The Texas seat belt safety course is a six-hour driver safety course covering the importance of wearing a seat belt. It also reviews Texas laws on safety belt usage. The course is often required by a court order to dismiss a traffic violation. Courses must be taken at a state-approved school and can be completed online or in person.
Who Has to Take the Texas Seat Belt Safety Course?
Drivers charged with a traffic offense related to seat belt usage may have to take the Texas seat belt safety course. The court may also order you to take this course for other driving-related infractions. For example, if you receive a ticket for failing to have a child in their car seat, you might be required to take the course.
Texas law enforcement has ramped up efforts to encourage drivers to wear their seat belts. The goal is to ensure all passengers (particularly children) wear seat belts or sit in a car or booster seat, as required by Texas law.
What Is Covered in the Texas Seat Belt Safety Course?
The Texas seat belt safety course covers:
The importance of wearing a seat belt
Texas laws related to seat belts
General safe driving information
For example, you might learn when children must be in a car seat, how to install a car seat correctly, and what age a child can stop using a booster seat.
Depending on the Texas seat belt safety course you select, you might also learn about other local traffic laws to help you become a safer driver.
The course's goal is to increase compliance with Texas seatbelt laws. It does this by ensuring all drivers understand the rules and the consequences of failing to use seat belts and child seats properly.
How Is the Texas Seat Belt Safety Course Different From the Defensive Driving Course?
Defensive driving courses cover safe driving strategies so drivers can identify potential hazards quickly — hopefully before they cause an accident. For example, defensive driving training teaches drivers to look out for animals or pedestrians that might step into their vehicle path.
The Texas seat belt safety course, on the other hand, focuses specifically on Texas seatbelt safety laws.
What to Expect When Taking the Texas Seat Belt Safety Course
If the court requires you to take a Texas seat belt safety course, you must sign up and complete the course at a state-approved driving school within the time dictated in the court order. You will be required to complete six hours of courses and then pass a final exam to prove you understood the information.
Texas seat belt courses can be taken online, allowing you to complete the court-required class with less disruption to your daily life. The online course is often cheaper and can be taken in the comfort of your own home.
To complete the course, you must take and pass a final exam. After that, just provide the court with your course completion certificate and a copy of your driving record. You'll be out of trouble with the law and armed with the knowledge you need to drive safely.
