Texas Parent Taught Behind-the-Wheel ONLY

Overview

Approved by the Texas TDLR

Safe2Drive's Parent Taught Behind-the-Wheel ONLY course is approved by the Texas TDLR.

Why Should I Take the Parent Taught Behind-the-Wheel ONLY Course?

If you are under the age of 18, the TX DPS requires you to show proof of completing 32 hours of driver education coursework and a total of 14 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction in order to get your provisional license. If you have already taken your driver education coursework only and have your learner license but still need your behind-the-wheel instruction, the Parent Taught Behind-The-Wheel ONLY Course will satisfy the required 7 hours of in-car observation and 7 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction.

Eligibility Requirements

Teen Eligibility

You can take the Parent Taught Behind-the-Wheel ONLY course if you are between the ages of 15 and 17 and have your learner license. To get your learner license, you first have to complete at least the first six hours of the "classroom" or theory portion of a driver education course. If you have not yet started the classroom portion of driver education, check out our online Texas Teen Driver Education course, which will help you meet this requirement.

Instructor Eligibility

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; or
• a conviction (including a probated sentence) of driving while intoxicated in the last seven years; and
• a conviction in the preceding three years of:
1. three or more moving violations described by Section 542.304, Transportation Code, including violations that resulted in an accident; or
2. 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.

How Does This Course Work?

The course procedure is outlined below.

1. Register for the Course

Parents can register their teen for the course on our website. Your teen must have their learner license before registering for the Parent Taught Behind-the-Wheel Only course.

2. Request and Obtain the 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.

3. Start and Complete the Course

Our Parent Taught Behind-the-Wheel ONLY course includes a step-by-step guide for completing the required 7 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction and the 7 hours of in-car observation that make up the required 14 hours of behind-the-wheel training. During the 7 hours of in-car observation, your teen will sit in the passenger seat and observe you, the Parent Taught Course Instructor, as you model proper driving behavior in the driver’s seat. During the 7 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction, your teen will sit in the driver’s seat as you give directions from the passenger seat.

You and your teen can print out a handy PDF version of the course to take with you in the car, or you can view each lesson online before doing the behind-the-wheel training. The online version of the course is the same as the PDF version, but it includes additional videos, animations and slide shows to help teach the material.

You should fill out the Parent Taught Behind-the-Wheel Instruction Log (DL-91B), which is provided in the course, as your teen completes their training. The Form DL-91B is required when applying for a driver license.

Students can only count 4 hours per day of behind-the-wheel training, with no more than 2 hours spent on behind-the-wheel instruction. So, the course cannot be completed any faster than 4 days.

4. Request the Certificate

You may request your teen's certificate when you complete the course. We will email the certificate to you and your teen immediately once it is requested.

5. Complete 30 Hours of Behind-the-Wheel Practice

After you and your teen have completed our Parent Taught Behind-the-Wheel course, your teen must complete an additional 30 hours of behind-the-wheel practice. At least 10 of these practice hours must be done at night. These 30 hours of behind-the-wheel practice must be completed in the presence of an adult who is at least 21 years of age and who has had his or her driver license for at least a year. This practice time must be certified by the teen's parent/guardian.

The adult supervising the teen’s behind-the-wheel practice should complete the Behind-the-Wheel Instruction Log (DL-91B), which is provided in our course, as practice is completed. The teen's parent/guardian must certify the practice time on the log. The Form DL-91B is required when applying for the driver license.

Please keep in mind that only one hour per day can count towards the behind-the-wheel practice time, so the 30 hours of practice cannot be completed any faster than 30 days.

6. Complete the Free ITTD Course

The ITTD program is a FREE 2-hour informational video developed by the Texas Department of Public Safety as an additional safety measure for new drivers. All Texas teens who are taking a teen driver education course must complete the ITTD program after they have received a Certificate of Completion (DE-964) from their driver education provider. Students must complete the ITTD program before they may take their driving exam.

The ITTD program is available on the Department of Public Safety's Impact Texas Teen Drivers website.

Note: Your teen's ITTD Certificate of Completion is only valid for 90 days. If your teen does not pass the driving skills exam within 90 days of the date on the ITTD certificate, your teen must restart the ITTD program and take the driving skills exam again.

7. Get a Driver License!

Once your teen completes the steps above, is at least 16 years old, has resided in Texas for at least 30 days prior to applying for their driver license, and has held their learner license for 6 months, your teen can gather the required documents and head to the DPS to take the driving exam.

When your teen passes the driving exam, they will be issued a driver license.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!