1st Driving Lesson: Millie and Toby Test-Drive a Young Driver Session

It was perishing cold on Sunday, but I woke the children early to let them know they were having a driving lesson later that morning! Yep, they are 12 and 10 and they were about to have a 30-minute lesson each, in a real car, with a real driving instructor!

To be honest, the atmosphere in the car driving to Milton Keynes was a mixture of excitement, along with a very real sense of nervousness. In fact, a lot of the conversation was simply nervous babbling. I was very interested to see how the morning would pan out.

Setting the Scene

To give you a little background on Millie-Mae and Toby’s driving experience, to this point. Last summer they tried their hand at go-karting. All was going brilliantly, until Millie-Mae drove headfirst into a stack of tyres at full speed. A few bruised ribs, but nothing broken fortunately. I saw it coming though – she was over confident, and on each lap got faster and faster. Toby, however, paced himself. He wasn’t much slower than Mills, but he was a lot less reckless.

Hemsby Karting Centre, Norfolk 2017

He has also driven our family car, albeit for about 20 seconds … Camping in Norfolk earlier this year, in a near-empty campsite, Huw supervised him turning the car around. He did well.

So, before the children began their driving lesson, we had one very nervous “what if I crash?” 12-year-old and one “this is going to be fun” 10-year-old. It was going to be interesting, that’s for sure!

The Venue

Young Driver sessions are held in large empty car parks. I picked Milton Keynes as one of our nearest venues (alternatives for us were Cambridge or Brent Cross in North London); the actual venue was just outside the MK Dons stadium.

When we arrived, we saw a row of Vauxhall Corsa cars lined up with others already out on lessons. The ‘course’ was laid out with cones and signs with a perimeter barrier behind which parents and onlookers stood. There was a bus, converted into a reception space, and waiting area.

Checking In

We headed straight for the bus, primarily to book in but also to shelter from the bitter cold outside. The children were each given a progress book (‘Drive Diary’), and told what car number they’d be having their lesson in, and also the name of their instructor. Because their lessons were being recorded (an optional extra) they were also given an SD card each, to hand to the teacher at the start of the lesson.

Having checked in, we had 15 minutes to wait. We sat inside, and I could feel the children’s nerves kicking in!

The Lesson

Millie-Mae was the first to be called by her instructor. He introduced himself, took her progress book and SD card. She then posed for a few quick photos, and then got into her car. Moments later, Toby was heading to his car with his instructor (also managing a quick photo).

Millie-Mae

After a short time, her car engine started. With her car already facing forwards, she carefully pulled out onto the course. Under strict guidance she then navigated the various areas – driving over a ramp, between quite narrow posts, around a roundabout … Every move was slow, but precise. After a few minutes her nerves melted away, and she started to enjoy it – you can tell this from watching the recording taken from inside the car!

After 30 minutes of driving she confidently and carefully reversed the car into it’s finishing space. Considering the cars all have 5-gear manual transmission, she did really well.

Toby

Toby started his Young Driver session like a ‘pro’ – his first manoeuvre was reversing, which he seemed to do perfectly. I was really impressed. He did everything that Millie-Mae did, but with slightly more positivity and a little more speed. Watching him drive past, it was clear he was enjoying himself. However, it wasn’t until the very end that I learned that he wasn’t actually controlling the pedals. When he got into his car, he couldn’t reach the pedals so his lesson was just steering. This was a bit of a shame as he was taller than the minimum height … he must be long in the body and short in the leg! Toby learned some valuable lessons on turning, mirrors and signalling though – and reversing at the end. He did well too ?

The Post-Lesson Briefing

Once we got back to my car, after they’d had their books stamped and the instructors had told me how they’d done, the children were full of beans.

They were talking over one another as they fought to tell me how it went before the other did. Millie-Mae no longer wants a Tesla Model X, but instead thinks a Vauxhall Corsa is a more sensible car to start with ? Luckily, we have a few years before she’ll be putting a car on her Santa list! Toby, however, still wants a Bugatti Chiron …

About Young Driver

Young Driver offers children aged from 5 to 17 the opportunity to learn to drive. 5-10 years olds can drive the ‘Firefly’, a 2-seater electric car that has all the same features as the bigger cars. Young Driver is partnered by Vauxhall, and the lessons take place in a fleet of Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 SRi. There are 60 venues around the UK.

As well as being fun, having driving lessons early on has benefits too. 20% of newly qualified drivers will crash within 6 months of passing their test. However, this statistic drops to under 10% for children who have taken Young Driver lessons. This is also supported by Swedish research.

Verdict

They both loved their Young Driver lesson. The instructors were very friendly and both children felt at ease with them. The lessons looked just like the ones I took when I was 17, just with much younger children. The cars were nicer than the one I learned in too! Driving is a life skill, where literally your life depends on it. If you fail a school exam, you can take it again – if you crash a car you might not get the opportunity to … The more you practice, the more experience you build, and that is a good thing. It’s never too early to start learning to drive. Let’s face it, the pace that children grow up, they’ll be 17 in a blink of an eye anyway …