A MOTORING celebrity has been teaching pupils in Worcester how to stay safe behind the wheel.

Quentin Willson, former presenter of the BBC television programme Top Gear and national newspaper columnist, visited the King’s School Worcester to promote the Young Driver initiative and the Goodyear driving academy.

Mr Willson praised the Young Driver programme, calling it “a real pioneering initiative”.

“The way we teach people to drive at the moment is wrong – people are taught to pass their test, not to drive.

"It’s absolutely insane – we can’t expect people not to hurt themselves.” he said.

The programme, funded by corporate sponsors, is based on research by the Swedish government showing a 41 per cent reduction in accident rates among those that had been given early driving training.

Mr Willson said this is “the best reduction of accident rates in any project like this in the entire world”, saying it equates to about 200 lives saved per year.

The Young Driver programme enables 11 to 17-year-olds to learn the practical “below the dashboard” aspects of driving in a safe and controlled environment before they are allowed on a public road.

Goodyear’s driving academy, which involves an interactive hazard perception test, has been pitched to schools across the UK and will be added to the national curriculum as part of citizenship lessons.

Students from the King’s School participated in a demonstration of the interactive experience, and then got behind the wheel for a chance to put some of their new skills to practical use.

Aaron Daniels, aged 14, said “I really enjoyed it – I got taught about all the pedals, and the different gears and when to use them”.