Groundbreaking driver training programme that helps cut accident rates by over 80% will launch new East Sussex venue in June 2025
A driver training scheme, which starts teaching youngsters from as young as nine years old, is launching a new venue at Plumpton Racecourse, giving local youngsters a head start on the road to safety.
Young Driver® aims to instil good driving habits long before teens get their provisional licence. Youngsters aged 9 to 17 learn the basics of safe, responsible driving in dual-controlled Suzuki Swifts, under the supervision of fully qualified instructors.
Shockingly, one in five newly qualified drivers crashes within six months of passing their driving test. But for Young Driver past pupils, the rate of accidents in that worrying first six months drops dramatically, to fewer than four per cent – a reduction of more than 80 per cent.
The scheme will use the inner area of Plumpton Racecourse, allowing youngsters to work on a range of driving skills and manoeuvres. Lessons for 9-17s will start on Saturday 28th June, with events then taking place on selected weekend and school holiday dates throughout the year.
Young Driver is the UK’s largest provider of pre-17 driving lessons, having delivered more than 1.5 million lessons at private venues across the country. 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.
Ian Mulingani, managing director at Young Driver, said: “We are excited to be launching a brilliant new venue at Plumpton Racecourse. We’ll be able to 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 venues, such as the South of England Showground.
“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 and 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!”
Driving tuition is available for disabled youngsters. Thirty or sixty-minute lessons for 9-17s must be booked in advance and prices start from £46.99.
For more information visit www.youngdriver.com or call 0333 577 9010.
