The Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy is offering 30-minutes sessions for £45 which lets aspiring young motorists get behind the wheel of a Merc and complete a series of car challenges to win prizes. Applicants don’t need a full or provisional licence or even any previous driving experience – they just need be 16-plus and over 1.5m tall.

To launch this new initiative, the academy is offering prizes including a full course of driving lessons, the chance to test drive new cars, be invited to exclusive events and experience hospitality including the British Grand Prix.

Once they’re behind the wheel, participants will practice their driving skills in five challenges while a coach will be on hand to develop their driving accuracy, precision, judgement, concentration and of course, steering – at two venues, Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey and Mercedes-Benz Driving Experience Centre at Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire.

Mercedes said the academy was set up to “revolutionise the way young people learn to drive in the UK and create a new generation of safe and responsible drivers”. This draws on Swedish research where the impact of an initiative to start learning to drive earlier has reduced accident rates during the first year of driving by 40% among drivers who started behind the wheel at 16 years old.

Britain’s Best Young Driver sessions are £45 for 30 minutes or £80 for 60 minutes and you can enter until 4^th November 2012 atwww.mbdrivingacademy.com.