In not driving.

[fairbags]

So many people have a real problem with this but I dont and I have pretty good reasons.Anyone else out there not drive and get ridiculed for it?

I don't drive. I think it's bad on so many levels. Lots of people drive stupidly and dangerously and I'm sick of listening to other people's whiny kids who "can't" walk anywhere cos they're driven round everywhere all the time. Our hospital maternity and childrens A&E services have just been moved on the basis of drive-time despite no train access and only one bus which takes over an hour. This is the kind of thing I am against and intend to make myself a problem for people who have this attitude towards people who don't run a car. Plus, cars are so polluting and expensive.

I have my licence but I don't drive - I'm too scared. Other drivers terrify me.

I live in a city and can get the bus to most places or walk. My DP is a great, confident driver and happy to drive me anywhere. Is far better then unleashing my driving on innocent road users.

Driving is really, really hard. People who are natural drivers simply do not 'get' this, the same way I don't 'get' why people aren't as good at reading as I am. You can't just practice or try harder - people are different.

It isn't just a case of 'get lessons, then drive'. People like me may never drive, even after many many lessons.

I don't drive and I get REALLY fed up with people who whinge that I should to make their lives easier.

I'm happy not driving, it takes me just as long to get to work in a car (because of traffic etc, work in Oxford city centre) as it does on a bus. Going on the bus works out cheaper (As we'd need a second car, insurance, tax, MOT, petrol etc etc) and I LIKE USING THE BUS!!

It's the one time I can just 'be'. At all other times of the day I have something to do, something to concentrate on and if I drove that would be yet something more to concentrate on so I will learn to drive ONLY when I feel I need to.

I did not learn to drive until I was in my thirties. Up til then, I really could see no point in it. DH has driven as long as I've known him and I could always call on someone to help in a real emergency, like needing to get a DC to A&E for example. I walked everywhere with DS1 and later, DS2, in the pram/pushchair and used public transport when I needed to.

When my children were at school and pre-school, it was too far to walk from one to the other in time to drop/collect them on time and I began to rely on friends to give me lifts. At this point DH suggested I learn to drive to a) stop me being reliant on friends all the time, 2)maybe repay the favour to my friends and 3) have a bit more independance. He had a point and I learnt to drive.

I couldn't, and still can't, understand why I didn't do it earlier! I love driving. I love being able to get in the car and take myself somewhere without having to rely on others. I used to take the DC to visit family in far flung parts of the country that would not have been possible if I didn't drive. I can take a fair turn on driving on nights out with DH or friends. And, most importantly for me, I was able to be of some practcal help to my dear Mum and Dad during his last illness, getting him to hospital appointments, running her around rather than make her wait for public transport. I will also not be in the position that she as a non-driver finds herself in, which is one where she is totally reliant on me or my sister to take her shopping, to visit family and friends etc.

Having said all that, it really is your decision whether you drive or not. As long as you are not always blagging lifts off friends, then I don't see the problem. (buying the wine on a night out though, is maybe not the best thing as presumably the driver doesn't partake if they have to drive you home? Inless I msunderstood your post, in which case I apologise!)

i didnt pass my test till i was 39. i really regret it now as i remember struggling with dd and her buggy lugging shopping every other day.we also get to go lovely places now without bugging dh.

for a while after we werre married, dh & i didn't have a car - both could drive, but we had little money & lived in a city centre, so didn't need it. i would rather use public transport than driving, but too often that's just not an option. where we live now, cars are obligatory (2 miles from from town, no buses or taxis for about 10 miles)

THUNDERDUCK - I'm also a (suspected, not confirmed), dyspraxic - it doesn't make learning to drive easy, does it?!

Neither DH nor I drive. We live in London though and are 5 minutes from tube/buses. DH works from home. We aren't unique by any means - I can think of at least a dozen friends, some with very young children, who choose to be car-free.

This is all well and good in London. However,
we're going to a very rural wedding this weekend. Getting there will mean a taxi to the station, a 1 hour train journey, taxi to nearby town for wedding, then blag a lift or another taxi to reception, then taxi to hotel. With our overnight luggage. Then reverse trip next day, while nursing bad hangovers no doubt.

I am too old for this. I've had to plan the whole shebang like a military operation.

Oh God, I've just realised we'll have to wear our wedding gear for the trip as well, unless we want to change in the loo on the train . We'll be arriving all squashed and smutty.

It really is difficult for us Onthepier as you say
I can barely manage to use a knife and fork together, so driving is a near impossible task for me.

Wow! So many people who do not drive out of choice. As with many others living in London made no sense to have a car and just got out of the habit.

I actualy hated driving and have not done it for 20 years - gave back my driving licence a few years ago. DW cannot for medical reasons.

We take care to choose places to live near bus god routes, near school and walk if we can. We get all our heay/bulky shopping delivered.

No one ever comments on our non-driving except to express sympathy that "it must be really difficult for you". No it is not. We refuse lifts and just take taxis if we have to. We try and persuade our local friends to do the same if they visit us so everyone can have a drink but they always bring their cars.

MrsFlitterSnoop - very much the story of our life. No need to drive when we were in London except when our friends picked remote rural locations to have weddings.

We just hired loal chauffeurs in the end to pick us up at mainline rail stations and drive us to rural destinations. It is relatively easy to do with a bit of notice and still cheaper than actually owning a car.

I can drive, and we have a car. But living in London we use the car about once a fortnight and have two friends insured on it to help it get used more.

I didn't get my licence until I was 25, so got very good at navigating for others, and MrNC is crap at navigation so he tends to do more of the driving, especially to new places and I drive back.

Often thought about selling the car, but it's very convenient for say once a month to visit family or transport heavy items. And often takes over an hour to get a minicab on a weekend, and being deaf trying to deal with strange cab firms is tricky. Local one is good though - press 1 and a cab is automatically sent to your house ASAP.

I used to have a motorbike, and loved the freedom, but gave it up when I had dd. Now I keep meaning to learn to drive, but it is so expensive, and it just seems easier to jump on a bus or in a taxi. I may think differently once this baby arrives and I have two under 3s to transport!

Yes, I do not drive, I too have good reasons, and I am sick and tired of explaining them to people who seem to think that I am morally deficient and need to be bullied into taking driving lessons. Yes MIL I am talking to you here. I walk everywhere and rarely accept lifts, so that is not the issue - I'm not actually sure what the issue is except that some drivers appear to have a huge problem with us inoffensive non-drivers.

I love driving. Public transport would have to be super duper to make me want to never drive. Private carriages, no fellow passengers, my own music etc. Well, taxis really

I don't drive. I lost an extremely close friend in a horrific accident when I was 18 and it made me hate cars. I get a lot of comments from people who can't understand why I can't drive, and my boss in particular is hugely unsupportive about the fact this means I have to travel by train / taxi - despite the fact I can work on the train!

It makes me quite cross that people feel free to comment so readily on me not driving, without stopping to think whether perhaps I might have a very good reason.
I would like to drive as it would give me so much more independence, particularly after an injury which means I can't walk / cycle long distances, but I am just not sure whehter I will ever find the emotional strength to learn. I have thought about counselling but am not convinced that I should go to counselling to train myself out of quite reasonable (in the circumstances) emotions, just to fit with the 'norm' that people drive everywhere. particularly when it is such an environmentally damaging (and health damaging) activity.....

I certainly don't expect lifts, but if people are going the same way as me anyway I usually accept an offer as it can be a good way to have a good chat with people, and better for the environment that me getting a separate taxi. If you don't want to give someone a lift don't offer it!

I do realise that I am lucky that my dh enjoys driving and would probably not enjoy being driven by me if I ever did learn

I don't drive, and have lots of friends who don't. The only people who make an issue of it are members of my extended family. That's usually the way with any issue though!