Young Driver is a part of the Goodyear Driver Academy and provides driving lessons for under 17’s so when we were given the opportunity to review a lesson with them we jumped at the chance. Teen is going to be 17 in December so driving is a reality for him and me (his over-anxious Mother) in the not-to-distant future. As an over-anxious mother I have already planned which car is most suitable for him to have, so I know he is learning to drive in the best car possible. Tools such as price comparison websites and an invoice price calculator could be a good idea for any other mums out there looking to buy their first-time driver a car, but wondering about the financial realities of it all.

As a Mum, the idea of him getting in a car for the first time on the road makes me feel a little nervous, so this seemed like a perfect introduction. Any parent would be worried about their child taking to the road, but what can make it worse is them being sold a car that breaks down easily, which can be a scary thing for someone to experience, especially if they are driving alone. It is unfortunate that not everyone who sells a car is a stand-up person as they may knowingly be selling someone a lemon, luckily if this was to happen there are steps to file a lemon law claim that can be taken so they can hopefully get their money back and this person will not be able to sell cars again, making our roads a little safer.

Road traffic accidents are one of the main causes of death for 17-24-year-olds which is a scary statistic. Goodyear Driving Academy promotes a graduated approach to learning to drive, aiming to improve road safety and challenge attitudes and behaviours towards being on the road. It aims to be fun too, creating a great environment for young people to learn in.

Venue

Our lesson was at the Victoria Centre Car Park, Nottingham and to be honest I was a little sceptical at first but it turned out to work really well. The space was huge and a few cars could go round at once giving a sense of other road users for the kids taking part. It was in a central location making it accessible, and parents could stay and watch or go and do a bit of shopping if they liked.

Instructors

There was a small friendly team of instructors to take the lessons, who no doubt had gone though Driving instructor training South Shields, or wherever they are from, and had plenty of experience teaching over 17’s before they got involved with Young Driver. They were all CRB checked and some had experience of working with young people outside of the Goodyear Driving Academy at places like Scouts and Sea Cadets. The culture seemed to be pretty fun and upbeat which added to our positive experience.

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Goodyear Driving Academy Parent Pack

We were provided with a Parent Pack that is aimed at helping Mum’s and Dad’s encourage their children to think about driving before they get behind the wheel. To be honest, it was a little young for Teen but it still was an excellent resource I wish I’d had access to earlier including games and activities to introduce kids to the Highway Code. It’s still helped me to think about the kind of conversations I should be having with Teen to help make him a safe and successful driver, things like road signs, driving conditions, and car maintenance for example. It is incredibly important to teach your teenager about making sure their car is safe and maintained so they are aware of anything that could be an issue. If something does come up, they’ll be able to take it to the nearest garage or go for Rivercity Motors inspections, for example, so they get it fixed safely and professionally for when they are on the road.

The Experience

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I found as a parent the whole experience was really positive. The team were welcoming and friendly, they put myself and my son at ease straight away. Teen was able to get on with driving the car really quickly, and as well as driving did a 3 point turn, a spacial awareness challenge and parked the car at the end.

As he took part in the lesson I’ll let him tell you himself what he thought:

Cost

A half an hour lesson costs £31.99 and an hour costs £59.95 so I’m not going to pretend that it’s cheap, but I will say that it’s worth it if you want to invest in your child’s driving education. The lesson we had was well structured, the staff were experienced, the venue was suitable and it was a completely safe environment. I will be booking more lessons for Teen in the months leading up to December so he can learn more about handling a car before he gets on the road.

Recommendation

You’ve already heard Teen say he’d recommend it to his friends, and I would have no problem recommending it to their parents. When we were there there were young people who had had their lesson bought as a treat for doing well in their school report so it worked well as a one off experience or as regular sessions.

By attending sessions like this young people have the opportunity to learn how a car works so when they get on the road for real they can concentrate on the skill of driving itself. Supporting this with the Parent Pack will also give them a sound knowledge of the Highway Code and the theory of driving.

We were provided with the lesson and in exchange for writing this review, but I will definitely be booking lessons direct to get Teen ready for the road and I have no regrets at all about providing this review.

If your interested in finding out more and booking a lesson head over to the Young Drivers webpage .

Further Reading

“I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Network Research Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity”

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22 COMMENTS

  1. This is every teenagers dream driving a car, it is good that they get some experiance of driving before going out on the road, my son is 17 and is very excited about starting driving lessons but im very anxious of him going on the road, we are thinking of some off road lessons before hand so he gets the feel of the controls and being behind the wheel first. great review 🙂 X

  2. Driving lessons are something we will be looking at next year for my teen. I have to be honest that the thought worries me, he is totally colour blind so I don’t know how he will manage with road signs etc. A course like this would be an ideal introduction for him.

  3. Wow, this sure sounds like quite the experience. It is indeed very good to introduce teens to road safety and other driving concepts early on. This lesson sounds good.

  4. Great post, and information! I’m really scared to think when my tween will be at driving age. Hopefully he won’t want to drive until he’s 30 (not a chance, though) LOL

  5. I’ve seen these advertised from age 11! I think at that age it’s a bit of tease but since your son will be 17 in December it seems like a good start to driving for a teenager. Standard driving lessons don’t seem to take into account a person’s age.

  6. Sounds a good way of learning. Long time until I need to think about this for my boys #TriedTested

  7. We have one of these local to us. I would be happy for my son to try it – rather that than my husband try and teach him!

  8. At 3 years old, my son has a long way to go before he gets behind the wheel. Although he thinks otherwise.

  9. It sounds like it was a good experience as he gave it an 8/9 and due to the fact parents are a lot more involved. Rather pricey though for something you can get a lot cheaper x

  10. This looks like a fab idea. Callan’s dad has been taking him out on an old airstrip for some time now but its his first real driving lesson today!

  11. What a great concept! I had no idea they did anything like this. Driving lessons are a way off for my kids yet but I’d definitely do something like this when the time comes x

  12. I think this is a great idea. It gives kids that little bit of extra experience before they go behind the wheel! Glad he enjoyed it. 🙂

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