As if the DPS didn’t take long enough, once a new Texas law take effect Sept. 1, getting a driver’s license may be a little harder

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Authorities believe it’s time something be done about distracted drivers texting, eating, applying makeup or even reading – all the while putting others at risk on the road.

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That’s why, starting this fall, Texans will face a new hurdle before getting a driver’s license.

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Beginning September 1, Texans 18 and older must participate in the Impact Texas Young Drivers (ITYD) program, a one-hour, free course, which uses research and true stories to show drivers the dangers they face when driving distracted on the roadways.

As DPS Director Steven McCraw explained in a press release, “Driving is one of the most dangerous things we do on a daily basis, and it should command our undivided attention.”

In addition to the ITYD course, drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 will be required to take a 6-hour adult driver education course before they can take the driving skills assessment.

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Younger driver’s license applicants ages 16 to 17 already must take a similar course called Impact Texas Teen Drivers (ITTD), first offered as part of the DPS’s Impact Texas Drivers program, which began in 2015 to address distracted driving across the state.

Drivers renewing their license will not be tested.

 

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