Will kids beat parents behind the wheel? (From Surrey Comet)

Will kids beat parents behind the wheel?

12:11pm Wednesday 6th August 2008

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When I heard about the new Beat the Parent Driving Challenge at Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge, I jumped at the chance to have a go.

Strictly speaking it is for children on their summer holidays, and any child over 1.5metres can compete.

But, with the driving skills of a child, I thought I was an ideal candidate.

My father is a trained police driver, so apart from the comedy value of me competing against him with my primitive skills, I thought it was a win-win situation.

If I lost, I could put it down to his experience and if I won, the triumph would be tenfold.

Click play to watch the test

The instructors at Mercedes were very patient as I maneouvred myself around the track at the speed of a tortoise, and managed to tolerate my torturous screams as they “treated” me to a go on the skid-pan.

As part of the challenge, the child has 20 minutes behind the wheel with an instructor who has dual control and drives around the track taking part in several tests.

The parent then has 10 minutes to see if age and experience can beat youthful reactions.

I reverse parked into a bay for the first time in my three years on the road and failed miserably, as another child on the track whizzed past me with a menacing smile.

An emergency stop, slalom obstacle and makeshift roundabout were also part of the challenge, while the instructor marked my observation skills and safety awareness throughout the session.

To my amazement, perhaps down to my bribery, I won and as the results were announced I couldn’t resist rubbing my shiny, silver certificate in my dear father’s face.

It is a great way to spend the holidays and although my dad was reluctantly dragged along, he admitted how much fun it was, despite him losing to the amateur on the day.

“It was a fix. An absolute farce,” he said. “I went round that track perfectly and you know it. He let you win.”

As I did my victory dance on the way home, the overwhelming conclusion of the day had to be that the Robertson clan are as bad at losing as they are at winning.

And perhaps your family would like to find out if the same is true of them.

To book a driving experience or for more information, call Mercedes-Benz World on 0870 4004000. Visit our website yourlocalguardian.co.uk for footage of the day.

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