LEARNER drivers can take lessons from the comfort of home thanks to an app created by a Balsall Common driving school.
With lockdowns halting many lessons and tests over the past year Young Driver, a pre-17 driving school, decided to create an app allowing teens to continue lessons while sticking to government guidelines.
The Young Driver App takes learners from first lesson to driving test by providing repeatable, practical lesson via 360° videos filmed with Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs).
The lessons can be viewed on phones or VR headsets, the 360° view can be rotated to see manoeuvres from every angle.
The first set of 12 videos were written and narrated by Quentin Willson and covers everything from tackling junctions and roundabouts to perfecting manoeuvres such as parking or reversing.
Head of marketing at Young Driver, Sue Waterfield, said: “There are lots of learn-to-drive apps that focus on the theory test, but the 360° in cockpit view helps animate remote learning because it’s so immersive.
“Young Driver knows from the hundreds of instructors they work with that waiting list for learners in 2021 will be considerable and the number of available instructors in Britain had already dropped 17 per cent in the last 10 years.
“While nothing replaces practical lessons, the app will help teens keep practicing even if they can’t physically get out in a car.”
During the national lockdowns around 1.4 million teenagers have potentially had their driving lessons put on hold with the number of driving tests falling by 790,000 (64 per cent) in the nine months from April to December 2020 compared to the year before.
No driving lessons, tests or even practicing with a family member have been allowed in lockdown and driving instructors warn of long waits for lessons.
Quentin Willson said: “This is game-changing with ADIs driving cars on real-life roads so learners can practice and repeat lessons remotely at home.
“This will be an invaluable resource for learners to become more familiar with road situations through constant repetition at home.”
The Young Driver App can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
