Important Information for Texas Judges and Court Officials Regarding the DADAP Course

Each year, approximately 40% of all traffic crash fatalities are caused by drivers who have been drinking. A large percentage of crashes also occur annually because of drivers who are under the influence of various types of drugs, from prescription medicines to illegal narcotics. Driver Training Associates, Inc. (DTA) developed its Drug and Alcohol Driving Awareness Program several years ago with one primary goal in mind: to reduce the number of traffic crash injuries and fatalities by educating drivers regarding the risks associated with driving after using alcohol and/or drugs.

The DADAP course accomplishes this goal by first providing drivers with a general understanding of how alcohol and drugs affect a person's mind and body. The course then explores various traffic laws relating to alcohol and drugs, as well as the many consequences that the use of these substances have on both individuals and society at large. Particular emphasis is placed on the susceptibility of young people to the influences of alcohol and drugs, and how the effects of these substances, combined with driver inexperience, can often lead to dangerous and even deadly situations on the highway.


Why the DADAP Course?

One aspect of the DADAP course that makes it stand out from other similar types of traffic safety education programs is that it does not simply rehash the driver's handbook or quote endless pages of statistical data. Instead, the DADAP course captures students' attention in a number of novel ways: by using open-ended video-based "case histories" that re-enact specific traffic crash scenarios; by presenting compelling first-person accounts of how the use of alcohol and drugs can lead to tragic consequences; and by asking students to examine their own driving behavior and make a commitment to safe driving. The online or "Alternative Delivery Method" version of the DADAP course takes this approach even further by adding interactive exercises, quizzes, Flash-based video segments, and state-of-the-art graphics.

Another distinctive feature of the DADAP course is that it is the only course of its kind to use Dr. Eric Berne's groundbreaking theory of Transactional Analysis (TA) to teach students how their Child and Parent Attitude States can influence their decisions regarding the use of alcohol or drugs, as well as the decisions they make behind the wheel of an automobile. Throughout the course, students are taught that abstinence is the only way to remain in the Adult Attitude State (the logical, rational decision making state), and that this is the only Attitude State in which effective and risk-free driving can take place.

The DADAP course not only provides students with valuable information about drugs, alcohol, and traffic safety, it also asks them to examine their own behavior within the framework of Transactional Analysis. In teaching students an effective strategy for making intelligent, low-risk decisions, the DADAP course challenges students to act responsibly in the future. A large number of Texas courts have found that referring clients to the DADAP course is an effective means of reducing repeat offenses and lowering the number of alcohol and drug-related traffic crash fatalities.


Texas Law Authorizes the Use of the DADAP Course by Courts

DTA's Drug Alcohol Driving Awareness Program (DADAP) course was the first DADAP course approved by the Texas Education Agency. The DADAP classroom-based course is approved for use in public school driver education programs, driver training schools, driver safety schools, and in classes taught by a licensed DADAP school.

The state-approved DADAP course is also currently available for use by municipal courts and justices of the peace and their prosecutors as a referral tool in any class "C" misdemeanor offense involving the possession or use of alcohol or a controlled substance as a condition of a deferred disposition. Articles 45.051(b)(6) and 45.051(b)(8) of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure provide that "during the deferral period, the justice may require the defendant to participate in an alcohol or drug abuse treatment program." DTA's DADAP course is such a program. Also, DTA's course has a variety of secure reporting mechanisms that enable a court to determine whether the probationer has successfully completed that condition of his/her deferral.

In addition to the applications described above, the DTA DADAP course can be used as a rehabilitative tool in any offense as a condition of probation or deferred adjudication when the court in its sound discretion deems it appropriate. As previously stated, DTA's course has a variety of secure reporting mechanisms so that the court or probation department will know if the probationer has successfully completed that condition of his/her probation or deferral.

Under new Section 469 of the Health & Safety Code, DTA's DADAP course is currently available for use as a referral tool by a court in an appropriate misdemeanor or felony case involving the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance, provided that the county commissioners have approved of the creation of a drug court program. (§469.007 reads in part, "In addition to using a drug court program established under Section 469.002, 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.")


For More Information about the DADAP Course

Several common questions pertaining to the DADAP course are answered in the FAQ on this website. From the drop-down list of FAQ course choices, please select "Texas DADAP Course."

DTA encourages Texas courts and justices of the peace to consider using the DADAP program as a remedial measure for individuals convicted of alcohol and/or drug-related traffic offenses. If you have questions regarding the DADAP course that are not answered on this website, please feel free to call us at (800) 670-7094 and we will be happy to assist you.