Can a Young Driver training course reduce accidents by 80 per cent?
On the 18th of June 1996, I passed my driving test. On the 19th of June 1996, I wrote off my Mini City E by parking it in the back of a BMW. For a 17-year-old who aspired to be a motoring journalist, it wasn’t the most auspicious start.
To prevent my son from suffering the same fate – embarrassment and a four-figure bill in my case, although it could have been far worse – I enrolled him for a first driving lesson. Nothing odd there, you might think. What’s unusual is that Thomas is only 14: still three years away from being allowed to take his test.
Young Driver is an initiative to improve road safety by getting children behind the wheel. Since 2009, it has delivered more than 1.5 million lessons, and its alumni are claimed to have 80 percent fewer accidents when they finally tear up their L plates.
“Dad, if I do well enough today, can I drive your car home?” piped up the voice from the back seat as we journeyed to Lingfield Park in Surrey: one of 70 Young Driver venues across the UK. “Umm… we’ll see.”
Scuderia Suzuki
Young Driver offers experiences for children aged from four upwards in its bespoke Firefly Sport EV. To drive a ‘proper’ car, though, you need to be between nine and 17 years old, and more than 1.4 metres (4ft 6in) tall.
Until recently, the proper car in question was a Vauxhall Corsa. However, Young Driver has just replaced its entire fleet with 170 examples of the Suzuki Swift: 160 of them with a manual gearbox, plus 10 automatics.
Despite the shift to electric cars, many children still want the experience of three pedals and a stick, says Young Driver deputy manager Sohail Malik. “For now at least, the typical first car will still be a manual.”
Climbing behind the wheel – wearing a Ferrari F1 T-shirt, no less – Thomas seems calm and confident. Perhaps too confident. I’m reassured to see the Suzuki is fitted with dual controls in case he goes full Lewis Hamilton…
Mirror, signal and slalom
Using the infield at Lingfield Park racecourse, the kids face a series of challenges designed to replicate real-world driving.
These start with the mirror-signal-manoeuvre routine, then steering using the pull-push method, clutch control, changing gear and applying the brakes. They also have to deal with two-way traffic, junctions and roundabouts, and judge the car’s size with a slalom between cones.
If and when the child feels ready, the lesson then moves on to driving test staples such as reversing around a corner and parallel parking (something Thomas’s dad still hasn’t perfected after nearly 30 years of trying). More advanced activities, for those who book further tuition, include overtaking another car and an emergency stop.
Zero to 44 miles per hour
Seeing your 14-year-old drive into the distance feels slightly disconcerting, but Thomas seems to have forgotten his plan to “do some donuts” and is making steady progress. “Some kids can be a bit over-confident, but they invariably settle down behind the wheel,” says Malik. “There’s a lot for them to concentrate on.”
Besides, while the three-cylinder Suzuki isn’t exactly a Ferrari, it gains extra kudos from Thomas for being one of the ‘starter’ cars in Gran Turismo – the acclaimed PlayStation racing game. Turns out he’s driven a Swift several times before, albeit using a joypad.
When he pulls in after a final lap around Lingfield Park’s perimeter road (usually driven by camera cars to film the horse racing), I’m proudly informed he reached a maximum speed of 44mph. Lewis had better watch his mirrors.
A Young Driver Ready for the road
Young Driver supplies all students with a booklet to track their progress, and tick off the various skills once mastered. Those aged 16 can even sit a mock practical driving test to prepare them for the real thing.
The sobering reality is that 20 percent of newly qualified drivers crash within six months of taking their test. Some of them, ahem, within just one day.
This was very much a taster session, but I’ve no doubt that getting Thomas behind the wheel early, under expert instruction and away from the dangers of other traffic, could make him a safer driver when the time comes. And what price can you put on that?
Swift progress to a Porsche
Speaking of which, Young Driver lessons start from £46.99 for 30 minutes, or £89.99 for an hour. Book a bundle of four sessions and you get a fifth free. My venue of choice would be the British Motor Museum in Warwickshire, where you could combine some driving instruction with a side order of classic cars.
If your son or daughter isn’t enthused by the thought of a Suzuki Swift, Young Driver also offers a range of experiences in less conventional cars, including an Austin Seven, Morris Minor convertible, Bentley Flying Spur, Mercedes-Benz SL500 and Porsche 911 Carrera.
Thomas’s ears perked up at the mention of the 911, so he’ll be back for more driving – possibly wearing a Porsche T-shirt next time.
• Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research