Tuesday 10th July 2007

Late Night Learners

Things that go bump in the night

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The early learner catches the worm?

Remember itching to get behind the 'wheel for the first time at 17? If so, a driving school has come up with an idea that you'll wish had been around when you took your test.

Learner Driving Perth is offering midnight lessons, so you can drive as soon as you’re legally allowed to.

Learners are picked up at 11.30 the night before they turn 17 and given eyesight and licence checks before they are put behind the wheel at 00.01.  You can’t get on the road much quicker than that...

[Hendry]

This is quite a smart move, as this will no doubt some to choose this SoM over another. Better still would be the company that offered lessons on private roads or tracks ahead of turning 17.

[tommyg]

Awesome.....hyper 17 year olds now on the roads whilst tired out at night.......

[IforB]

Yeah but we are talking about Perth here. Nothing much happens around there after 7 pm anyway!

[Alfanatic]

Hendry said:

...Better still would be the company that offered lessons on private roads or tracks ahead of turning 17.

I think that Mercedes World are already doing that, and they are doing it on an old section of the Brooklands track.

[Jackass]

I learnt to drive at Brooklands when I was 13, nothing to do with Mercedes though. Was great fun hooning around in MOT write-off Ford Granadas and the like. Even got to drive on the banking

[haggle]

it was weird stepping into a car at 17 after 5 years of tractors and combine harvesters

[Vodka Margarine]

tommyg said:

Awesome.....hyper 17 year olds now on the roads whilst tired out at night.......

Huh? Wouldn't it be better to learn night driving with an instructer rather than having to self teach yourself?

[mat205125]

Will they collect from their local pub?

[thegman]

there was something like this where i grew up

basically at 11.30 on the night before your 13th bday, your mates pick you up, give you a glue sniffing test and straight into a stolen Vauxhall Nova to practice wheel spinning and crashing into fixed object such as roundabouts.

as dawn breaks you celebrate your right of passage by warming your hands on the now burning Nova.

i had to wait until by 17th because my parents weren't reformists.

[mybrainhurts]

Oi, editorial staff....NO

LicenCe

[Shakiras peaches]

Sorry. Really can't see the point in this.

Learning to drive at night? Yes, great idea

Booking a driving lesson 1 minute after you're 17? get a life and wait till 9:00 the next morning.

[tomuch]

In harrow there used to be a driving school that you could go to at 15years old . private road and proper lesson .
As with most good things they do not last and it`s a housing state today .More profits in house`s .


I think this would be a nice surprise for your kid or a friend .
You would forget being woke up and put in car then told to drive for a long time. For a new drive it would be a rush.

[speed-o-phile]

tommyg said:

Awesome.....hyper 17 year olds now on the roads whilst tired out at night.......

...exactly.... great! (sarcastic great)

[JohnnyPanic]

tommyg said:

Awesome.....hyper 17 year olds now on the roads whilst tired out at night.......

When I was 17 midnight was like mid-afternoon to me, and I was perfectly alert. A far more dangerous time would have been 9:00am!

[driftboy]

its a good idia even though its abit sad! lol i went out with my dad 00:01
roads are very quiet at this time unlike 9:00 in the morning when its like rush hour!!
overall a good idia

[flattotheboards]

i would have thought that it would be better to start driving in the day time to gain experience/confidence before going out at night.

[justlivyalife]

www.under17-carclub.co.uk is there for people wishing to drive between the ages of 11 to 17 - check it out! Recently on BBC South Today & Radio Berkshire

[4941cc]

Alfanatic said:

Hendry said:

...Better still would be the company that offered lessons on private roads or tracks ahead of turning 17.

I think that Mercedes World are already doing that, and they are doing it on an old section of the Brooklands track.

As long as you can reach all the controls you're OK. So most 12-13 year olds should be tall enough. Private track and reasonably priced.

Plus also valuable "cool" points when you pass your test on your 17th b-day. Plus the look on the examiner's face when they ask what driving experience you have, you can reply - not much, just 5 years at Brooklands!

[jem123]

Im from new zealand which has one of the lowest driving ages in the world. I got my learners on my 15th birthday and 6 months later I was out exploring b-roads on my own. Cool isnt it?

[busta]

jem123 said:

Im from new zealand which has one of the lowest driving ages in the world. I got my learners on my 15th birthday and 6 months later I was out exploring b-roads on my own. Cool isnt it?

Aren't there issues with young drivers in NZ though? Because the WOF (basically a NZ tax disc) includes third party insurance cover, young, less experienced drivers can buy fairly powerful Japanese imports and not worry about sky high insurance premiums like they do here in the UK. Whilst I was in NZ there was quite alot in the press about young fatalities for this reason.