Forget being taught to drive by mum or dad – these days children and teens would rather a professional instructor or Formula 1 racing driver showed them the ropes.

Research*, by driving school BSM, showed Mum was less popular for giving lessons than Dad with just 6% saying she would be their dream driving instructor, compared to nearly one in ten (9%) for Dad. Girls were twice as likely as boys to want their Mum to teach them (8% compared to 4%).

Motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson (12%) and James Bond (10%) were more popular choices than either parent.

Overall, one in five (21%) of 11-to-19-year-olds surveyed picked a professional driving instructor, with girls (25%) far more likely than boys (16%) to chose this option.

Unsurprisingly, while 20% chose Formula One ace Jenson Button overall, boys (24%) were much more likely than girls (17%) to do so.

The North East was the only region where youngsters were more likely to cite their mum (7%) as their dream instructor compared to their dad (5%).

Young people in Scotland were most likely to choose a professional driving instructor (26%) as their dream instructor. The least likely to choose a professional were those in Wales (12%).

Mark Peacock, head of BSM, said: “The ideal situation for a learner is to have professional lessons backed-up with private practice, usually with a parent. Mums seem to have got a bit of a rough ride in our survey but there’s nothing to suggest either parent is better at helping with driving practice. When it comes to learning to drive most learners are grateful for any extra help they can get.

“The differences between the genders are interesting and show how attitudes to driving can already start to be formed from a very early age.

“Learning to drive has changed a lot over the years so if parents, or other relatives and friends, are giving some top-up tuition it’s worthwhile having a chat with their child’s driving instructor to make sure they are being consistent.

“A few minutes beforehand making sure you are all on the same page can help avoid a stressful experience – and make you less likely to be stamping on an imaginary brake.”

On average learner drivers need around 47 hours of professional tuition and 22 hours of private practice in order to pass their driving test.

To supervise a learner driver legally you must:

• be over 21
• be qualified to drive the type of vehicle you want to learn in, eg they must have a manual car licence if they’re supervising you in a manual car
• have had their driving licence for 3 years