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OBTAINING A DRIVER LICENSE

Texas law requires students under the age of 18 to have taken a driver education course in order to have a provisional driver's license. A15- to 17-year-old who is enrolled in a driver education course and has completed six hours of classroom instruction on traffic law can get an instruction permit upon passing the written exam at his local Department of Public Safety (DPS) office. A permit is now good for two (2) birthdays. This means that if the permit is obtained at age 15, it will not expire until their 17th birthday, giving the student more time to practice.

Since 1989, Texas law also has required school enrollment and attendance as a condition of licensing a student to operate a motor vehicle. This requirement applies to all persons under 18 years of age unless they have obtained a high school diploma or its equivalent. (Remember that a home school diploma is equivalent to any private school diploma.) By order of the Texas legislature, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) created an enrollment and attendance form called the Verification of Enrollment and Attendance Form (VOE) (form number CDD104).  This form may be completed by a home school parent (see directions below) and must be given to the DPS each time a student obtains or renews his license or permit.

PARENT-TAUGHT DRIVER EDUCATION

After almost two years of delays and a hard fought battle in the legislature, in April of 1997, Texas parents* won the right to teach driver education to their own children. Many families – not just home schoolers – benefited from this victory. In legislative committee hearings, proponents of parent-taught driver education brought out the fact that studies did not show any correlation between low crash rates and professionally taught driver education (sound familiar?... something about education of the students and teacher certification?). Many rural schools had stopped offering driver education to their students, so students had to drive long distances to take the course in nearby cities. Also affected were low-income families, since commercial driving schools, often the only game in town, cost between $200-$350. (Some now cost over $400/class.)

OPTIONS FOR DRIVER EDUCATION

There are several options for driver education courses besides parents teaching their own children. Many public school districts offer driver education courses in their schools. Home educators in the district may be able to participate in these classes. In many cities, private schools and commercial driving schools teach driver education as well as defensive driving courses. Some local and regional support groups form their own driver education classes following the certification guidelines.

Whatever program you choose, please recognize that your child’s life is at stake as is the safety of others with whom he will share the road. Just because a young person is sixteen years old and has met the minimum requirements, that does not mean that he is necessarily ready to drive on his own. You, the parent, may choose to have him continue to practice under your supervision and/or give him time to mature before allowing him to obtain his provisional license.

INSURANCE DISCOUNTS

While students who receive parent taught driver education are required by state law to be recognized the same as students who receive their driver education from any state licensed commercial driving school, insurance companies are required to give discounts on insurance premiums for driver education to policy holders covering such students.  However, state law does not mandate that insurance companies provide Good Student Discounts for home school students, although they are allowed to do so.  Therefore, parents of home school students should be aware that some insurance companies do offer Good Student Discounts for qualified home school students, while others do not.  (See a letter in regard to this issue from the Texas Department of Insurance.) 

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PARENT-TAUGHT DRIVER EDUCATION

The instructor (parent, stepparent, grandparent, step-grandparent, or legal guardian) must be legally licensed to operate a motor vehicle in the state of Texas. The instructor cannot have a conviction (including a probated sentence) of criminally negligent homicide or driving while intoxicated. The instructor’s license may not be suspended, revoked, or forfeited in the past three years for traffic-related violations. Furthermore, the instructor may not be disabled due to mental illness. The seven hours of in-car instruction and the seven hours of supervised practice must not be completed in less than fourteen calendar days. Students shall not be scheduled for behind-the-wheel instruction for more than two thirty-minute sessions per day with a thirty-minute, non-driving period between them. The classroom instruction (thirty-two hours required) for the course shall not be fewer than twenty calendar days with not more than two hours in one day.

Anyone in a local support group offering assistance in the course cannot receive any form of compensation and the actual parent (not a friend or relative) is required to give all instruction that the state requires (32 hours of classroom and 14 hours in-vehicle, behind-the-wheel).

STEPS TO COMPLETE PARENT-TAUGHT DRIVER EDUCATION

(1) Send $20 and the completed Request for Driver Education Packet form

DL-92) or get one at your local DPS) to the Austin address on the form. Upon receiving these, the Texas DPS will send paperwork on the student to your local DPS and send you their parent-taught driver education packet. This packet has forms that you will need at different times over the course of teaching your student. It is imperative that the instructor keep accurate and up-to-date records as indicated on these forms.

(2) You must use an approved course. Currently, there are several state approved parent-taught driver education courses. These courses vary in quality, and some require teachers to create their own lesson plans for each hour of instruction which are subject to review by the DPS upon obtaining the permit and/or license (such as the DPS Model Program Course 101).

(3) Two options are available to a parent teaching driver education:

(a) Block Method: The student may complete thirty-two classroom hours first and then begin the behind-the-wheel portion of the class.

(b) Concurrent Method: The student may complete six classroom hours studying traffic law and pass the written exam at the local DPS. The student can then get his learner's permit, and the behind-the-wheel instruction can be taught concurrently with the remaining twenty-six hours of classroom instruction. Seven hours of behind-the-wheel instruction and seven hours of supervised driving are required for the parent-taught driver. (Please note that experts recommend that a beginning driver has at least fifty hours of practice supervised by a licensed adult before that student is ready to drive solo.)

(4) When going to the DPS to obtain an instruction permit, the student should take the following items:

(a) Three Forms of Proof of Identity (The DPS has confirmed that the following will be accepted as proof of identity for home-schooled students. Click here to read the letter from the DPS.)

i.)   Birth certificate

ii.)  Social security card or other proof of social security number

iii.) Verification of Enrollment and Attendance (VOE) form, CDD-104

(completed)

(b) Completed forms

i.)  Application for Texas Driver License, DL-14A

ii)  Parental Driver Education Affidavit, DL-90A (may not be required depending upon the course used)

iii) Classroom Instruction Record, DL-91A (may not be required depending upon the course used) (If using the Concurrent Method of instruction, the parent should retain this document after driver license representative confirms information)

(c) $5-10 for the required fee for issuing an Instruction Permit

(d) Glasses, if needed to drive

(e) Proof of liability insurance covering vehicle

DIRECTIONS FOR COMPLETING VOE FORM

(1) Write “Home School” or the name of your home school or on the top left corner of the form and your county on the top right corner of the form.

(2) Check the first box indicating your student is enrolled in a home school.

(3) Type or print the student's name.

(4) Type or print one parent's name and phone number in Administrator/Designee section.

(5) Both the student and the parent must sign and date the form.

(6) The student must pass a written and vision exam. A parent may choose whether or not the student must take a driving test administered by the DPS once he has completed the classroom and behind-the-wheel portions of a driver education course.

(7) A parent-taught driver education program may or may not qualify for a discount on car insurance. Check with your insurance provider.

GRADUATED DRIVER LICENSE REQUIREMENTS

Effective January 2002, graduated driver license requirements went into effect. These include rules such as

(1) Students under age 18 must hold an instruction permit or hardship license for a minimum of six months prior to getting a provisional driver license.

(2) The minimum age of the person who must accompany any instruction permit holder during the operation of the vehicle is 21 years of age.

(3) During the first six months a student holds a provisional license, he may not operate a motor vehicle with more than one passenger in the vehicle under the age of 21 who is not a family member or operate a motor vehicle between midnight and 5:00 a.m. with a few exceptions.

Footnote: *In 1999, the Texas legislature expanded parent-taught driver education to include grandparents, step-parents, and step-grandparents.

The information in this article is not intended to be comprehensive. Click here for more details and DPS’s specific requirements.  Information about the graduated driver license program can be accessed from a link at the bottom of that page.

We gratefully acknowledge Driver Ed in a Box  for the review and update of this information.

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