To wonder why people 'don't drive'

[ZX81user]

..medical conditions aside.It is such a useful life skill.
I think it is part of a parent's responsibility to get their teen througj their test.

I think it's more important for women to learn to drive. Mostly cos you can then pack up all your shit in the car plus the kids and fuck off if you need to.

My mum doesnt drive could never afford it. I only recently started drivng at 29 although had my licence at 27. Was a huge expense i couldnt justify

I don't drive, never wanted to really. I'd never ever live anywhere without really good public transport - it's 24/7 where I live. When I'm on holiday we go on coach trips to places we want to see. Certainly won't ever be ferrying DS around anywhere - my parents never did with me even though they could drive. I made my own way everywhere.

I never ask for lifts. There's a brilliant bus route here that takes me everywhere I need to go for a £20 weekly ticket, probably a lot cheaper than running a car. If we go further afield we get the train or taxi if it's somewhere out the way of my bus route. I have honestly never felt hindered by not driving.

Actually, last time we rented a cottage in Scotland in a place that quite out of the way of everywhere, my favourite bit was discovering the forested "short cut" to the nearest village, which I doubt we'd ever used if we'd had a car. It really wasn't the most practical way to go to places or carry groceries back to the cottage, but it meandered in between woods and the sea front, and was absolutely gorgeous.

Not really a point in each way, just a happy memory. :)

I mean how do you manage when you go on holiday? Don't you want to hire a car to get bthere/explore?

No - we get train to airport (25 mins) and then fly. Get taxi or train to hotel, then use public transport or walking to get around.

Most of our holidays are city/cultural breaks. The last thing I want to do when I am on holiday is get in a bloody car and have to drive. Aside from anything else it interferes with my holiday drinking regime

I actually see this as a feminist issue.

Far more women than men don't drive and it frequently comes up on MN as though it's some sort of terrible shame and proof women are a bit pathetic. They should just just suck up their anxiety or concern over their driving skills.

ACTUALLY though, being on the roads for any length of time will show you that there are way too many drivers men who shouldn't be there.

It's their over confidence or perhaps fear of looking pathetic that keeps them on the road despite being shit at driving and having no coordination.

Living in a big city like London for example ppl don’t really need to

I can understand not OWNING a car if you live somewhere like London, but not having a licence- not so much.

My parents couldn't afford to pay for driving lessons and I preferred to spend my money on other things as an adult.

My DH grew up in the sticks so learnt to drive as a teenager. He drives if we go on holiday, but hates it so mostly we just get by on public transport.

This is clearly a thread just started to be goady, because I can't imagine anyone could be quite so thick as to understand there are a myriad of reasons why people don't drive.

Ooh nothing more relaxing than driving around in a foreign country where you don't know the laws/can't read the signs and the driving rules! Oh and you can't have a glass of wine!

SO much fun, just like before you got your licence!

Exciting.

because my mum couldn't afford it when I was a teen.
because I have never been able to afford it for myself.
because I cannot afford lessons for my teenage daughter either and because my EX-H has not offered to pay for lessons for her to learn, even though he can afford it.
Yes it's a useful skill - IF you can afford it.

Mostly cos you can then pack up all your shit in the car plus the kids and fuck off if you need to.

I can do that in a taxi if I need to.

I was in a car crash when I was a child and even though I was forced to take my test I never wanted to and have never driven since, too scared to. Anyway I live in Manchester now I just get the tram everywhere. Besides with driverless cars on the horizon driving/car ownership will probably be redundant in a couple of decades

I can do that in a taxi if I need to. The time I did this it was 4hr journey back home to mother. I would not have had the money to use a taxi.

It baffles me why there are so many excuse for not capable to drive. I have never met a non driving adult in New Zealand. I learned at 15 and I took a lift with another girl who drove me to school. I didn’t have a car until university. It is definitely possible for everyone to learn to drive. (There must be some people with disabilities who can’t drive in NZ but I have never met one). You can say you don’t drive because there is no need as public transport is good. But too difficult, can’t learn, being crap at it just sound stupid.

I got a license when I was a teen like most people at the time. I drove when o went to Uni out of London and while I lived out of London. Once back in central London, having a car was more of a pain than not having one. Parking was a nightmare. I eventually got rid of it as we never used it. We have been without a car now for about 12 years and I “don’t drive”. I am out of practise and just don’t need to. I actually have a driveway now but it is empty. We live 1 minute walk from a tube station, and public transport in London is excellent. I have teens- they do not need or want to learn to drive. They travel all over London (and out of London) on public transport and are totally independent. Very very rarely, we need to get somewhere less accessible and use a taxi. I do not ask anyone for lifts - most people we know don’t have cars anyway!

I’ve only recently passed my test in my 30s. When I was younger I could get everywhere I wanted to on the bus, and didn’t have any spare money for driving lessons.

I’m not very coordinated and once I started lessons it took me five years to get to a reasonable standard and pass. It cost me thousands of pounds.

I hate driving. I only do it because I can’t manage working and the nursery run without it. I’m constantly anxious, I think cars are so dangerous. Everyone says driving gives you so much freedom, but I used to travel all over the country for trips with my children on public transport but now we stay close to home because I can’t face driving and parking.

I wish less people drove so there would be better public transport links.

not needed in many areas. My daughter doesn't drive. She gets around everyone on bus and by foot and the odd cab. Good cycle paths here too. Unless you have far to drive then difficult to justify it environmentally- though I know when you have kids you may need to ferry them around from event to event- no problem with that!

By the way when I was growing up plenty don’t take lessons. You learn from your parents. It could be also if you learn young you learn fast. I took only 10 hours and my brother less. DH was from the country and he said people learn before 15 on tractors. I’m from Auckland so no farm roads. But many learn with parents.

Auto filled. It’s just as well most of us don’t give a flying fuck what you think

AutoFilled since I live in the UK what happens in NZ is hardly relevant is it? but each to their own and as you do not know people's history it is perhaps a tad rude/ignorant to pass comment unless you know all the facts.

And by the way I have family in NZ and they do not drive due to health reasons so there you are - I don't even live there but can find fault in your assertions

everywhere ! parking here is a nightmare, driving gridlocked. I gave my car up over a decade ago and never regretted it. And i used to love driving (but not in heavy traffic!). Days out are a bit harder but you can't have it all. Saved tons of money too and kept fit.

We'll definitely be putting ours through lessons and getting them a car as it is important, but that is to us - we live in a rural area. If you lived in town then a car might be more of a hindrance than a help.

Why don’t I drive? Because I’m terrified of driving and I’m very bad at it. The roads are a safer place without me on them. I do feel guilty for relying on others though.

I'm not concerned if people can't or won't drive, but if that's the case then they need to sort out their own transport arrangements and stop blagging lifts off others.

That's a CF issue not a non driver issue

HTH

I don't think I'd be a very safe driver. I find learning practical tasks quite difficult and I think I'd find driving particularly hard as my spatial awareness is very poor. Someone once told me they thought I had dyspraxia and I think they may be right. The responsibility of being behind the wheel scares me.

I also can't afford to run a car and there's a dire shortage of parking spaces where I live. I'm lucky that my workplace is only a ten minute walk away.