Last week, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced a new driving course to educate drivers on the dangers of distracted driving. Beginning on September 1, 2017, all skills examination applicants ages 18 and older must complete a free, one-hour “Impact Texas Young Drivers” (ITYD) course and obtain proof of course completion prior to taking the driving skills examination. In addition, drivers ages 18 to 24 will also be required to complete a six-hour adult driver education course prior to the skills examination. ITYD is the second course in the “Impact Texas Driver” program, which was developed in 2015 by the DPS with the aim of saving lives through awareness and education related to distracted driving. The first course, Impact Texas Teen Drivers, is a two-hour course that went into effect two years ago for drivers ages 15 to 17. In addition to the new courses, drivers are still required to complete the distracted driving module taught in the 32-hour teen driver education class along with six hours of adult driver education. The new ITYD course requirements are slated to go into effect the same day as the state-wide ban against texting and driving. The DPS also announced that a third course, “Impact Texas Adult Drivers” for drivers 25 and older, will be implemented in 2018. In the meantime, drivers in that age group will still be required to take the ITYD course to obtain a license.
If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident with a distracted driver, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.