How to Complete the Impact Texas Drivers Program for Teens
Written by Staff Writer
Five seconds seems like a short time to divert your eyes from the road. However, if you glance at a text for five seconds while traveling at 55 miles per hour, your car will cover the length of a whole football field before your eyes return to the road.
It's for this reason (and others like it) that the state has mandated that young motorists complete the Impact Texas Drivers (ITD) program. The ITD is a supplemental curriculum that offers an even deeper dive into the topic of dangerous distractions than driver education.
What Do New Motorists Need to Know About Texas Impact Training?
ITD training is mandatory for all Texans before taking the behind-the-wheel test for their license. The following information will help you know which version you should sign up for. It also explains what the required course is and the role that it plays in driver ed.
Which Course Do I Need?
Depending on your age and the kind of driver ed you choose, you will be eligible for either the Impact Texas Teen Drivers (ITTD) or Impact Texas Adult Drivers (ITAD) series. As a general rule of thumb, if you are younger than 18, you will sign up for ITTD. If you are older than 18 and enroll in an adult driving course, you will choose ITAD.
Who Needs to Complete the Impact Texas Young Drivers Program?
Finding up-to-date information about the Impact Texas Young Drivers course for teens in Texas can be difficult because the program no longer exists. This video program designed for new motorists over the age of 17 was renamed to ITAD for clarity. The distinction between the “teen” and “young” options was not clear, which led to frequent confusion.
What Is the ITD Program?
It is a free video program consisting of several modules. Although you have the option of viewing them all at once, each module allows for individual viewing. The length of the video varies depending on whether you're taking ITTD or ITAD.
The supplemental course gives you the option of taking breaks between modules to help you better digest the information. That said, you must view all the modules before you will receive your certificate of completion. The certificate will be sent to you via email.
How Can I Complete the Course?
Preparation for ITD begins before teens and young adults take a road exam.
Teen applicants aged 16-17 who completed self-taught or parent-taught driver education must take the ITTD version.
Adults aged 18 to 24 who completed adult driver education must view the ITAD videos instead. Any applicant aged 25 or older must also finish ITAD before taking a skills exam, whether they complete driver ed or not. While driver education is not legally required for new motorists older than 24, completing it is strongly recommended.
The online ITD modules should precede the license skills exam and follow the completion of one of the following driver's education courses:
Taking any of these courses will qualify you for the free training. You must take your behind-the-wheel test within 90 days of completing the appropriate ITD program.
Once you take ITD, you'll be issued a certificate, which expires 90 days after the completion date. If your ITD certificate expires, you must rewatch the videos before you can move on to the road test.
Stats You Should Know
The topic of distractions behind the wheel has become critical in recent years. Distracted motorists have the potential to wreak havoc on the motorways of our great state and beyond.
As a February 2023 Forbes article points out, around 3,000 people are killed on motorways each year in the United States due to operator distraction. Of those accidents, 12% involve a cell phone. Nearly 40% of high school teens admitted to texting while behind the wheel in 2019, per the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute.
ITD educates young adult and teen motorists about the dangers behind distractions that contribute to the kinds of stats above. It's an extra component of the state's requirements that clarifies what new vehicle operators need to know about distracted driving before they take their road test.
How Can I Get Started?
SafeMotorist is a state-approved provider of driver ed courses. Our programs are approved by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and satisfy all Department of Public Safety (DPS) requirements for new motorists.
By enrolling in SafeMotorist's classes, you're on your way to completing the first steps required before starting the ITD series. Our courses are 100% online and can be completed at your pace wherever you connect to the internet.
Our approved courses provide you with the foundations you need to become a more responsible, focused driver in the future.
Start studying today to prepare for the ITD and your first license!