Something happened a couple of weeks ago that Jack had been beside himself with excitement about for ages. He had his very first ever-driving lesson. I know arghhh what happened to my little boy.
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I will be honest it has been a month of milestones, a month of growing up. And us having to accept he is growing up, but a driving lesson was a huge thing.
The driving lesson was run and organised by Young Drivers, an amazing initiative designed to install a sense of responsibility and road safety into the young drivers of today.
Jack had a 30-minute lesson; although it was on a dedicated track, I will be honest; I nearly had a heart attack when we arrived. As there were other young drivers on the track, I mean what if one of them lost control, what if Jack did? Â But the whole process is expertly managed and coordinated by the amazing driving instructors.
The first thing Jack did was a full orientation of the car, his instructor Will made him feel at ease and explained how manoeuvre through the gears, how to use the mirrors and other instruments.
The car was a manual Skoda Citigo with a 5* Euro NCAP safety rating. This set our minds at ease as our little angel set off in front of our very eyes. I will be honest it’s the weirdest thing ever seeing your child driving a car for the first time.
During the lesson Jack completed his stage 1 which included
- Pre-drive checks
- Starting the car
- Moving away and stopping
- Steering
The structure is fantastic and has 6 levels to work through. I feel this was a great way of learning, and as a practical teacher myself I know that bite size pieces is the best way to learn rather than an overload of information that can then be incorrectly interpreted.
Jack left the lesson feeling confident but not over-confident, the emphasis was definitely on safety, a huge factor and so vital with young people.
Young Drivers state research shows that early driving experience cuts road accidents by 40%. With 1 in 5 young people crashing within 6 months of passing their tests, anything that reduces accidents among this group must be a good thing.
Jack thoroughly enjoyed his lesson, he felt at ease with Will his instructor and although he learnt to manoeuvre a car, he always came away with a safety awareness he did not have before his lesson.
I would definitely recumbent lessons, they would make a great gift. Driving is something nearly every teens aspired to do, so why not break them in gently whist bring home that safety message too. I love it, it’s a great idea and lessons are available all over the country.
This post was made in collaboration with the lovely people from Young Drivers.
Oh wow this looks brilliant! I will definitely do this with Seb when he’s old enough, he would love it. Jack is such a handsome young man, it must be strange to see him moving so quickly from boy to young man…I can imagine the mixed emotions of pride and nostalgia for his disappearing boyhood. xx
Thanks Tor, yes it is odd seeing them grow, missing your baby yet feeling proud too. Young Drivers is fantastic,Jack loved it and is desperate for another lesson x
This looks like such a brilliant way to start them off. I’m a good few years away from having to deal with this, but I’ll be honest, the thought of my kids driving terrifies me! Anything that makes young drivers better drivers is fantastic. Now we just need to do something about everyone else on the road… 🙂
Yes Sara, thats half the problem isn’t it, I am hoping safety awareness will give him some driving sense x