Drug and Alcohol Driving Awareness Course for Court

What is DADAP? DADAP stands for Drug and Alcohol Driving Awareness Program.

The program is a 6 hour course approved by the Texas Education Agency which is taken by Texas drivers for auto insurance discounts (usually up to 5%) and with prior judge and court approval for drug and alcohol related offenses. The course covers numerous topics and includes detailed information about drugs and alcohol and the effect they have on our bodies, including the driving task.

The online DADAP course operates much like the online defensive driving courses where the student can register and complete the course entirely online from any computer with Internet access. The user is required to participate in various exercises, watch numerous videos, and take a final exam at the conclusion of the course.

Upon completion, a certificate is mailed to the customer, which can then be delivered to the court if approved. Texas Drive Safe is a Driver Training Associates website located in Sugar Land, Texas. DTA has been serving Texas drivers with educational courses for over 30 years!

Participation for Drug or Alcohol Related Offenses

Texas Law (Section 469.007 of the Health and Safety Code) gives judges and courts the discretion to accept a Drug and Alcohol Driving Awareness Program approved by the TEA to treat persons convicted of a drug or alcohol related offense. As mentioned, the law gives judges this option, but we highly recommend that you first contact the court or judge to gain permission prior to registering in the online course.

Do not assume that because a judge or court tells you to take a Drug or Alcohol Awareness Course, the DADAP course will automatically meet their criteria. The court could mandate that you take a classroom based course only or a course that is different in length from the six-hour DADAP course.

Can DADAP Be Taken for MIP Offenses?

Yes. As mentioned above, §469.007 of the Texas Health & Safety Code reads in part "the commissioners court of a county or a court may use other drug awareness or drug and alcohol driving awareness programs to treat persons convicted of drug or alcohol related offenses."

According to the provisions of this law, a Texas judge or court is authorized to accept the completion of a DADAP course in lieu of an MIP class. Acceptance of the DADAP course for an MIP is NOT mandated, so we highly recommend that you get judge or court approval before registering for the online DADAP course. For those courts and judges that accept online DADAP, it is a great benefit, especially when there is not an MIP class in the student's area or that fits his or her schedule.

Can DADAP Be Taken in Place of an Alcohol Awareness Course?

Most often the court or judge will require the completion of a Drug or Alcohol Awareness Course for various drug and alcohol related offenses. As mentioned above, Section 469.007 gives judges and courts the discretion to accept DADAP online, but does not mandate it, so if the court or judge has not told you that DADAP online is acceptable, we recommend that you contact them to obtain approval prior to registration. There are many courts in Texas that accept DADAP for misdemeanor drug and alcohol offenses, but some require their defendents to take different courses that may be longer or shorter and / or available only in the classroom.

This course is not a defensive driving or driver safety course, so it will not be accepted by the court for any traffic related moving violations. Texas Drive Safe also offers a course for Texas traffic ticket dismissal, known as a Texas defensive driving course, if that is what you are looking for.

Texas DADAP Course Main Page