What would your life change if you had to get rid of your car/could no longer drive

[Netcurtainnelly]

Do you ever worry about this?
How would it change your life tomorrow?
Which things would not be possible anymore?

I'm glad you're OK now.

yeah - those living in villages.. saying how few buses there are

Nothing much really, I rarely use the car, I'm retired and prefer to walk, We get deliveries for shopping for the main things so I can just walk to the retail park and get a few things, I like the exercise. DH would be more put out if he couldn't drive though.

I managed fine for years without a car as I only passed my test seven years ago. Luckily, public transport is reasonably good here. If I couldn't drive from now on I'd be ok as DH works in the same campus as I do, but I love my car and listening to my own podcasts in the morning.

No, about small cities.

This has actually happened to me. I lost my driving licence as the DVLA took it off me when I was diagnosed with MH issues. It’s really hard.
I have it back now but rarely drive. I see and hear angels and when I’m driving they tell me to crash the car or drive into people and things. I find it hard to concentrate so avoid it. It actually is fine as I don’t really leave the house due to the angels anyway.

The idea terrifies me, living rurally with young children. Our closest bus stop is half an hour away (I think, I haven't used a bus since I was 17). We rely on the car SO much.

I couldn't get the DC to school, and we definitely couldn't afford to move to the village the school is in. Couldn't get to work or back as I have to bomb it there and back to make the school run each day, no chance I could rely on public transport. DC would have to give up all after school clubs for the same reason, plus their swimming lessons on a Saturday morning. DH works six days a week and very long hours so we could only have days out on his one day off. Life would be unbearable, quite frankly.

I have a medical condition that I have to declare to the dvla and every three years I have to reapply, I’m 54 and this month was the 4th time I’ve had to reapply. I’m still alright to drive but it’s around medication times. It wouldn’t surprise me if I’ve decided to stop driving before these next three years are up. I’ll just have to rely on my DH. I’d rather give up too soon than be a concern for my family, having them worryingly about broaching the subject of my driving.

Be careful bombing to work and back as the decision to not have a licence might be taken out of your hands and placed in the hands of a magistrate.

I wouldn’t be able to get to work so I would eventually be homeless.

I would have to move. Am currently 3 miles from the nearest pint of milk and ten miles from work. No bus route.

It is beautiful and peaceful but you need a car!

I don't drive because I don't need to. I'm well-served by public transport.

Same. I don’t live in the UK though. Whenever I go to the uk I hire a car. PT is too unreliable. I will say that over the past 5 years the potholes have become a problem. Some roads are like an obstacle course!

Exeter and Bath are not small villages. Do you live in the UK?

Exactly,and. Yet according the answer to the question I asked was these cities are not serviced by adequate public transport- which I find hard to believe.

i took Harrogate and searched for the trains and buses, put up the numbers, over 40 trains a day to each nearby city and a bus every 30 minutes

it seems I live in a small provincial town in England with better public transport than you’ll find in a city outside of Birmingham and London, according to the poster I asked the question

It wouldn’t hurt me at all, I commute to London from Essex and very rarely need to drive. My DH is the same, he walks to work every day and only takes the car if it’s torrential rain (as in monsoon styli, not just a normal shower)

Wouldn’t be able to get to work. Live in the middle of no where and no public transport

Wouldn't be able to take our disabled son anywhere other than in wheelchair distance.

I would have to give up my job as I drive 52 miles to get there and back.
Im pretty close to lots of supermarkets and bars etc and could get buses so that wouldn’t affect me.

I do have to get to work (and back)!

I've had to move from our old house which had no public transport to this (smaller more expensive) one. I've had to make a compromise to accommodate my disability.

I don't look at it that I'm 'stuffed' or ruined because of my disability. I've had to make adjustments & compromises but it's not the end of the world.

Do you have other people reliant on you for driving them around though? I do.

My children (1 with severe SEN) it's tough & they can't do the jam packed after school schedules that some kids have but we all have a decent quality of life. I did have to fight for over a year to get a school transport place.
Being disabled does mean restrictions, compromises and adjustments but its not the end of the world & actually I've got kids who are resilient, know that you don't always get everything you want in life & that's okay.

Simply with a disability the poster has no choice and she needs to make the best of the situation she is in.
And that also means her kids won't be getting ferried around even if she wanted too.

One of the down sides of rural living is lack of numbers of people to make public transport viable. Therefore rural people rely on cars and that also means they might need to move should driving no longer be an option.

I have a couple of friends who don't drive. One spends 4hrs a day on public transport getting to and from work. She could half that time if she drove.
And another who walks everywhere but doesn't work. If its not within walking distance then the kids don't get to it.

I’d lose my job.

Im in a community based role and cover a large geographical area without a car id be stuffed.

We have 2 cars as my husband commutes for an hour and my middle son's school is 9 miles away (we moved house it was closer before).
My daughter goes to school in a village about 5 miles away but hates the morning bus so I drive her too. If we had no car my husband would have to change job and we would need to move to the town he was born in which we live in a village 6 miles away from. The kids would have to move school. It doesn't bear thinking of really. I'd happily do the first 2 things but disrupting my kids...hell no