Vauxhall Young Driver

Driving scheme for 10-17 year olds launches at new Stockton-onTees venue

- Innovative lessons reduce accident rates for newly qualified drivers by more than a half

- Youngsters drive a real car around a specially created road system

- Young Driver will open at Sedgefield Racecourse on 11th December

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 at a new County Durham venue.

Young Driver will open at Sedgefield Racecourse on Saturday 11th December, when the car park 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. The location is in addition to the scheme’s Darlington’s Mowden Park RFC base, which is temporarily unavailable due to the venue being used as a Covid vaccination centre.

Young Driver is the UK’s largest provider of pre-17 driving lessons, having delivered over 1,000,000 lessons at more than 70 venues across the UK. Youngsters have lessons in new, dual controlled Vauxhall Corsa SE Premium, 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. Only eight per cent of drivers are aged 17 – 24 and yet they account for a worrying 30 per cent of people who are killed in cars every year. But for those who have taken a Young Driver course, the rate of accidents in that worrying first six months drops by more than a half,

to fewer than one in ten.

Sue Waterfield, head of marketing at Young Driver, said: “We are really excited to be launching at Sedgefield Racecourse. We’ve been unable to run the last few events we had planned at Darlington, so it’s great we can get this up and running as soon as possible for people in the area. The site will provide plenty of opportunities for youngsters to try out lots of different driving skills and techniques, whether they’re a beginner or have already had a few lessons at another of our venues.

“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 £44.99.

Safety procedures are currently in place to protect both pupils and instructors, including the wearing of masks, social distancing and regular hand and vehicle sanitisation. Should a Young Driver lesson need to be cancelled due to illness, self-isolation or lockdown, it can be rebooked for a later date.

For more information visit www. youngdriver.com or call 0333 577 9010.