Latest news with #YoungDriver
Telegraph
13-07-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Would you let your 11-year-old drive a 180mph Porsche?
My first feeling on seeing my son Finn climb into the driver's seat of a Porsche 911 is, simply, envy. I've never been a passenger in a Porsche, let alone driven one; and yet here he is, taking the wheel of this elegant sports car with a top speed upwards of 180mph. At the tender age of 11. As far as driving goes, he's peaked way too soon. We're at the Dunsfold Aerodrome near Guildford – AKA the Top Gear test track, where stars including Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz took the wheel of the Reasonably Priced Car back in the day – the latest addition to the 70-plus venues around the country where the company Young Driver offers driving experiences for children between nine and 17. Finn is a huge fan of cars and something of a demon on the driving-simulation games and go-kart tracks that have so far been the sum of his time behind a wheel. The question is whether driving a real car will similarly feel like a game – and, crucially, whether his foot will reach the accelerator pedal. Taking the wheel The experience starts with a taster session in a little Suzuki Swift hatchback, fitted with dual controls as you would find in any driving school car. His instructor spends a brief few minutes running through the basics, after which Finn pulls away surprisingly smoothly for a first-timer and takes off down the track. By the end of his 30-minute lesson, he has not only circled the track a few times but also practised indicating, braking and parking, learned to change gear, navigated some cones and performed a three-point turn (his favourite bit, he tells us later). But really it's all about the midnight-blue Porsche 911, which Finn has watched gliding around the track, eyes wide. Time for the Porsche When this most famous of sports cars arrives, it's a different beast altogether. Like the Suzuki, it has been fitted with dual controls – good to know, given it can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in less than four seconds – and, once again, the focus of the lesson is on safe, controlled driving. After Finn fastens the seatbelt and adjusts the rear-view mirror, his instructor talks him through operating the clutch, which is considerably heavier than the Suzuki's, and he drives off. There's a dashcam in the car with a splitscreen view, with one side of the screen showing what Finn can see (very much like a video game, in fact), the other side showing the expression on his face as he drives. While he could be forgiven for being a little apprehensive, he's apparently as cool as a cucumber (he tells us later that he wasn't nervous at all, simply excited). The instructor, just out of shot, can be heard reminding him to look at the road rather than the gearlever when changing gear, as well as to slow smoothly when approaching a corner, or steer a little more to the right or left. Playing it safe There's a nominal speed limit of 40mph, although children who are confident and practised enough are allowed to go a little faster. This way, they get a sense of the potency of a powerful engine and the dynamics of one of the world's greatest sports cars, as opposed to a go-kart, but in a safe, controlled environment. They are not simply having a junior petrolhead moment, but learning the basics of responsible driving. The theory is that children who take driving lessons at a young age are more receptive to instruction, but have not yet developed the arrogance that can make some 17- and 18-year-olds more difficult to teach. It follows that children who have already had driving lessons in a safe setting such as this are more likely to require fewer lessons once they reach legal driving age. They are also more likely to pass their test first time – not an insignificant consideration given the current waiting time for a test is up to around six months, as well as the costs involved in lessons. Perhaps the most compelling statistic, however, is that children who have experience of driving before the age of 17 are also far less likely to have a crash in those potentially dangerous first weeks and months after passing their test. According to research by Young Driver, its former students have been involved in 84 per cent fewer road accidents in the first six months after passing their driving tests, compared with the national average. The verdict The average 11-year-old, of course, doesn't really have road safety front of mind, although one hopes they will be taking it in on a subconscious level. For Finn, the experience is one of pure adrenaline – and pure fun: as he unsurprisingly puts it, 'the best day ever'. While the driving video games he has played have helped him, he thinks, to be more precise when steering on the track, the experience of not only being in but actually controlling a real car is entirely different from go-karting: 'bigger, faster, more powerful'. He is confident that he would now be able to drive a car safely on the road, but slightly dismayed when told that won't be happening for another six years. On the way home in our now hopelessly underwhelming Nissan Qashqai family car, it appears his expectations have been irrevocably raised. Bentley.'
The Courier
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Courier
'Driving lessons' for kids as young as nine to start in Dundee
Dundee kids as young as nine will be able to take 'driving lessons' at the Overgate next month. Level seven of the shopping centre's car park will be transformed for Young Driver, which launches on July 5. Young Driver, which has a 4.7 out of five rating on Trustpilot, teaches under-17s how to drive in dual-controlled cars in a bid to increase driver safety. Youngsters can get behind the wheel to practice braking, gear changes and steering. They'll learn how to park, plus how to navigate junctions, roundabouts and traffic lights before 17, the minimum age for driving lessons on UK roads. Driving events will be held on certain weekends and during school holidays. Lessons will be open to youngsters with disabilities. Dundee is Young Driver's seventh Scottish location, following Lochgelly Raceway in Fife in May 2024. Ian Mulingani, managing director at Young Driver, said: 'We are excited to be launching our first venue in Dundee – our seventh in Scotland. 'We'll 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 sites. '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. 'Research shows that creates a safer driver – and we believe it creates safer pedestrians and cyclists too. 'But the lessons are also lots of fun. 'They're a great general confidence boost for teens and pre-teens, who take the responsibility very seriously. 'When they're reverse parking at the end of the first lesson, it's often a shock for parents.' Young Driver lessons in Dundee start from £46.99 for half an hour, and must be booked in advance.
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Award-winning Suzuki Swift hybrid a hit with 'young' drivers
Suzuki's budget-priced Swift hybrid has just won a sixth major award. With prices starting from £19,699, the compact five-seater flexible hatchback was named best supermini at the Fleet World Great British Fleet Awards. Powered by an efficient 1.2litre 3-cylinder 82hp mild hybrid petrol engine, it offers money-saving 64mpg fuel efficiency, low 99g/km CO2 emissions, a top speed of 103mph and 0 to 62mph acceleration in 12.5 seconds and is available as a five-gear manual or CVT automatic with an all-wheel drive manual option, and in Motion or Ultra trim levels (a £1,250 step up). The Swift's other five awards include Top Gear compact car of year. And customers are proving fast-learners. So popular is the hybrid that specialist under-17s driver-training company, Young Driver, recently took delivery of the first of its 170-strong fleet of new Suzuki Swifts that will see youngsters aged ten to 17 given more than 150,000 lessons a year in the model, pictured here with early-learner Bonnie Booth-Radford, ten, of Solihull.
Daily Mirror
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Mum divides opinion as she lets daughter, 10, DRIVE her Suzuki Swift around town
Kimberley Booth-Radford, from Solihull, West Midlands, believes little Bonnie has benefited from "a real confidence boost" having been able to drive the Suzuki Swift A mum's decision to allow her ten-year-old daughter to drive her Suzuki Swift has divided opinion. Kimberley Booth-Radford believes she has given Bonnie "a real confidence boost" by giving her the opportunity to operate the car. Now, Bonnie drives her mother and her driving instructor around town. She's not legally allowed on the road until she's 17, but she can operate the vehicle as long as someone "responsible and aged 21 or over" is in the car with her. Kimberley, who lives in Solihull, West Midlands, said: "Bonnie is quite petite and obviously there are young people having lessons that are a bit older. So when some of the bigger [kids] or their parents see her behind the wheel, they sometimes look quite surprised. "She looks so little when driving around in a proper car. But she jumps in and she is off. It's amazing how natural and calm she is getting behind the wheel at such a young age. I wish this had been around when I was a child." Bonnie, who her mum says always been fascinated by cars, got behind the wheel for the first time when she was just seven years old. When someone in the family mentioned Young Driver, a driving school for those under 17, Kimberley surprised her with some lessons and she's developed the interest since. The youngster started in the Firefly car, which is specifically designed for four to nine year olds. Then, she moved on to driving a standard car. It costs £46.99 per 30 minute session, with the 10-year-old having three to date " and many more booked in. Kimberley, who works in IT, said: "I know she's learning valuable skills which will be really helpful once she's 17. It's a lot of fun, too, and a real confidence boost to be able to do something so grown-up. "She's never tried to jump in my car, though I think it won't be long until she is a better driver than me. I'm impressed by how much she's learned, and in a few years' time, she'll ace her actual test. There have been a few times where she's pointed out mistakes I'm making, but I welcome that. She's still got a lot of learning to do yet, though!" Kimberley hopes these lessons will now instil a sense of responsibility when Bonnie takes to the road as an adult. She said: "If more people encouraged their children to do this, it'll reduce the accident rate for young drivers. "And it teaches them how to be in control of a car the proper way. It's great that she can tell her friends that she's driven a real car too. Not many kids get to say that." Bonnie, while enjoying it, does find the lessons quite challenging. She said: "Learning the gear stick, indicators and looking around all at once is hard work. But I really enjoy driving like my mum does. The instructors make me feel so comfortable, and I'm not nervous at all. I can't wait to get my own car one day." But Kimberley concedes other drivers react in different ways - though are often "surprised" - to see Bonnie on the roads in "a proper car".
