The Young Driver road safety scheme has just delivered its 1.5 millionth lesson, 16 years after it was established.
Teaching children as young as nine years old about the essentials of driving, the scheme has achieved an 84 percent reduction in accidents for those who attend.
Young Driver has organised almost 9,400 events since 2009, operating from 70 venues across England, Scotland and Wales.
This means youngsters have racked-up 750,000 hours of driving experience, guided by a team of 430 instructors and using dual-control cars.
The kids are alright
Each Young Driver session sees a realistic road system created on private property. This allows motoring novices to experience junctions, roundabouts and areas to practice other manoeuvres.
The scheme also places a focus on mastering basic skills that will help once drivers turn 17, including clutch control, braking, steering and observing the road.
One in five new drivers typically has an accident in the first six months after passing their driving test. However, this drops dramatically to less than one in 25 for Young Driver alumni.
Ten-year old Taylor Deans from Coventry took Young Driver’s 1.5 millionth lesson. Savhannah Deans, his mother, said: “I’ve wanted Taylor to try a driving lesson with Young Driver for a while, so we decided to do it for his 10th birthday. I was blown away with how much he learnt.”
Practice makes perfect
Ian Mulingani, managing director of Young Driver, said: “Everything we do is about safety and helping young people realise the responsibility that comes with being behind the wheel of a vehicle. Practice really does make perfect and the accident statistics for our past pupils prove this is a positive way to improve the safety of young people behind the wheel. But it’s still something they have fun doing.”
Earlier this year, Young Driver purchased 170 new Suzuki Swift cars, replacing its ‘unreliable’ fleet of Vauxhall Corsas.
Youngsters can also experience driving a variety of other vehicles, from a Mercedes-Benz SL500 roadster to a fire engine.
Children aged under nine can receive special tutoring in Young Driver’s own Firefly Sport EVs.
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