A specialist driver training scheme, which allows 10-17 year olds to get behind the wheel in a bid to create a new generation of safer drivers, is launching a site in Epping for the first time.
Young Driver will open at the North Weald Airfield on Sunday 9th October. The airfield will be transformed into a realistic road system so youngsters can work on a range of driving skills and manoeuvres. Events will then take place on selected weekend dates throughout the year.
Young Driver is the UK’s largest provider of pre-17 driving lessons, having delivered over 1.1 million lessons at more than 70 venues across the UK. Youngsters have lessons in dual controlled Vauxhall Corsas and other similar cars, with highly qualified approved driving instructors.
A road system is created with traffic signs, roundabouts and junctions, along with special areas to practice manoeuvres such as steering control and parking. The emphasis of the lessons is on safety and fun and encouraging youngsters to consider how to drive responsibly, giving them time to perfect driving skills such as gear changes, braking and steering without the pressures of public roads.
Shockingly, one in five newly qualified drivers crashes within six months of passing their test. But for those who have taken a Young Driver course, the rate of accidents in that worrying first six months drops dramatically, to fewer than four per cent.
Sue Waterfield, head of marketing at Young Driver, said: “We are really excited to be launching in Epping. The North Weald Airfield gives us a large space so we can offer lots of different driving activities for young people, whether they’re a beginner or have already had a few lessons at another of our venues. We have been running in Chelmsford, Hatfield, Colchester and at Lakeside for several years now, and events are nearly always sold out, so this will give us more availability for the people of Essex.
“Clearly something needs to be done to tackle the seriously high accident rates of our young drivers. 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. 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.”
Driving tuition is available for disabled youngsters. Thirty or sixty-minute lessons must be booked in advance and prices start from £39.99.
