TEACHING your child to drive is an experience every parent dreads.

Aug 18 2008 Chris Russon

It’s a flashpoint for arguments and quarrels, not to mention being potentially dangerous or expensive.

Your child thinks it’s easy and you consider yourself to be the best then suddenly you discover the only thing you have to keep control of the family car is your voice.

To prove the point, and demonstrate the pitfalls, Mercedes has devised the Family Driving Challenge.

It’s being staged at Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands in Surrey and is open to any family providing the children are taller than 4ft 11ins.

I’ve just taken the challenge with my 15-year-old daughter Eleanor and the results are illuminating.

Mercedes-Benz World is on the former Brooklands motor racing circuit and has purpose-built handling tracks for a variety of driving activities in Mercedes’ cars.

The one used for the family challenge is about half a mile long with plenty of bends, space for reversing and the odd junction.

We are paired with driving instructor Legh Langston in a dual control Mercedes A-Class with automatic transmission to avoid the need for clutch control.

Eleanor goes first and after just 20 minutes under Legh’s expert tuition she has mastered steering, emerging from a junction, carried out an emergency stop and completed a reverse into a parking bay – well almost.

My stint lasts only a couple of laps and involves the same exercises with Legh observing my driving style.

The result is a tie with Eleanor fluffing the reverse and I’m marked down for an inadequate check of my nearside rear blindspot after the emergency stop.

The real point of the exercise is it proves even experienced drivers make mistakes and we have both learnt learned the value of professional instruction.

I would never have been able to pass on those skills to Eleanor in such a short space of time and she felt more at home with an expert.

As Legh explained: “It’s not only about having a great day out but it also defuses some potential problems about learning to drive.

“The youngsters get an idea of driving properly and how to control the car rather than it controlling you. The adults on the other hand may have developed some bad habits since their test and we can point those out.”

To coincide with the challenge Mercedes has carried out research into the experiences of learner drivers who have been taught by family or friends.

It reveals 20 per cent had an argument during a lesson, 13 per cent had screamed or shouted at each other and seven per cent said that the tension became so overheated they were made to stop the car and get out.

Worse still, 19 per cent said they were involved in a crash of some description in their first year of driving.

Peter O’Halloran, managing director of Mercedes-Benz World, said: “Parents aren’t always best equipped for teaching children to drive. Experienced driving instructors offer expert tips and advice to make sure learners perform to the best of their ability when the get behind the wheel.”

The Family Driving Challenge is running at Brooklands every day until September 7 and costs £35 for the half hour session which also includes access to Mercedes-Benz World with its interactive displays and exhibits.