Frequently Asked Questions
Can my child join straight away or for Birthday/Christmas?
We currently have vacancies for the 2012 season. To apply to join the
Club, request an application form here.
There is a Waiting List and a process we follow to try and
ensure fairness. Existing Members are offered the opportunity to
renew their membership for the next year (unless they are already 17
or will be by 1st March - i.e. prior to the start of the new season)
and younger brothers and sisters may also join, if eligible.
Those on the Waiting List who are eligible to become Members (i.e.
at least 11 years old and under 15) are generally invited to attend
a Club Meeting towards the end of the season to observe the Club in
action. This is usually some time during the Autumn and, depending
on numbers, they will often have the opportunity to join the Club at
that time for participation in the following season's activities.
The remaining places are then offered to applicants who have already
expressed an interest in joining and this is on a “first come, first
served” basis until the maximum number of Members is reached. We
maintain a Waiting List of those who are keen to join. Only by
returning the Application Form, which can be posted/emailed to you
on request, will your name be added to the Waiting List.
If your 15th Birthday was before 31st December 2011, then unfortunately
you are now too old to join the Club. We pride ourselves on being able
to nurture young people into good drivers, and this takes time!
Where do we drive?
We currently use a number of different venues located largely
throughout the Midlands and South of England, including:
Wiltshire, Warwickshire, Essex, Devon, Dorset and Berkshire
Not all these venues are open to Members when you first join as some
present a greater challenge, but by the time you have reached Grade 3
all venues will be open to you.
For more information on venues visit the Venues pages.
Do you have any more Northerly venues?
Currently, our Northern-most venue is in Warwickshire.
We are always on the lookout for new places to
drive, so if you know of anywhere suitable, please get in touch with
us (email the webmaster).
The Club holds meetings only at those venues listed, although these
inevitably vary from year to year.
When are meetings held?
Meetings are held on most weekends during the season, which
runs from February to November each year. We generally meet on Sundays.
The club does not operate at all of the venues each weekend but
rotates between them, and it does not neccesarily visit each venue an equal
number of times.
While some venues may appear to be a long way away, most are within
a two hour drive from home and we do have members who regularly make
the trip to Wiltshire and Berkshire from as far away as Lancashire
and Yorkshire.
How often can we attend meetings?
You can go to as many or as few meetings as you like, subject
only to the Grade restrictions. There is no additional charge.
It should be emphasised that frequent attendance at a number of
different venues leads to the most rapid progress and opens up a
wider range of venues and other driving opportunities (e.g. rally
cars/trucks/4x4).
What do we drive?
Members may drive their parents' own family car (4 seater), but,
please note, no automatic cars, 2+2's, or vans are allowed. The vehicle
used must also have a centrally located manual handbrake.
This is an own risk Club.
We all bring our own cars and families entirely at our own risk.
Who teaches my Member to drive?
YOU, the parent/Asociate, are the Instructor using your own
family car.
At regular intervals, the Member will be assessed by a Club
Instructor to ensure that progress is being made along the right
lines, to help with specific difficulties or to resolve disagreement
on driving technique!
Club Instructors are generally drawn from the ranks of the parents
of Members past and present who have, in most cases, guided their
own Members to Grade 1 and beyond. You may encounter professional
driving instructors among their ranks and it is not unknown for
Associates to change career paths as a result of their experiences
with the Club!
You may well find that your own driving improves as a result of your
child's experiences within the Club. A considerable number of
parents do go on to take the advanced driving tests offered by the
Institute of Advanced Motorists and RoSPA.
What are the age restrictions on joining the Club?
The upper age limit for entry to the Club is the year in which you are 15, and the lower
age limit for entry to the Club is 11.
Children who are not yet 11 can be added to the Waiting List and
will be invited to join at the appropriate time, space permitting.
Individuals who join at the earliest opportunity will gain the most benefit
from the Club.
Any suggestions for those who have passed the upper age limit?
A search on Google using the words under+17+driving (no quotation marks) currently reveals a number of companies who will provide training for drivers under 17 (usually at a much higher cost than the Under 17 Car Club).
Why are there strict age limits at which Members will be admitted?
The reason for these restrictions is for the benefit of both
the child and the Club. The Club exists "to enable under age
drivers to practise and improve their driving skills legally and
safely, in a variety of different vehicles, under properly
supervised conditions, and to take an active interest in cars and
motor sport and ultimately to produce safer young drivers on our
roads at age 17 and beyond".
Please note the emphasis : - the Club is intended for young people
who really care about cars and motor sport. It is not for teenagers
approaching the driving test who are anxious to obtain some early
practice.
A Member joining the Club aged around 13/14 might expect to take
about three years to advance from Ungraded at entry to Grade 1
assuming they attend a wide variety of venues on a regular basis.
Comparatively few Members ever reach the standard required to attain
Grade X. (Approximately 60 since our inception in 1976) This
means that young people joining after the age of fifteen would not be
able to take advantage of the special driving events, which are
often subsidised, as participation is based upon skill and
experience, not upon size or age.
In addition because the Club is run entirely by unpaid, volunteer
Associates, it needs a constant stream of "new blood" to take the
Club forward. This tends to be from the Associates of Members who
have reached Grade 1 or 2 and have a couple of years left in the
Club i.e. are aged 14-15. If we admitted large numbers of 16 year
olds, they would only be in the Club for one season or two at the
most and there would very soon be no-one to take over and in all
likelihood the Club would soon cease to exist.
Do you know of any similar clubs operating elsewhere?
So far as we know, the Club is unique within the UK and we are not aware of anything quite like it anywhere else in the world.
What about insurance?
This is an own risk Club. We all bring our own cars and families entirely at our own risk.
How much will it cost?
The Club is a non-profit making organisation but needs funds to meet
expenses, principally for the hire of venues. The fees for the 2011 season
have been set at £295 for one child or £475 for two or more.
There is an additional one time only joining fee per family of £50.
All normal driving venues are free of
charge for Members.
This sum covers the cost of attending any or all of the season's
meetings. There are some extra-curricular events which do attract
extra cost but whether or not you participate in these is at your discretion.
Contact Us
For more information, please contact our Membership Secretary via email.
If you have a more general query, please contact the Webmaster.