Children as young as 10 are being given the opportunity to have their very first driving lesson.

The UK’s largest provider of pre-17 driving lessons, Young Driver, will be running lessons for 10 to 17 year olds during the half term at Bluewater.

Lessons take place on Wednesday, February, 19, in a dual controlled Vauxhall Corsa with a fully qualified driving instructor, on a realistic road system with junctions, traffic lights and roundabouts.

The lesson takes place in the multi-storey carpark beside Marks and Spencer, where a course will be mapped out by instructors on the day.

Pupils can learn how to get started, steer, change gear and even try a spot of reverse parking thanks to the scheme, which aims to improve the safety of the UK’s young drivers.

Newly qualified drivers have a very high accident rate, with one in five having a crash within six months of passing their test.

Research shows Young Driver pupils benefit from an extended learning period and are half as likely to have an accident in those tricky first few months.

The scheme has delivered 750,000 lessons since it launched 10 years ago.

Sue Waterfield, head of marketing at Young Driver, said: “The good thing about having a Young Driver lesson is it’s great fun for the young person, but it’s also beneficial from a road safety perspective.

"We get a lot of comments from parents saying it’s helped boost the self-confidence of their child"

Young Driver also operates at Bluewater on weekend dates across the year and driving tuition is available for disabled youngsters and birthday parties.

Lessons must be booked in advance and last either 30 or 60 minutes.

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

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