Learning to drive before Age 17

[Hogweed]

When I was a kid, we lived in the country, and learned to drive by piloting Hillman Minxes and Vauxhall Vivas round on waste ground, fields etc. By the time we were old enough to go on the road, we typically got ONE lesson from an instructor (to teach us how to pass the test), and have never looked back (perhaps that’s why we keep reversing into lamp posts – boom boom).

Things are a bit stricter nowadays, but I’m wondering if it's still common practice to go to deserted car parks etc to teach your kids to drive? My daughter gets her licence soon, and I want her to know how to actually handle a car before she gets anywhere near a road.

Anybody know anything about the legal position of using (eg) business park car parks when they’re closed and deserted? I THINK they’ve not public roads, so no licence and insurance needed… but I’m not certain.

I've been assured supermarkets are considered as public, so no go.

If supermarket car parks aren’t suitable, any other suggestions?

We had an hour or so last night on a deserted place where I know the owners, but it's so small she can hardly get out of 1st.

And yes, I let her have her first experience of driving in my beloved Rover 75 – as you can tell, I am a VERY loving father

Only clutch, gearbox and DMF destroyed so far…

[ezi]

You can teach the basics such as mirror, signal maneuver, basic controls (Clutch etc) and bay parking etc but she really needs to be on a public road to learn anything else properly.

[Buff Mchugelarge]

I leant to drive on my own when I was about 10, my son was using the clutch, gears etc on his own at 8
I used to use car parks on industrial estates well away from anyone on a Sunday. Never had any problems from anyone

[Monty Python]

The only place where you can drive without insurance is on land to which the public have no access - so that rules out car parks, camp sites and so on.

[Buff Mchugelarge]

I leant to drive on my own when I was about 10, my son was using the clutch, gears etc on his own at 8
I used to use car parks on industrial estates well away from anyone on a Sunday. Never had any problems from anyone

[Triumph Man]

I learnt on an old road in Chilmark used to transport bombs in the war, as did my sister. I mentioned this before and 300 bhp/ton had a right go at me...

This was 6 years ago when I was 16 BTW.

Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 17th March 13:35

[RizzoTheRat]

Gran Tourismo?

I learned offroad before I was allowed on the road too, although I don't think I'd ever got above about 20th gear before my test, where I made it to 31'st but not in to top, and passed despite having no lessons.

There are a few companies that offer training to under 17 year olds, bit more expensive than doing it yourself someone safe though.

[S1_RS]

I learned in our field at about 14/15. In the final year of High School we had driving lessons around the school, parallel parking, reversing around a corner, emergency stops etc.

[Hogweed]

S1_RS said:

I learned in our field at about 14/15. In the final year of High School we had driving lessons around the school, parallel parking, reversing around a corner, emergency stops etc.

Yep - that's exactly it. But I haven't got a field :-(

[Dalto123]

I've been lucky in that there's a short track up to my house - when I was about 10 I learned to drive my Mum's CRV up and down, and shortly after, my Dad's V70. I was also taken to the local aprk car park of a summer evening so it was light, deserted and had plenty of space to drive around.

At about 14 I took up autotesting - great for learning car control - I don't think I was the youngest either!

But best of all at the same age I went here. It's the site of a car sales place in Essex, but a lot of learners (both car and motorcycle) learn to drive here. It's a road layout but on private land - Great fun and surprised a few people when at about 15 I drove Dad's 944 round

[jingars]

OP,

Your profile has a region of Gloucester, so you aren't too far away from me in Worcs.

My eldest son had a number of sessions with the Under 17 Driving Scheme at Throckmorton airfield, just outside Pershore.

It was well run and gave him a good understanding of vehicle control prior to heading out on the open road. The venue is big enough and controlled enough to allow then to get up to a reasonable speed - important in practising for a real road environment.

We will be putting son no 2 through it when he is 17 in May.

[kambites]

Maybe get her a moped? 90% of "learning to drive" is road-craft - the combination of learning the rules of the road and gaining an instinctive knowledge of what kind of stupid things other drivers are likely to do. Actual car control is pretty trivial.

[Hogweed]

jingars said:

My eldest son had a number of sessions with the Under 17 Driving Scheme at Throckmorton airfield, just outside Pershore.

Thanks, I didn't know about that one. I looked at Castle Combe, which is even closer, but it's all on weekdays!

[crosseyedlion]

I drove around a farm my mum had an office on a few times, and caravan sites.

The big one was at 16 getting a car (to fix up) - I got it working and spent a few hours a week practising parking and hillstarts/clutch control on our pretty large driveway.

With the manoeuvres down it only took 7 lessons to pass first time, could possibly have done it in less.

Getting experience in car control before 17 is very useful, there are all sorts of provision for it now (I know JLR and Mercedes do young driver training, im sure others too) You can learn a lot without actually going on a public road.

[Hogweed]

crosseyedlion said:

You can learn a lot without actually going on a public road.

I know! I know! That's why I'm trying to find out where it's legal to do it

[joe_90]

Weston-super-mare beach, and round Longleat is where I learnt to drive when I was about 12..

[Ozzie Osmond]

Hogweed said:

That's why I'm trying to find out where it's legal to do it

Yes, it is legal on private land with permission from the owner. As someone mentioned above, land is not "private" for this purpose if the public have access to it - for instance a supermarket car park.

One big thing to watch out for is no insurance. If anyone gets hurt there's likely to be big trouble for the driver, for the owner of the car, for any adult in the car and possibly for the owner of the land.

So in a nutshell, OK on a remote farm but not OK in your local car park.

[Hogweed]

Ozzie Osmond said:

So in a nutshell, OK on a remote farm but not OK in your local car park.

Those I know, thanks. What I wanted to know was if anybody knew of typical places (eg disused airfields) which would qualify as not being public...

[Bradderz352]

http://www.under17-carclub.co.uk/

[kambites]

Unfortunately if you can get access to somewhere for free, it's not "private" enough almost by definition. There many be places you can pay by the hour for her to drive.