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Virginia Association of Driver Education and Traffic Safety (VADETS)

VADETS is a Professional Driver Education Association with the mission to improve the quality of driver education and provide effective instruction to new drivers in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The VADETS membership is drawn from over 2,500 driver education professionals who teach in public, private, and driver training schools.

We hope you find the information and links useful in your quest to provide young drivers with the skills needed to drive a motor vehicle safely.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact us.  See below for specific topics and email addresses for assistance: 

  • General VADETS course and parent questions: vadetsonline@gmail.com
  • Technology Support for VADETS Courses: vadetshelpdesk@gmail.com
  • Request to purchase Duplicate DEC-1/DEC-8: (If you took the VADETS course thru Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William or Virginia Beach, contact your teacher and/or the Virtual Office in your school system to request a duplicate.)
  • Questions regarding Duplicates:  vadetsduplicate@gmail.com
  • Request for refunds (within 30 days of registering for the VADETS course): vadetsfinance@gmail.com  Refund requests placed from September 3-24 will not be fulfilled until October.
  • Request to order Workbooks: https://forms.gle/fBvT9enwAyCMFGx47  Workbook orders placed from September 3-24 will not be fulfilled until October.
  • Questions about Workbooks:  vadetsfinance@gmail.com 
  • VADETS Professional organization questions: vadetsinfo@gmail.com


Janet Ragland Memorial Scholarship

To support efforts in addressing the shortage of endorsed Driver Education teachers across the Commonwealth, VADETS is proud to once again offer the Janet Ragland Scholarships.

Throughout her long and distinguished career in education, Janet Ragland was deeply committed to quality teaching and driver education. The Janet Ragland Scholarships (JRS) honor her legacy by supporting teachers who share that passion.

Scholarship Details:

  • Award: Twenty scholarships of $1,000 each
  • Purpose: To reimburse selected teachers for the successful completion of the Driver Education endorsement in 2026

Eligibility:

  • Open to licensed teachers* who are currently under contract
  • A maximum of two recipients will be selected per school division (one per school)
  • Teachers employed by school systems that already reimburse course completions are not eligible
  • Preference will be given to applicants from smaller school divisions, particularly those without access to local colleges offering the required courses

Requirements for Reimbursement:

  • Successful completion of both driver education courses with a grade of B or higher
  • Passing score on the driver education competency exam
  • All requirements must be completed by January 15, 2027

Timeline:

  • Applications Available: Mid-February 2026 on the VADETS website: https://vadets.wildapricot.org
  • Application Deadline: March 15, 2026
  • Notification of Recipients: By March 31, 2026

If you have questions regarding the scholarship, please contact:


A. Vonnie Colvin, Ed.D.

Coordinator for the Janet Ragland Scholarship

vadets.scholarships@gmail.com

*Provisional considered if detailed record of progress toward licensure is included in application.



Registration for the 2026 VADETS In-Person Conference will begin in March.  The conference will take place at JMU on July 12th.  

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VADETS Workbooks

The study guide/workbook provides the framework for the content in the Curriculum and is also designed to assist students in learning safety concepts.

The Virginia Driver Education Curriculum has been updated to meet the 2022 Driver Education Standards. 


Cost of Workbooks

$200 per case which includes standard shipping and handling (*A request for expedited shipping will incur an additional cost to the district/school.)  

Each case contains 50 study guide/workbooks.

Workbooks will be shipped in multiples of 50 only - no pickup allowed

Workbook Order Form

VADETS W9

For general information about workbooks email vadetsonline@gmail.com

For questions about invoices or payments email vadetsfinance@gmail.com 

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Courses 

Learner's Permit Test Prep 

For students who would like more practice for the  learner's permit test or who have failed the learner's permit test 3 times, click here for more information and to register for the course.

VADETS Online Course

VADETS is Virginia’s teacher association for the improvement of driver education & traffic safety. The VADETS online driver education course provides an alternative educational opportunity for public, private and home-schooled students. Click here for more information and to register for the course. 

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Poster, Bumper Sticker, License Plate Contest

The Virginia Association of Driver Education and Traffic Safety (VADETS) is sponsoring a poster, bumper sticker, and license plate contest. The contest will be judged at the VADETS State Conference in July. The theme is general traffic safety and students should select issues or topics they feel are important to driver education. Each school should conduct its own contest and teachers may submit the best three (3) entries in each category at the conference.

All submissions for contests are due 5/15/2026 and should be uploaded to the Google folders at this link.  

Questions may be submitted to VADETSinfo@gmail.com.

Teachers can submit a picture of  posters, bumper stickers & license plates to this Google Folder (name file with student's name) and bring them to the conference  or mail them to:


VADETS

PO Box 1

Powhatan, VA 23139








TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to our 2025 Driver Education Teachers of the Year!

In-Car TOY:

 

Tim Fenn

Classroom TOY: 

  

Wanda Gilbert

For information about Teacher of the Year and to nominate a teacher for next school year, please visit this link to download and email (vadetsinfo@gmail.com) or mail the completed form to:

VADETS Teacher of the Year Committee 

PO Box 1

Powhatan, Va  23139



TOY nominations are due 5/15/2026 and should be uploaded to the Google  folder at this link.

2025 Teacher Excellence Award


Please join us in congratulating our fellow board member and colleague, Amy Dignan, on being selected the 2025 Novice Teacher Excellence Award winner for SERADTSEA! She received the award and made a presentation at the SERADTSEA Conference in Williamsburg, VA.  Here are a few of her accomplishments:

  • 22 Years Teaching and Coaching in Prince William County Schools, Virginia
  • Patriot High School Health & Physical Education Co-Department Chair
  • Patriot High School Driver Education Coordinator 
  • Served on Driver Education Curriculum Committee for the VA Dept. of Education & Prince William County Schools
  • 2025 SERADTSEA Novice Teacher Excellence Award
  • 2024 VADETS In-car Teacher of the Year
  • 2023 VADETS Classroom Teacher of the Year
Congratulations Amy!


Buckle Up, Phone Down

Did you know it is illegal in Virginia to hold a handheld communication device (phone) while operating a moving motor vehicle? Still, we see drivers doing it every day. At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving. Please don’t be one of them. Other distractions, like eating, applying makeup, adjusting the radio or air conditioning, can also be dangerous. Anything that draws your attention away from the task of driving is distracted driving and can cause a crash.

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Driven To Protect Discovery Hub

See the link below to see an overview about the Driven to Protect Discovery Hub: https://youtu.be/Hg9MLhkoBV8.

This is a great way for educators to learn more about their online resources.  Download  social media content from Driven To Protect for Teen/Driver safety week.

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