Learn to Drive at Age 11

29-June-2009

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A new driving academy especially created for children by Mercedes Benz has been launched in the UK by this week, allowing kids from over 1.5m tall and up to get behind the wheel.

If tall enough to reach the pedals of an A-Class, kids are deemed ready to join the Mercedes Stars Driving Club. The aim is to teach future drivers to drive correctly and establish good driving habits well before they’re legally allowed on public roads.

Given that car accidents are the biggest cause of death of teenage children in the UK; that drivers under the age of 25 in Britain cause 1,000 deaths per year, and that teenagers make up one in four road fatalities, this driving school can be considered much more than a just a gimmick or marketing tool.

The curriculum involves professional instructors giving kids both practical and theory tests, working their way through levels to eventually enable them to pass the national driving test. At this stage, the kids are permitted to drive the Mercedes AMG power cars around the track.

Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz World, Peter O’Halloran, says: “Learning to drive should be like learning to play an instrument. The more practice you have the better you master it and the more confident you become. “With Mercedes-Benz, students start learning to drive at a younger age, which removes the stress of passing the actual driving test. “In addition, the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy provides young people with the skills and thought based experiences that go beyond the requirements of just passing the driving test and prepares them for the actual demands of driving on the public roads, making them better and safer drivers when they have their licence.”

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