Texas drivers education consists of a diversity of programs you can opt for from: private or commercial driver ed instructors, the parent-taught program, driver education for adults, traditional or internet based courses, but all driver training instructors, schools and course providers part of Texas drivers education, either private or commercial, must be certified by the Driver Training Division and the Texas DPS (Department of Public Safety).
In order to earn your drivers license you should be 16 years old and have held your learner's certification for six months, so the majority of teen students initiate their Texas driver education program after turning 15, thus allowing them sufficient time to drive with a parent before turning 16.
There are a number of issues you need to be concerned about before applying for a driving school's programs, regarding driving regulations and conditions, new amendments and legislation:
- as of September 1, 2009, in respect to the 81st Texas legislature, which enacted the Less Tears More Years Act, new drivers in Texas drivers education programs are imposed additional driving practice prior to obtaining a license. Young drivers must be given a supplementary 20 hours of driving time, thus increasing the necessary driving hours from 14 to 34.
These hours must be certified by a tutor or guardian before a teenager may proceed to stage 2 of Texas' Graduated Driver Licensing program, and must add at least ten hours at nighttime. This amendment is applicable to both parent taught and traditional Texas drivers education course.
- also, Driving Bill 2730, effective since September 1, 2009 specifies that all drivers under 18 years old have to complete a driving test, meaning that when you complete a Texas drivers education course, you have to take a drivers test at your local DPS office so that you can obtain your drivers license;
- according to the law, if you are a student that has applied for the Parent-Taught Driver Education Course before November 1, 2009 and hasn't earned the driving license yet, the Department of Public Safety in Texas will allow you to finalize the program, but you are not able to attend Course 101 if you registered in or after November 1, 2009;
- in relation to the Texas law, persons aged between 18 and 25 who wish to become legal drivers should complete a six hour driver education program exclusively configured for adults or finish a minor and adult driver education course that is component of the Texas drivers instruction course (effective March 1, 2010); Texas drivers education is composed by two distinctive training departments: behind-the-wheel preparation and drivers ed coursework.
The parent-taught program addresses to teens aged between 14 and 17, deals with both student and parent, and the parent or guardian has to monitor in-car driving and sign-off the completion of every task. A teen student interested getting the Texas drivers education can initiate the course as early as age 14, but cannot receive the learner's certification before age.
