Young people should learn to drive 'as soon as possible' to make them safer on the road
The Young Driver scheme teaches children as young as 9 the rules of the road
There are calls for children in the East Midlands as young as nine to start learning to drive, to make them safer drivers.
It comes as more than half of those aged 18 to 24 have been in a crash with a young driver, or know someone who has.
The stats...
Brake, the road safety charity, says 35% of people have been in a crash involving a young driver, or know someone who has.
Their Young Driver Safety report spoke to 3,000 UK adults.
It also found 54% of 18- to 24-year-olds have been in a crash involving a young driver, or know someone who has.
'Children as young as 9...'
While Brake are calling for a stricter drivers licence for new drivers, other campaigners told us the issue is a lack of experience.
Simon Hucknall works for the 'Young Driver' experience in Nottingham and Derby. They get children as young as nine behind the wheel of a car, to teach them the rules of the road.
He told us this scheme is proven to bring down accidents: "Just over 24% of young people have an accident in their car within the first 6 months of passing. That number comes down to 4% for young people who have been on the Young Driver programme," he said.
Simon told us: "Learning to drive before you are 17 is crucial. Similar to learning a language, you are better at absorbing the information when you learn at 11 or 12.
"The venues we use are controlled, but they still let young people drive up to around 40mph. We lay out cones and put up give-way signs to give them the experience of driving in an urban area.
"I live in South Leicestershire where there is not even a bus service. Often young people are forced to learn to drive to give themselves independence," he said.