Drivers who undergo pre-17 driving lessons are 84 per cent less likely to have an accident in the critical first six months after passing their driving test, new research reveals.
Based on 450 pupils quizzed on their safety record since passing their test, only 3.3 per cent who received extra training between the ages of nine to 17 had been involved in accidents, compared with a national average of 20 per cent, according to Young Driver, the UK’s largest pre-17 driving school.
The research from Young Driver - which has delivered 1.6 million lessons for 9 to 17 year-olds nationwide - was released to mark the launch of the organisation’s first venue in London, based at Wembley Park.
In the pink
The scheme will use the Pink Car Park at Wembley Park, where realistic road systems are specially created, enabling budding drivers to experience roundabouts, along with other challenges, and to practise parking manoeuvres.
Pupils learn to change gear, steer and brake in dual-controlled cars with fully qualified instructors, just as they would on real roads at 17.
Ian Mulingani, Young Driver’s managing director, said: “Training drivers over a longer period of time allows youngsters to have a solid understanding of how to drive a car before they get anywhere near a real road.
“Research shows that this creates a safer driver – and we believe it creates safer pedestrians and cyclists too. But the lessons are also lots of fun and they’re a great general confidence boost for teens and pre-teens, who take the responsibility very seriously. When they’re reverse parking at the end of the first lesson, it’s often a shock for parents!”
Young Driver was established in 2009 with the aim of teaching youngsters to drive over a longer period, encouraging a safer generation of new drivers from the age of 17. It now has more than 70 venues across the UK.
Swift response
Anyone aged nine and over and above 1.4 metres tall can get behind the wheel of a dual-controlled Suzuki Swift, or a similar car, with a fully qualified instructor. Lessons take place on private land which has been developed into a realistic road system, allowing novices to respond to road signs, junctions and other road layouts. Pupils get Drive Diaries to monitor individual progress.
For more ambitious drivers, the firm has also launched Young Driver Exclusive, offering drives in either a Porsche 911, Mercedes SL500 or Bentley Flying Spur. A small fleet of classic cars, including a Morris Minor Convertible and Austin Seven, is available too, along with the chance to drive a genuine ex-service fire engine.
Exciting off-road experiences are available for 10 to 14-year-olds too at selected venues, in the all-terrain Polaris Youth Ranger. For four-nine-year-olds, Young Driver manufactures the Firefly Sport, an all-British EV which can be driven at some venues.
Young Driver’s research shows that 78 per cent of its pupils pass their driving test first time, compared with a national average 48 per cent – a 62 per cent improvement. The company says that, with an average 20-week waiting time for driving tests across the UK currently, it is encouraging as many under-17 drivers as possible to get behind the wheel to maximise their chance of test success.
For London drivers, the next Young Driver’s Wembley event will be on Sunday, March 29, with more information at Young Driver.
