Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy Celebrates its 5th Birthday

AUTO CENTRAL, UK -- August 12, 2014: The Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy, the UK’s only manufacturer-backed driving school, celebrates its fifth birthday this month, its participants having driven a combined 127,000 miles – a journey equivalent to travelling more than five times around the equator.

As a pioneer of a “coaching approach” to train youngsters to drive safely, rather than just teaching them to pass the test, the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy has developed techniques that are now being used around the world.

In its first five years the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy has provided bespoke coaching to more than 8,500 people at the Mercedes-Benz brand experience centre near Weybridge in Surrey and at Silverstone race circuit, as well as on public roads in the Greater London area and more recently in the Midlands. There is an exceptional first-time pass rates for pupils, but it is the essential safe driving skills that students are able to master, which has led other Mercedes-Benz driving schools to be launched in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Beijing and Amsterdam.

The Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy’s popular HeadStart scheme offers a structured curriculum for drivers aged 16+, with in-depth lessons on a driving facility, parental involvement and intensive training for 12 months up to the provisional licensing age of 17.

The Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy is also partners in what it believes is the ultimate example of a learning to drive curriculum – Autocar Start. Developed in collaboration with Autocar magazine and Carrot Insurance, it offers novice drivers a complete package involving an environmentally-friendly new car, inexpensive insurance and up to 46 lessons with a Driving Academy coach leading up to and after passing the test.

Rob East, the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy’s National Operations & Development Manager, said: “Mercedes-Benz is a leading pioneer of vehicle safety and accident avoidance systems, and the Driving Academy was established to take that safety commitment one step further through the tuition of accident-free driving techniques and skills. We believe our meticulous, structured approach, that starts before pupils get on the road, is the best way to ensure the perfect start for young drivers. Our aim is not just to ensure new drivers can pass the test but to impart essential safe driving skills that will remain with drivers throughout their lifetime.”