to obtain a driving permit. That is followed by 26 hours of additional online training and 34 hours of behind the wheel training. The behind the wheel training can be done at the same time as the online training as long as a driving permit has been obtained.
Note that the behind the wheel training must be a minimum of 14 days long and a student can’t receive more than two hours of instruction per day. The online course also can’t be completed faster than 20 calendar days.
How Does Behind The Wheel Training Work?
With Texas parent taught drivers ed, the parent becomes the driving instructor. The state of Texas requires a minimum of 34hrs of behind the wheel training, 10 of which must be completed at night. These hours can’t be completed in under 14 days.
What Happens After Course Completion?
Once a student has completed the Texas parent taught drivers ed program, they can go to a local driver services facility and get their license! Simple as that!
Who is qualified to take the place of unavailable parents?
Determining who will be the PTDE instructor if both parents are unavailable is an important decision that needs to be made. Although it’s called Parent Taught Drivers Ed, the PTDE instructor doesn’t always need to be your “parent.”
A “parent” instructor can be your biological or adoptive parent, a foster parent, step-parent or grandparent, or a legal guardian that meets the following requirements:
- They must hold a valid driver’s license for at least three years and have less than 6 points on it.
- If the driver’s license is registered outside of Texas, the PTDE instructor candidate must submit a copy of his/her certified driving record from the state where his or her license was issued.
- He/she should not have had any DWI or/and criminally negligent homicide convictions or probate sentences in the last seven years
- His/her driving privileges should not have been revoked or suspended in the last 3 years.
You can also have a designated individual as your PTDE Instructor. He/she must be designated by your parent or legal guardian and he/she must meet all of the PTDE Instructor requirements mentioned above. In addition, they should agree not to receive any monetary fee for teaching you how to drive and they must have been a licensed driver for at least seven (7) years. He or she should also be at least 25 years old.
If you want to be sure, check Texas DPS Online Driver Record Request System to determine if a parent or designated individual is eligible to be an instructor before ordering a Parent-Taught Driver’s Ed packet from your chosen driving school.
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