The Under 17 Car Club is a club helping to make future road users safer.

Paul Silverwood, chairman of the trustees who run the club said: “The aim is to produce young drivers who are really good before they get on a public road, and that way reduce the number who are killed or injured.”

The charity has been running 40 years and teaches drivers as young as age 11 how to drive responsibly.

“We take anyone as long as they can reach pedals and see over the steering wheel,” said Paul.

“They usually stay with us until 18 years old and we take them through to the advanced driving test if they want,” he added.

The club makes use of the the former RAF base at Lyneham and the runway there.

Sessions involve parents teaching their children how to drive assisted by a volunteer instructor who guides both in the best practices.

The club currently has 250 members, though not all of them turn up to each session which are held regularly throughout February to November.

Alongside teaching members to drive, they also get the chance to try driving a whole range of different vehicles including articulated buses, heavy good vehicles, articulated lorries, and four wheel drives.

Paul said: “It gives them a very good appreciation of the limited visibility these vehicles have.

“And they get a much better idea of what other vehicles have to manage when using the road.”

The club also hosts rally driving days and the opportunity to try stunt driving, as well as night driving sessions and motorway driving on the air field’s runway.

Paul added: “This isn’t just about teaching people to drive, half of what we do is attitude.

“We help drivers learn what to do in certain situations. How to handle peer pressure or if they find themselves in a car and the driver is behaving badly.

“The number of young people dying on the roads is disproportionately high due to their lack of experience,” he said.

Paul added: “We’re teaching young people a life skill. It’s not about passing the test, it’s about being safe for life.”