Texas Parent Taught Driver Education
Parent Info
What is Parent Taught Driver Education?
The Parent Taught Driver Education (PTDE) course allows a parent or legal guardian to become an instructor for their teen's driver education. 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 of age, does not charge for the course, and has at least 7 years of driving experience. PTDE requires both online classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel driver training.
IMPORTANT: You and your teen MUST have your PTDE Program Guide before starting the course. As per DPS rules, if you begin the course without the guide, none of that instruction time will count toward your requirement, and you will have to start the Parent Taught Driver's Ed course over.
Don't waste your time! Please only start the course if you have your guide.
Approved Course
Safe2Drive's PTDE course is approved by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). It allows a parent or legal guardian to become an instructor for their teen's driver education if they qualify. 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 of age, does not charge for the course, and has at least 7 years of driving experience.
Benefits for Parents
- Provides a fun, interactive, and engaging Driver's Education course to your teen from a TDLR-approved Texas PTDE course provider
- Gives you the opportunity to take charge of your teen's driver education
- Provides a low-cost and convenient way for your teen to take driver education
- Gives you a chance to practice behind-the-wheel driving exercises with your teen
Eligibility Requirements 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; 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:
- 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.
IMPORTANT: Please ensure that you meet the above requirements. If you are found to be ineligible, you and your teen will be required to start the process over again, which means you must:
- Have your teen find a new instructor who is eligible.
- Change instructor on the Program Guide with TDLR by sending an email to: cs.driver.education.safety@tdlr.texas.gov with the following information:
- The receipt number or the student's full name and date of birth;
- The new instructor's name; and
- How you would like to receive the new guide (mail or email).
- Have your teen start the course over from the beginning.
- Pay a $10 fee, if you and your teen have already completed the first 6 hours.
Steps for Parents
Getting Started
It takes three easy steps to get started:
- Register your teen on our website.
- Request and receive the Parent Taught Driver Education Program Guide
from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) before your teen starts 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. You can check the status of your guide order online here and even download the guide there if you have been approved!
- Have your teen start the course.
Course Procedures
- Have your teen complete the first six hours of Parent Taught Driver Education online instruction.
- Have your teen study the Texas Driver Handbook and take the practice exams to prepare for the Knowledge Test.
- Have your teen take the Knowledge Test. We offer the Knowledge Test online at no extra charge, so your teen can even opt to take it with us! This test can also be taken at the DPS.
- Prepare and submit to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) your teen's application for a learner license and other required documents, including their Six-Hour Completion Certificate from Safe2Drive.
- Have your teen complete the remaining 26 hours of online instruction.
- Follow the instructions in the Parent Taught Driver Education Program Guide to conduct the behind-the wheel training.
- Prepare and submit to the DPS your teen's application and required documents for a driver license.
Don't worry. We will guide you through all of these steps as you progress through the TX Parent Taught course.