AD
Did you know that you can book your 10 - 17-year-old child a driving lesson?
Neither did I until I heard about Young Driver driving lessons. My teen was invited down to the recently opened venue at Newcastle's Gosforth Park racecourse, which is near where we live.
So what is Young Drivers? Well, it is pretty much as the name suggests driving lessons for young drivers - children aged ten to seventeen years of age, although adults can book lessons too if they want too. You can book either half-hour or hour-long lessons.
Arriving at the racecourse we easily found the Young Drivers area all set up with cones to replicate a road system, with parking areas and junctions. The area was closed off to the public - meaning that children can learn to drive in a safe controlled environment.
My daughter - aged 14, was greeted by her instructor and she was showing to her car for the lesson, a modern Skoda. After a brief safety talk from the instructor she was off driving the car.
During the hour-long lesson she learnt to drive the car around the track, making sure to stop at the junctions and let the other drivers pass. She was even doing parallel parking and driving in and out of cones on the track.
Each driver gets a drive diary and at the end of the lesson the instructor ticks to say what you have accomplished, which you can keep for future lessons so your instructor knows what to focus on. I think learning to drive at a young age in a controlled environment like this is great for getting her used to driving a car and building her confidence.
The price of an hour-long lesson is a bit pricey at £60 but as an occasional treat or birthday or Christmas gift it is something I will pay for, you can also book half-hour lessons. I also think that by booking the odd lesson for her now we will hopefully save on actual driving lessons once she is old enough to start learning to drive for real.
You can also purchase a video recording of your child's first lesson for £20 which is recorded on a dash cam. There are Young Driver centres all over the UK and as a parent, I really do recommend them for building confidence and getting youngsters used to a car and driving.
To find out more about Young Driver lessons, venues, prices and how to book please visit www.youngdriver.eu
To find out more about Young Driver lessons, venues, prices and how to book please visit www.youngdriver.eu
What a fab idea - I bet Chloe will pass her test a lot more quickly when she's 17 after a few of these lessons.
ReplyDeleteI hope so, she will probably pass her test before I do haha xx
DeleteI think this is a good idea to get kids comfortable before they can take proper lessons but I do think 10 is a little too young x
ReplyDeleteIt really is a great idea, I don't think I would have arranged lessons for her at 10 but 14 feels a good age xx
DeleteThis is such a fantastic idea and something my eldest would love to try! I think it's great to gain confidence in the car at this age, way before they begin their lessons!
ReplyDeleteHe would love it, my daughter really enjoyed it. I totally agree I think even that one lesson has built her confidence a little and hopefully with a few more lessons she will pass quicker at 17 xx
DeleteI too have a 14 year old and this looks a brilliant thing for them to do. I think the price of £60 is not too bad when you consider how much a normal driving lesson is now (I think they were about a tenner back in my day lol). Certainly something to consider for his 15th birthday in August x
ReplyDeleteHe would love it, I think it would be a lovey birthday gift idea as it is something a bit different isn't it. My daughter had a great time, she can't wait to learn to drive properly now xx
DeleteI wish I'd done something like this at that age
ReplyDeleteMe too as I probably would have taken lessons when I was 17 xx
DeleteKian did this a few weeks ago and as he is 16 we have bought him another lesson to give him a headstart when it comes to learning to drive in August
ReplyDeleteThey are brilliant aren't they. I bet he passes easily after having some of these lessons xx
DeleteOh my boys would LOVE that! They always ask me when they can start learning to drive! Yes, a little pricy, but as you say, great for a special occasion like a birthday!
ReplyDeleteAll the children taking part seemed to be having a brilliant time. I really recommend them xx
DeleteI'm a huge fan of these lessons. They aren't cheap, but they are such a good investment as kids can learn the how to drive bit and then focus on the road when they start real lessons
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about that xx
DeleteThis looks like a good idea to get them thinking about road safety at a younger age.
ReplyDeleteIt really does, I bet it makes it much easier for them for when they start proper driving lessons too xx
DeleteI think this is something that my boys will love when they are older a little bit x
ReplyDeleteYour boys would really enjoy it when they are older, all the children there were having a great time. I really recommend them as the centre and instructors were brilliant xx
DeleteWow fantastic, if my son saw this he'd be chomping at the bit to get behind the wheel! I think this is great, getting kids used to being in control of a car, and understand their responsibility. Brilliant idea!
ReplyDeleteIt really is a brilliant idea, children seem to love it and it is great for boasting their confidence too xx
DeleteMy son did this, and he loved it so much. Great for giving them so practice before getting on the road
ReplyDeleteIt really is great for giving them some practice before hitting the road. It has boasted my daughters confidence so much xx
DeleteThis is a brilliant idea for kids! My nephews both had lessons when it was at the metro centre then went on to pass their tests pretty quickly when they were 18. It's handy for us too!
ReplyDeleteI hope my daughter is the same, I don't fancy paying a fortune for driving lessons when she turns 17 xx
Delete