Pathfinder Under 17 Driving

Fantastic experience: An excellent course for the young to set them up on the straight and narrow going forward into life. All staff were very warm and super people. Lived up to its charitable status.

Fantastic experience: Completed the young driver course at Rufforth last week and have to say what an outstanding experience it was for both my 16yr old daughter and myself. The perfect balance of serious lessons and awareness, with fun and wonderful driving tuition. My daughter, having never sat in a driver's seat can now safely and competently drive, maneuver, park etc and is very excited to turn 17 to keep up the practice. Many thanks to all for the fabulous teaching, organisation and even bringing the good weather for our week!

Fantastic experience: Everyone should do this ! Excellent week with my son learning to drive at a Pathfinder course. Outstanding skill & confidence builder with an exhilarating last day - my 15 yr old weent from complete beginner to capable, confident and responsible driver in 5 days. The experience is invaluable, providing a safe yet challenging environment within which teenagers (and their parents) can learn to drive, adopt best practice on the road and receive top instruction sessions. Thank you to John and his team. You are the BEST!

Fantastic experience: Amazing week - all under 17's should do this.

Fantastic experience: My 16, soon to be 17 year old son and I have just completed the 5 day Pathfinder U17 driving programme. I cannot recommend it enough. He has gone from never driving anything before to reverse parking, parallel parking, driving a large Mercedes with a trailer attached and actually hitting 65mph in a police car with lights and sirens going and the policeman in the passenger seat. All in a week. The emphasis on safety and involvement from the emergency services was invaluable. All of the staff were patient, understanding and incredibly knowledgable. Even with 30+ years of driving experience I learned an awful lot. This is a must do for any young would be driver. A week very well spent.

Fantastic experience: My student, who is of a very nervous disposition, said on the way home ,"That was a very valuable experience ,seeing the thinking/stopping distances that were demonstrated was terrifying also sitting in 32 tonner lorry and seeing the blind spots for yourself, really made you think .The brake and avoid test were fun, especially as my associate didn't do as well as I did . " The organisation that goes into making these courses run so smoothly must be tremendous . Thank you, everyone.

Fantastic experience: Before attending this course I had a lot of worry about starting my driving lessons, but I can now say that that has very much changed. The volunteers that do this are amazing, being able to have experienced drivers passing down useful information that they have learnt over the years makes me very grateful. I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking for some confidence before being able to start lessons. I’m very thankful to have been part of the first lot of people to take part in this course, at the Leicestershire location.

Fantastic experience: What a fabulous week my 16 year old daughter and I had with Pathfinder. Exceptionally well organised with thorough safety guidelines for structured young adult learning delivered by a great team of patient, kind and fun instructors. I could not have imagined what she was able to achieve in both skill and experiences! Thank you Pathfinder… we will be back with her brother next year!!

Fantastic experience: I have just finished attending the Pathfinder U17 Course at Prestwold with my 15 year old. I would never have thought at the beginning of Day 1 that by th end of Day 5 he would be driving safely round a course with other traffic (including in a van) , or be able to parallel park competently. I’ve also learned a huge amount. I’m blown away by how much he’s achieved but even more so by realising that the whole thing is run by volunteer instructors and marshals, giving up their own time to help other peoples’ children drive more safely. And to my amazement they also looked like they were enjoying themselves. I won’t say the course has been easy for either of us, but I would 100% recommend and we both were definitely enjoying ourselves by Day 5. The course is also unbelievable value for money.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic course, (if you can spare 5 days). We only did the first 3 days and even from that my 16 year old daughter went from no driving experience to being able to comfortably drive around the track. We hope to go back and do the final 2 in February but would recommend to everyone. We will have saved a bunch in driving lessons when she turns 17 in a few months and I will be much more confident taking her out on the road with L plates.

Fantastic experience: Wow, this course was so good, every young person should do this before they drive. It was very interesting and interactive for both student and adult. It covered so many practical experiences and very interactive along with hours of driving experience. I feel very confident my daughter will be able to pass shortly after she turns 17. The instructors were all very knowledgeable and friendly. This course is such good value and would highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: Having just attended the course with my 15 yr old grandson Harry, I came away from the course with a great sense of pride at what he had achieved over the 5 days. From the look of trepidation on his face on day 1, having never driven before, to the beaming smile on day 5 on completion of the course having achieved his level 1 award was a delight and this is down to Ian and his fantastic team of volunteers. They were so patient with the students, understanding each ones needs when passing on there knowledge and driving experience. The way they treat all the students as adults from day 1 was great. I would highly recommend to anyone who is thinking of taking part in the course to get it booked. You will not be disappointed. In the words of Harry as we drove away from the event on the last day "That was fantastic grandad I learned so much more than I thought I would at the start of the course"

Fantastic experience: We have just been on this amazing 5 day course.  Our 16 year old son had not driven a car before.  Over the 5 days they learn to drive under parents instruction in the parents car.  There is a highly organised programme with training and assessment at level 3, progressing through level 2 up to level 1.  Highly experienced instructors periodically sit in to give instruction and assessment.  A wide range of activities to keep everyone engaged.  We had visits from the police speed camera van, road safety team and a DHL HGV.  Chance to drive a very fast unmarked BMW police car, van, automatic 4x4, mobility scooter and tow a trailer. The team of marshals and instructors were extremely professional, helpful and patient.  The brake and avoid session was an excellent opportunity to put your new skills to the test.  The virtual reality video experience was a very realistic senario (particularly aimed at young people) to demonstrate how easily a car driving along a country road can end in catastrophe.  There was flexibility in the programme when required to allow for all abilities and pace of learning.  The balance of classroom (marquee) learning and driving was just right. Young drivers and Associates (parents) have learnt a tremendous amount during the week and are definitely now going to be safer drivers and it was great fun.  Huge thanks to all the team (and the Rotary club who kept us supplied with hot drinks and biscuits!).  Wish we'd known about this a few years ago so our three older daughters could have done it.  Thank you, very grateful to have had this opportunity!

Fantastic experience: Considering my 15 year old son had never sat behind the wheel of a car before, in just 5 days (5 DAYS!) He has learnt to drive SAFELY. I'm beyond proud. During the course, he also got to drive a long wheel base van, a car pulling a trailer, and an automatic unmarked police car at high speed. Thank you to Ian and all the instructors for your patience and time. If anyone is considering signing your kids up for this, just do it! We highly recommend it.

Fantastic experience: We have just attended a 5 day training course at Rufforth. It was AMAZING! Every child that intends to drive should do this course. It represents not only incredible value for money but learning they wouldn’t get elsewhere in an incredibly safe environment. To mention just a few of the opportunities offered on top of learning to drive: sitting in a 44 tonne articulated lorry to understand what the driver can and cannot see (which is a lot!) driving an unmarked police car, driving a car and trailer, vehicle safety etc etc. a final shout out to the organising team and all the instructors for their enthusiasm and patience!

Fantastic experience: What a fantastic course lead by amazing people. My son(and myself) has learnt so much on this 5 day course. I would highly recommend to anyone under 17 years of age. Thank you for a great week

Positive experience: Felt like there were to many attendees and to few instructors. the road surface at Tockwith was terrible this needs looking at as a matter of urgency. all instructors were very helpful and approachable. the lunch time sessions were informative for young drivers and the associates.

Fantastic experience: A great first driving course for 15-17, lots of variation and practice driving, I was surprised how much time the students spent behind the wheel. The instructors were patient and helpful and gave some interesting presentations each day. Definitely worth the money

Fantastic experience: Can’t recommend this course enough, it should be mandatory for all soon to be young drivers! All three of our children have now completed this course, brilliant balance of practical, theory and the all important responsibility of being behind the wheel. Huge thank you to all those involved in putting these courses together and the organisations that support these events.

Fantastic experience: The staff were friendly and supportive, the experience itself was well worth the money and my confidence in vehicles is soaring thank you so much pathfinders :)

Fantastic experience: My daughter and I have had a fantastic experience. Ian, Gail, Steve and their fantastic team are so committed and helpful. If the experience and training they give was compulsory our children would be so much safer.

Fantastic experience: A fantastic and safe way for your teenager to learn to drive. The progress they make in only four days is amazing. Definately recommend as all the volunteers running the course are lovely.

Fantastic experience: Terrific worthwhile driving & safety experience. Administrators, driving instructors & other contributers all very professional & knowledgeable but also kind patient & thoughtful about how to make the course appropriate & enjoyable for the learners. Thoroughly recommended.

Fantastic experience: My daughter has just completed this course. Highly recommend. She went from never having driven a car to reverse parking in the car park next to other cars in 4 days. Really professional and a fantastic start to learning to drive safely.

Fantastic experience: Really worthwhile and excellent course for under 17 year olds interested in getting a good preparation for driving. Over 4 days, driving on an old airstrip from 9.30 to 3 or 4pm, with briefing and classroom educational sessions at 9am and 12.30pm for 30-60mins, including sessions by Safer Roads Humber, the police, DHL road safety partnership, and sessions such as causes of collisions, consequences, assertiveness, together with practical sessions such as brake and avoid. The main areas had road layouts to enable driving training for the absolute beginner including straight areas, roundabouts, an alpine road layout, and technical areas such as chicanes (forward and back), right and left parallel parking areas, right and left hand reverse turns, 3 point turns. 5 experienced and qualified instructors (in addition to marshals) with value-added, daily one-to-one sessions (approx 20-30mins each, daily - so not loads) and assessments, enabled amazing progress for my 16 year old in 4 days. However it does require the involvement of an engaged adult and the use of their (ideally manual transmission) car. There were also visits from the Police speed camera team and their van, DHL and a huge truck and a research team from UCL with their driving simulator to monitor hazard perception using state of the art vision tracking hardware. Even better the course fee is subsidised by the police in this area! At the end of the 4 day course my son could confidently drive my manual car to 40mph, changing up and down gears smoothly including block gear changes, easily parallel park the car right and left, reverse round a corner, do a 3 point turn, drive forward and reverse through chicanes, and drive down an alpine extremely curvey type road layout at some speed in 2nd gear, and reverse park the car numerous times in the car park alongside other cars from day 1. Now we have to continue this in a real world environment, do formal driving lessons, pass his test and drive safely! There were 21 participants (course full), 60/40 girls to boys, mostly 17 but one or 2 younger, and 6 automatic cars (rest manual). 3 levels of driving standard, all achieved level 3, most also achieved level 2, but only 2 of 21 achieved level 1 on this course. Also there is a daily theory test with increasing difficulty which has to be done to get the certificates. Run by well qualified and enthusiastic volunteers. Excellent. Recommended. Oh and the instructors also did a live braking distance demonstration of light, medium and heavy cars at 30, 50 and 70mph for stopping distances (see video).

Fantastic experience: Excellent course for U17's to get them so much more prepared for the road. Cons - as the parent/adult you have to commit to 4 days in the car with no phone or email access beyond brief breaks. It is also a bit repetitive at times practicing on a fairly limited track. However the pros far outweigh these and you will definitely come out happy you did it.

Fantastic experience: An amazing 4 days. A great mix of opportunities to develop skills and learn about road safety/awareness without the pressure of other road users. In 4 days we went from a teenager who had never pressed a clutch pedal to one who can parallel park, negotiate slaloms (including in reverse), had a go at towing and reversing a trailer and smoothly drive a road layout. Great fun and a learning opportunity for the license holder too. The instructors were friendly, knowledgeable and always there to help. I would highly recommend this for any pre-driving teenager.

Fantastic experience: Amazing experience. Best thing we've done all year. We were safely taken through the learning to drive process without stress or argument! Really recommend it.

Fantastic experience: this was an excellent course, run professionally but friendly by an excellent team. My son has a solid grounding in road safety and essential skills for driving a car.

Fantastic experience: Thanks to all at Pathfinder, it was an intensive 4 days but very enjoyable and my son (and I) learned so much. It’s amazing how much the kids can come on in such a short time.

Fantastic experience: Well organised, well paced, engaging and varied. My lad achieved well in his own time and was really pleased with the results