Many of us have fond memories of sitting on our parent's laps as they drove on to the driveway, or pretending to steer a car whenever we had the opportunity to jump in the driving seat, wishing ourselves legally old enough to drive. Our children are no different, and thanks to a the Young Driver course (plus a couple of vouchers given to them at Christmas), they didn't have to wait until their 17th birthdays to be able to experience the thrill of being in control of a car.
Aimed at children between 10 and 17, the Young Driver Course provides an introduction to driving, as youngsters are coached and guided around a large empty car park by qualified driving instructors, carrying out a variety of manoeuvres such as steering, changing gear, reversing, and parking.
How to book
Courses can be booked online at www.youngdriver.com or over the phone. If you're booking via the Young Driver website, you'll be required to register each driver's details before selecting a date and time from the available slots.
With over 60 venues to choose from, you may have a choice of locations, however, courses don't run every day, so check on the Young Driver website for available dates of your nearest sites.
Hint: If you're booking for more than one driver, make sure you register each one before selecting your preferred course to ensure all drivers are able to drive at the same time.
The standard courses are either 30 or 60 minutes duration. Our kids undertook the 60 minute course, which they said went really fast, and there was a noticeable difference with the amount of course manoeuvres and driving they completed compared to those drivers who finished after half an hour.
There are also party packages and group bookings offered, as well as electric Firefly cars for younger drivers (5-10 years).
What to do on arrival
You are requested to arrive approximately 15 minutes prior to the course start time to be signed in. During this process, you'll have the opportunity to purchase an in car video of the experience for £14.99. We found this was great fun to watch back, as the split screen enables you to see the road ahead as well as the driver's face, plus you can listen to all the instructions - then realise your children sometimes don't know their right from their left!
At our venue, near the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, there was a double decker bus serving as the registration desk, waiting area, and seating for spectators - although you obviously get a better view from outside. A selection of drinks and snacks are also available to purchase.
Cost
The current costs of the various courses are:
£36.45 for 30 minutes (10-17 years)
£67.65 for 60 minutes (10-17 years)
£21.49 for 20 minutes (5-10 years)
Party packages start at £99 for 6 drivers - each getting 15 minutes of driving, with this rising to £195 for 30 minutes driving per party guest.
Gift vouchers are available to buy, and as this is how we ended up booking the Young Driver experience, we can confirm it was a well received gift.
The Course
There are 6 levels to the Young Driver course, with progress recorded in a booklet issued during the first lesson. Although the children covered slightly different areas of the course, they both thoroughly enjoyed their experience - here's what they thought, in their own words:
Eloise (16)
As I'll be learning to drive soon, I found the Young Driver Course really confidence boosting, especially when changing gears, using the indicators, and gaining a general feel for the car.
My driving instructor, Qaisar, was really friendly and asked me lots of relevant questions to help test my knowledge, rather than telling me everything, which made me think about various aspects of driving.
Overall I found the experience fun yet informative, and it's a great activity for someone of my age.
Zachary (13)
The Young Driver Course was a unique experience. I was extremely nervous before we arrived because I was frightened of getting it wrong, especially finding the bite as I changed gears. However, there was no need to be nervous as I found it easier than expected, and I learnt many things, including: how easy changing gears is and how smooth the steering can be, therefore, you could easily recover from mistakes when driving.
My lesson was more enjoyable because it took place in the rain, so I had the opportunity to use the windscreen wipers. Looking back on this, I think I enjoyed this the most, because using these and the indicators felt like you were really on the road.
John, my driving instructor, was chatty, friendly and a bit mischievous. We have similar interests, so I found him easy to talk to. He explained things clearly and he even let me drive fast on one straight. I was having so much fun, the time flew by, and I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning to drive a car.
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