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!

Man is full of contradictions

mn loves center parks, no cars allowed

Neither could I but I just wouldn't say it aloud. I'd feel like I was ferrying a teenager around. My neighbour runs herself ragged running children and husband around. He refuses to learn. I could never find a man like that attractive.

I didn't learn until I was in my 20s. My parents didn't have a lot of money. Then, I couldn't afford to learn while also at Uni.

OP, get back here and answer for your crimes

I'm pretty sure I read recently that both Gallagher brothers, Ed Sheeran and JK Rowling don't drive. Can't imagine people are going to call them weak and pathetic.

I imagine they have more than enough money to have a driver, unlike most people.

Also ironic considering how many on mumsnet do not even like socialising/going out and prefer staying at home with their "little family".

Indeed, but that still means the lack the most important life skill according to MN and consists of someone ferrying them about. Even if they do get paid for it.

It is an important life skill for normal people. You can’t compare an average life to there’s, that is an utterly ridiculous comparison. You non drivers really do live in la la land.

I currently "don't drive". I have been driving since I was 17 and have a car at home. But I am living overseas temporarily. I will likely get rid of the car at home now dd has also moved overseas for uni (and may need a car as she moves city next year to where she will need one for sports training).

Overseas, there is good public transport, Ubers, delivery services and shared cars available. I have driven 3 times in 15 months - to practise driving the day before DH arrived, to collect DH at the airport with a bike for DD, and to practise properly with a local friend.

I have not depended on local friends (and I have plenty of those) for anything else since I got here. I sort out and pay for suitable options in different circumstances. I thought about buying a car, and may by summer (for DD in Sept) or a proper one for me for next winter - but I don't need to. And running a car costs a lot of money...I have saved thousands in the 15 months by not paying for petrol, parking etc (although still paying insurance, tax, and DD's toll fees and some petrol on mine at home).

And I have also saved money by not going out on wild shopping sprees as I have to carry everything back in the metro.

But I have still done a lot of exploring by train, and a few flights home - and still saved money.

As a non driver I asked my hubby if he feels "run ragged ferrying us all over the place"?

He laughed. His car probably moves from the driveway once a week.

It's curious that elsewhere on MN we're looking at cost of living, environmental issues and the like. And yet on this this thread It's all about trying to get cars on the road, increasing pollution (and pot holes!)
We need a better, more reliable, cheaper public transport system. Not more cars!

Ed needs to change his lyrics from 'driving 90 down country lanes' to 'being ferried around at 90 down country lanes' then to use the right (allegedly) term

I know, there's a huge cognitive disconnect isn't there. Threads judging people for not driving even as the climate crisis ravages parts of LA.

Same with people not wanting to acknowledge that large numbers of people in the UK have either been in, or lost a loved one to, horrific accidents. I could barely get in a car for a decade after my first boyfriend was killed by one, never mind drive one.

Good to know I'm abnormal. Thanks.

I learned at 17 and paid for it through my weekend job (1990s).

Three of my children started at 17 and mostly self funded through their weekend or part time jobs. They may have had a bit of help here and there and a patient uncle who helped take them out to practice. However the motivation came from them growing up rurally and having an unreliable bus service. I was motivated by them having jobs that started at 7am that I had to drive them to due to the poor bus service!

They are also motivated to keep their jobs so they can run their cars! It’s been great for their independence too although there is always that back ground worry as a parent in the first couple years when they tackle something new.

So disabled people aren't "normal" ?

But if you don't have a car / drive then you choose your kids activities accordingly. I have a license but we only have one car, so the kids have only ever done activities that we can walk or cycle to most of the time and if the weather is truly awful and the car isn't available, we get a taxi.

Food shopping is a weekly delivery, with smaller top up shops on foot / by bike.

Without a car, you just have to plan more. Great blog here : https://www.bikeworcester.org.uk/blog/footloose-and-car-free

Wow. Literally not what I said but go off.

Again, not what I said. But go off.

But given that none of them are Mystic Meg, they didn’t know they’d have that sort of money when they chose not to learn, did they? Wasn’t J.K. Rowling a struggling single mother before the first Harry Potter book got accepted? The sort of person who, according to this thread, should have either made the “very worthy” investment in lessons, or simply got a family member to teach her in a couple of hours.

I don't drive, taken many lessons when I was younger and never got the hang of it. I never ask anyone for a lift (even DH), take trains, walk a lot and use public transport. Why that makes me 'pathetic' I have no idea.

La la land has a decent public transport network.
I'm old so get free bus travel and reduced train fares.

I'm loving it.😀

Also as some have said above when I go on holiday I actively seek out places where I can come and go by train, I love it. Much more so than when DH drives in busy cities.

By saying it's a life skill for 'normal' people, you are actually saying that people who can't drive due to disability aren't 'normal'. Think about how your choice of words can be perceived, perhaps?