When I was at school, it was on a large campuss and at the age of 16 there were a selected few that were able to take lessons from proffessional driving schools, but only within the school grounds and after school hours. This is one of a few early ways of being able to drive before the age of 17.
I was one of those lucky few, and one week after my 17th birthday I took my test, passed first time, and haven't looked back since.
Underage drivers are a menace, and their youth and fearlessness makes them think they're invincible - life prooves otherwise.
The only way the kids of today are going to learn this fact is by getting there the hard way and badly injuring themselve - and hopefully no innocent bystanders!