Parent Taught Driver Education (PTDE)

Know your child is safe because you are the teacher.

For any parent who as a teen nearing driving age, they are constantly worried about how to make sure their child is truly prepared for the road and ready to be a safe driver. For most teens, a large part of preparing your teen to be a safe and accident free driver is Driver's Education. But how do you know that the program you are choosing is good? How do you know that your teen is actually learning? For parents who are worried about this, Parent Taught Driver Education, or PTDE, is the perfect solution. Using proven materials, you are in charge of your teen's drivers education course. As a parent you can help your teen prepare for their driving or permit test, make sure they know important safe driving techniques and rules or the road, and reduce their risk of an accident.

Texas Parent Taught Driver Education

Parent Taught Driver Education is most popular in the state of Texas and due its popularity, the Texas DPS has outlined what it takes for a parent to begin their own driver education for their teen. The following is an overview of becoming a Parent Taught Driver Education instructor.

1. Determine whether you qualify as an instructor. In order to be a qualified instructor for Texas Parent Taught Driver Education you must be the future driver's parent, step-grandparent, step-parent, foster parent, grandparent, or legal guardian. Additionally, you must have a responsible driving history that includes having a driver's license for at least 3 years, having no license suspensions or revocation, have less than 6 points on your driving record, have never been convicted of DUI or criminally negligent homicide, and may not be disabled due to mental illness.
2. Submit an application from the Texas DPS for each teen along with a $20.00 non-refundable fee. (check or money order only)
3. Obtain or purchase the approved PTDE course materials. These are available from the Texas DPS and/or authorized providers. The materials cost $20 from the Texas DPS and take 2-3 weeks to arrive.

What Other States Offer Parent Taught Driver Education?

As the statistics for teen accidents, speeding ticket, traffic tickets, and other driving related incidents continue to rise, many people are looking at driver's education programs and believe that they are not as effective as they should be. Due to that, many states are beginning to adopt Parent Taught Driver Education and studies have found that these courses are more effective at reducing teen driver incidents than traditional driver's education. Many believe this is because the parent is invested in making sure their child will be safe on the road and accident free. The parent makes the teen more accountable for learning the material and mastering the class. In most states Parent Taught Driver Education is limited to the classroom instruction and time on the road needs to be completed with a certified instructor. The following states offer some type of Parent Taught Driver Education:

• Colorado Parent Taught Driver Education
• Minnesota Parent Taught Driver Education
• New Mexico Parent Taught Driver Education
• Oklahoma Parent Taught Driver Education
• Texas Parent Taught Driver Education
• Virginia Parent Taught Driver Education
• Nebraska Parent Taught Driver Education

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