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Car insurance news - Goodwood Motor Circuit lets youngsters drive

With four fatalities a day involving motorists younger than 21 on British roads, and one in five new drivers suffering a crash in the first six months of their driving career, a West Sussex training initiative aims to prevent future car owners from becoming more accident statistics.

The Mini Driver scheme, which takes place at Goodwood Motor Circuit near Chichester, aims to educate under-age drivers so that they have a good repertoire of positive driving skills before they take to the nation's highways. This could hopefully reduce their risk of being involved in an accident once they are road-legal and potentially reduce the cost of their car insurance quotes too.

The course, which has seen more than 800 youngsters take part so far this year, is split into seven ‘Missions'. In Mission One the participants "learn basic theory and driving skills". Use of the accelerator, brake, handbrake, steering and observation is also covered, until finally, in Mission Seven, the young drivers will "have mastered the general driving skills and be able to perform a sequence of manoeuvres effectively and with confidence". They will also be able to "understand the traffic rules and theory of driving".

The hope is that, with the support of car insurance providers, the under-age motorists who participate in the course will be able to get cheaper car insurance when they are eventually eligible for cover, in a similar way to drivers who complete the Pass Plus course.

The circuit director states, "When kids pass their test, insurance is so expensive very often parents can only afford a cheap old car, which doesn't have the safety attributes of a modern model."

"If the kids who have early training were to get cheaper insurance that could change."

As long as the youngster who wants to take part in Mini Driver is 1.5m high or taller, so that they can reach the pedals, they can enroll in one or all of the Missions available. Potentially, the children who are involved in the scheme can look forward to finding good car insurance quotes in later life.