Young Driver puts carbon in reverse with green driving lessons

A national driving programme for under-17s has become the first driving school to offer carbon negative driving lessons in the UK.

Young Driver, which teaches 10-17 year olds how to drive at 70 venues across the country, is offsetting any carbon produced by the electricity and heating fuel it uses at its venues and head office, and is supporting the annual planting of 1,500 broadleaf trees in the Heart of England Forest. In addition, Young Driver has planted a further 500 oak trees and a wildflower meadow for bees and wildlife at its nine-acre Warwickshire HQ.

The company is also working hard to reduce its carbon footprint by working more efficiently and reducing journeys where possible, and will shortly move to electric cars for lessons to reduce the almost 200,000 litres of fuel used in Young Driver vehicles last year.

Sue Waterfield, head of marketing at Young Driver, said: “Young people today are rightly very environmentally conscious and it’s important that we all do what we can to protect the planet.

“We try to be as environmentally aware as possible both at our offices and at our driving events, and we hope to add electric vehicles to our offering in the near future. Our instructors also educate youngsters on how to drive in the most environmentally conscious way, such as avoiding heavy braking and anticipating the road ahead, so it can become second nature to them before they even pass their test.”

Part of the land at the company's HQ is used as a donkey and wildlife sanctuary.