The Canadian Globe and Mail in Canada and talks to Robert East, Operations Manager about MBDA recently.
“Shawna Richer
From Saturday’s Globe and Mail
Last updated on Monday, Oct. 05, 2009 03:08AM EDT
When stories of children behind the wheel make headlines, they usually include threats of charges against the parents and protective custody for the kids.
Who can forget Samuel, the seven-year-old Quebec boy who piloted the family SUV along a country road while being filmed and cheered on by his father from the passenger seat? The video, which turned up this summer on YouTube, sparked public outrage and a police investigation.
But Mercedes-Benz in Britain is putting a positive spin on the idea of putting kids in the driver’s seat: The luxury car maker believes that it’s never too early to prepare for the day you can legally hit the road (or, for that matter, to develop an appreciation for high-end automobiles). Since June, its Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy has taught more than 800 children how to drive.
Kids from 12 to 17 who stand at least 58.5 inches tall can learn how to steer, brake, do a three-point turn and handle curves and bad weather. A three-hour session at the track costs 205 ($354). Older children can take advanced lessons to prepare for their eventual road test, which British drivers can take at 17.
Luxury auto makers including Audi, BMW, Porsche, Land Rover and Ferrari offer performance-driving classes to adults as a sort of status skill, but only Mercedes has invited kids to climb behind the wheel. It began extending the driving experience to children as young as 10 in 2006, with a basic driver-experience introduction program (more than 15,000 kids have participated).
Robert East, operations manager at the driving academy, said this expanded, curriculum-based program was prompted by British driver education that lacked training in basic skills such as bad weather and distracted driving, as well as statistics showing that a third of drivers killed or seriously injured in Britain are younger than 25. In Canada, automobile crashes remain the leading cause of death of people aged 16 to 19, according to the Canada Safety Council.
Our appetite was to bring a new approach to driver education, Mr. East said. Learning to drive is not a single step. We see it as a lifelong process that should start early for best success, like playing an instrument.
Danny Kok, the Vancouver-based chief driving instructor for Mercedes-Benz in Canada, is watching closely. We see such a lack of success with young people driving because typical driver education teaches the rules of the road and the operation of the vehicle at the same time, he said. Kids are being taught to pass the test, not handle the vehicle safely. All they’re really doing is trying to survive.
Mr. Kok compares learning to drive to learning to skate or playing the piano. It’s like any cognitive skill learning young means learning better and more naturally, he said. It’s no coincidence Olympians and pro athletes start at a very young age. It’s the same with driving.
Everyone of a certain age remembers sitting on dad’s lap, helping steer the family sedan. Mr. Kok isn’t suggesting a return to such carefree days, but sees value in starting early. Nowadays you get into a car with a 16-year-old and you almost have to teach them how to turn the steering wheel.
Mercedes-Benz sees stylish safety as giving the auto maker an opportunity to create an early attachment to the luxury brand. Why not learn to drive in a cushy E-Class or AMG, rather than your parents’ rusted-out clunker?
The younger you teach people to drive, the safer they will be, Mr. East said. But no doubt, our brand gives us huge differentiation in the marketplace. The feedback from kids has been very positive. There’s a cachet to learning to drive in a Mercedes-Benz.
Shawna Richer is a journalist living in Toronto.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Leave a Reply