LOCKDOWN has meant that 1.4 million teenagers have potentially had their driving tuition put on holdwith the number of driving tests falling by 790,000 or 64 per cent in the nine months from April to December 2020 compared to the year before.

No driving lessons, tests or even practicing with a family member have been allowed in lockdown and driving instructors warn of long waits for lessons.

A new Young Driver App will, for the first time, help take learners from first lesson to driving test by providing repeatable, cost-effective lesson practice via 360 degreoo videos filmed with Approved Driving Instructors which can be viewed remotely from home.

This is alongside theory test information, practice modules and hazard perception videos - everything needed to complement in car tuition.

Viewable on phones or VR headsets, the view can be rotated to see manoeuvres from every angle.

Written and narrated by driver's champion, Quentin Willson, the initial series of 12 videos take teens through learning to drive step-by-step as they would in real-life lessons. It covers everything from tackling junctions and roundabouts to perfecting manoeuvres such as parking or reversing.

Launched by Young Driver, the UK's largest pre-17 driving school, head of marketing, Sue Waterfield, said: "There are lots of learn-to-drive apps that focus on the theory test, but the 360 degree in cockpit view helps animate remote learning because it's so immersive.

"Young Driver knows from the hundreds of instructors they work with that waiting list for learners in 2021 will be considerable and the number of available instructors in Britain had already dropped 17 per cent in the last 10 years While nothing replaces practical lessons, the app will help teens keep practicing even if they can't physically get out in a car."

Quentin Willson, who wrote and narrated the content for the videos, added: "This is game-changing with ADIs driving cars on real-life roads so learners can practice and repeat lessons remotely at home. This will be an invaluable resource for learners to become more familiar with road situations through constant repetition at home."

The Young Driver App can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.