Two young drivers have been declared the best in the UK, even before they are legally old enough to get behind the wheel.
Judges from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) presided over the national finals of the 2014 Young Driver Challenge at Birmingham’s NEC, and crowned 16-year-old Troy Hickling from Leicester and 13-year-old Hannah Tripp from Cheddar in Somerset as the top drivers in their respective age groups.
They saw off over 350 competitors to win the accolade after impressing judges with their practical driving skills behind the wheel of a dual-control car, as well as their knowledge of the highway code.
For coming top in the contest, which was open to youngsters aged between 11-16, the pair each won 20 Under-17s driving lessons from competition organiser Young Drivers, 20 post-17 on-the-road driving lessons courtesy of Goodyear, a Young Driver at School session for both themselves and their classmates, and £500 off their first insurance premium from Admiral.
Thirteen-year-old Hannah described the feeling of winning the competition as “incredible”, saying: “It was quite challenging and we knew the judges were making our ability based on a lot of different driving skills and manoeuvres”. Troy added: “It’s reassuring to know I’m doing so well and all this experience will obviously be a huge help when I come to learn on the road aged 17.”
IAM director of standards Mark Lewis, who was one of the competition judges, added: “Young people are often labelled as risky drivers; but Troy, Hannah and all the entrants to the contest have shown that they can achieve the highest standards of driving safety.
“I heard two parents discussing how their own driving habits had been altered by their children. One mum said that her son was now pointing out her bad driving habits and particularly encouraging her to drive within the speed limits. Here we see a reversal of the trend where children learn their driving behaviour at a very early age from watching their parents. We are now seeing that parents are being corrected by their children who have undertaken the Young Driver programme. This could have a massive impact on road safety.”
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