Young Driver introduces 360° video app to help pass test
A new Young Driver App will, it’s hoped, help take learners from their first lesson to driving test by providing repeatable, cost-effective lesson practice via 360° videos.
Filmed by Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs), these videos can be viewed remotely from home alongside theory test information, practice modules and hazard perception videos.
Viewable on phones or VR headsets, the 360° view can be rotated to see manoeuvres from every angle. Written and narrated by Quentin Willson, the initial series of 12 videos take teens through learning to drive step-by-step as they would in real-life lessons. It covers everything from tackling junctions and roundabouts to perfecting manoeuvres such as parking or reversing.
Lockdowns have meant that 1.4 million teenagers have potentially had their driving tuition put on hold with the number of driving tests falling by 790,000 (64 per cent) in the nine months from April to December 2020 compared to the year before. No driving lessons, tests or even practising with a family member have been allowed in lockdown and driving instructors warn of long waits for lessons.
Says Young Driver’s head of marketing, Sue Waterfield:
“There are lots of learn-to-drive apps that focus on the theory test, but the 360° in cockpit view helps animate remote learning because it’s so immersive.
“Young Driver knows from the hundreds of instructors they work with that waiting list for learners in 2021 will be considerable and the number of available instructors in Britain had already dropped 17 per cent in the last 10 years. While nothing replaces practical lessons, the app will help teens keep practising even if they can’t physically get out in a car.”
Adds Quentin Willson, who wrote and narrated the content for the 360° videos:
“This is game-changing with ADIs driving cars on real-life roads so learners can practice and repeat lessons remotely at home. This will be an invaluable resource for learners to become more familiar with road situations through constant repetition at home.”
The Young Driver App can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. For more information go to www.youngdriver.com
