Before you can take your Texas driving skills test as an adult, you have to watch the Impact Texas Adult Drivers video, a free one-hour distracted-driving program delivered online by the Texas Department of Public Safety. You register on the DPS portal, watch three video modules on a computer, and print the completion certificate to bring to your road test. The certificate is good for 90 days.1Cornell Law Institute. Texas Code 37 Tex. Admin. Code 15.62 – Additional Requirements
Who Has To Watch It
Every skills test applicant 18 or older must complete an Impact Texas Drivers program before the road test.1Cornell Law Institute. Texas Code 37 Tex. Admin. Code 15.62 – Additional Requirements If you’re 18 through 24, you also need to finish a six-hour adult driver education course first.2Department of Public Safety. Impact Texas Drivers (ITD) Program If you’re 25 or older, the education course is not required, but the video still is.3Department of Public Safety. Choosing a Driver Education Course Adults can also watch the Impact Texas Teen Drivers video instead; either one meets the requirement.
One boundary worth knowing: if you’re moving to Texas with a valid, unexpired driver license from another state, you don’t need to watch the video at all, because you’re exempt from the skills test. If you’re transferring an out-of-state learner permit rather than a full license, the video requirement still applies.4Department of Public Safety. Moving to Texas – A Guide to Driver Licenses and IDs
What You Need Before You Start
You need a desktop or laptop computer. The portal does not work on cell phones, tablets, or iPads. DPS supports Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.5Texas Department of Public Safety. Impact Texas Drivers This is the single thing most people get wrong, so sort it out before you sit down.
You also need one of two ID numbers to register:
- Your Texas learner license number, printed on the front of the card, or
- Your Adult Driver Education certificate number from Form ADE-1317, printed in the top right corner.
Plan on an uninterrupted hour. Close extra browser tabs and make sure your internet is stable. If a module cuts out partway through, you’ll likely have to restart that module from the beginning, since DPS doesn’t document how much progress is saved.
How To Register and Get Your Access Code
Go to the ITAD portal and create an account. When the system asks what certificate type you’re enrolling in, choose Impact Texas Adult Drivers. Enter your learner license number or ADE-1317 number along with your personal details exactly as they appear on your state documents. The portal checks the information against state records, and even a small mismatch will stop you here.
Once your information is verified, DPS emails you an authorization code. If it doesn’t arrive, look in your spam or junk folder. The sender shows up as “CRIME RECORDS,” which trips a lot of email filters.6Texas Department of Public Safety. Impact Texas Drivers – Contact Us
Watching the Three Modules
The video is about an hour long, split into three modules.2Department of Public Safety. Impact Texas Drivers (ITD) Program You have to finish each one before the next unlocks.7Texas Department of Public Safety. Impact Texas Adult Drivers – FAQs There is no fast-forward and no skipping ahead. When the third module ends, the portal shows a link to generate your completion certificate as a PDF. Save it and print it right away.
Your Certificate and the 90-Day Clock
The certificate is valid for 90 days from the day you finish the video.1Cornell Law Institute. Texas Code 37 Tex. Admin. Code 15.62 – Additional Requirements If you don’t pass your skills test in that window, the certificate expires and you have to watch the whole program again to get a new one.7Texas Department of Public Safety. Impact Texas Adult Drivers – FAQs There’s no cap on how many times you can repeat it, so an expired certificate is a hassle rather than a dead end. The practical takeaway: don’t watch the video until your road test is reasonably close.
Bring a printed hard copy to your appointment. DPS does not document showing the certificate on your phone as an alternative, and examiners enforce the paper requirement. Without a valid, unexpired printout, you cannot take the test.2Department of Public Safety. Impact Texas Drivers (ITD) Program The 90-day rule is the same whether you test at a DPS office or through an approved third-party tester.8Department of Public Safety. Third Party Skills Testing Program
If Something Goes Wrong
For portal problems, DPS takes questions by email at ITD@dps.texas.gov or by phone at 512-424-5623, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central Time. Spanish-language requests go to the same email address.6Texas Department of Public Safety. Impact Texas Drivers – Contact Us