To be constantly surprised that people 'don't drive'?

[MissEloiseBridgerton]

Every day on here, and on my own social media, I am shocked that soooo many people don't drive. My local FB group is constantly people asking for favours because they don't drive, they want a dump run, or someone to deliver second hand stuff to them. On here, the barriers to work, to childcare, to anything is so often that they don't drive!

For me growing up, learning to drive was just what you did. I don't have any friends who didn't learn to drive at 17. Most had cheap runarounds or borrowed parents car.

I totally understand it's expensive and costly to run a car but I don't think I realised how many people never learned!

Well no, I was perfectly able to see that driving would have offered benefits that I didn't have, I lacked a driving licence, and despite what some people think, that didn't rob me of the power of thought or insight into other circumstances - which some people seem to completely lack whether they have a driving licence or not.

But again, why would you plan for a life you’re not living and have no intention of living?

'The majority of employers' is an absolute nonsense. Thinking of the wide and varied roles of my non-driving friends and family, which includes working for the police, a big 4 accountancy firm, a lawyer, a couple of teachers...

I'm a hiring manager and the only reason I'd ask 'do you drive / have a car' is to allocate them a parking space if they needed one.

I don't understand why the insurance is so damn high. DS had £230 for a year while on provisional license.. When he passed his test it was £870 for the year ( 10 plate peugeotn207, 1.4 )

Last year he paid £790.

Has his dad as a second driver which brought it down £150

So although prices obviously rising ( seen by ncb not causing much discount) he's not getting quotes in the thousands

...in the eyes of the folk on here whose identity and life achievement is bound up in their car ownership.

That's a rather desperate dive into hyperbole, isn't it?

Driving is a skill to have under your belt. It opens your life to opportunities and flexibility that aren't easily available to those limited to public transport. Those of us who drive don't have to endure the experience of hanging around at bus stops in poor weather, waiting for a bus that never comes. Or the horrors of crowded train travel. Yes, there are downsides to car travel: let me tell you about my nightmare journey home from East Anglia after Christmas sometime. But at least I was warm and dry and had the autonomy to navigate a cross-country route using B-roads. Those trapped on buses didn't have that option.

Yeah, lots of people think living in a place where there's no public transport and no taxis would suck, so they just... don't do that!

Living in the countryside as an elderly person, then suddenly not being able to drive, that's a situation many older people ought to be making plans for, because that's about as depressing a situation as you can get. This is what has happened to my dad and my aunt in recent years, and its sent them downhill sharply.

Ah: so your whole life spent in mega-cities? That's a bit sad.

So many superiority complexes on one thread!

Not sure we shopped around extensively and I know what peers paid. This is for a 17 yr old in 2024. Was a 9 yr old fiat 500.
It dropped once she had licence a yr and was a bit older.

I never learnt for various reasons, and to be honest, even if I had,I don't think I'd be able to afford to run a car nowadays. I am disabled,live off disability benefits and I manage my money quite well. But if I added the upkeep and running of a car into the mix,I'd be skint most of the time. Never mind the cost of fuel and insurance,now you have ULEZ and the Congestion Charge. As a disabled person I have a Freedom Pass for travel. I live in West London so transport is pretty good. I'm not constantly asking people for lifts. The last time I needed a lift was 18 months ago, from my DD, when my cat needed to go to the vet. Because I'm disabled,I wouldn't have managed to carry her in her cat carrier on the bus. I think it's a bit of a myth that people who don't drive are constantly cadging lifts off friends and family.

So OP you're constantly amazed that a quarter of the population over the age of 17 don't have a full driving licence? Wow!

Costly agree. Our school is not on direct bus so am glad I drive. I do bus escort. Hoping my daughter drives in a few years. You more independent.. main focus at moment is college she 19. I agree lessons not cheap

Why? I love city living. I couldn’t think of anything worse than being stuck in a one-street village.

If my dream was to live in a farmhouse miles from anywhere, then yes, it would be a shame to have to give that up because I couldn’t drive. But if it was genuinely my dream, I’d push harder to make it happen, even if that meant spending an absolute fortune to learn to drive and scraping through my test. As it isn’t my dream, there isn’t a problem.

It’s hilarious that you’d try to suggest it’s “sad” to spend your life living in cities with great job opportunities, a fantastic range of facilities, history, culture etc…

Ah the Fiat won't help. They have expensive parts And the car a good few years newer than DS ONE . DS got his first years NCD with the insurance on a provisional which probably helped

I couldn’t til I had my own money

i live in a capital city with a fantastic network of buses

it is easy to live without a car in some places, sometimes easier

Anyone I know that doesn't drive, I'm glad they don't 🤣

It depends where you live to a large extent. Growing up in London I didn't learn as a teen as never felt the need, and then I couldn't for a while. I'd say it was a 50/50 split in my friend group between those who did and didn't learn. However very few bothered get their own car.

I do drive now, but I learnt late (34) due to a medical issue.

We are planning a move outside of London, and I want our children to learn to drive before we do, as I think k away from major cities, it's a much pre necessary skill.

I don't drive. I have passed my driving test. I can't afford a car, have nowhere to park one and even if I did drive I find it incredibly stressful. I also live within 5 minutes of 2 supermarkets and within short walking distance of my local town. There is also a decent public transport system.
My mental health is such that, I can't use public transport without having a panic attack.
I'm perfectly happy walking everywhere, when I need to and have online delivery's too.

That’s me! 😂 My last accident (my fault), I was told advised to stop driving after receiving a police caution and writing off two cars.

You can't use public transport due to mental health? Why ever not?

But those stuck on the bus or enduring the horror of a crowded train presumably were adults who had autonomy over themselves to choose that option with their eyes wide open. Although they'd probably all be very touched that a total stranger was so concerned for their welfare.

🤣🤣 Welcome to MN.

If this isn't sarcasm.
Because people
Because anxiety
Because panic attack
Because possibly ASD
Because I don't need to
Because I don't want to.

Good idea. You wouldn't want to catch the Poor or Disableds from them, would you?

You are joking, right? I have literally never needed to drive for a job! Then again, I’m a lawyer, so not exactly called for in my field!