Allowing children to practice can reduce accident rates by 80 per cent, it is claimed.

Meadowhall is hosting a junior driving school allowing youngsters as young as 10 to get behind the wheel and hit the ‘road’.

Young Driver is turning part of the Orange car park, near Primark and Next, into a ‘realistic road system’ with traffic signs, roundabouts and junctions, along with areas to practice parking.

Young Driver is turning part of Meadowhall's Orange car park, near Primark and Next, into a ‘realistic road system’ for children to drive cars in. | other

placeholder image — Young Driver is turning part of Meadowhall's Orange car park, near Primark and Next, into a ‘realistic road system’ for children to drive cars in. | other

The company says allowing children to practice can reduce accident rates by 80 per cent.

Sue Waterfield, head of marketing at Young Driver, said: "This is in a brand new space for us, where we will be able to offer lots of different driving activities for young people, whether they’re a beginner or have already had a few lessons.

Get the latest headlines, straight to your inbox, with The Star’s free emails

"Training drivers over a longer period of time allows youngsters to have a solid understanding of how to drive a car before they get anywhere near a real road. Research shows that creates a safer driver – and we believe it creates safer pedestrians and cyclists too. But the lessons are also lots of fun and they’re a great general confidence boost for teens and pre-teens, who take the responsibility very seriously. When they’re reverse parking at the end of the first lesson, it’s often a shock for parents!"

Lessons for 10-17s start on Sunday, March 24, with events taking place on selected weekend and school holiday dates throughout the year.

For more information visit www.youngdriver.com or call 0333 577 9010.