anyone not drive?

tandraig

Reading through this thread again - one thing that strikes me is how MANY reasons there are for not driving! every one of them valid!!! so, its really down to personal choice isnt it? if the OP hasnt lost interest by now - then tell your aunty hun - its totaly up to her and if she wants to find a hundred good reasons not to drive - well they are all on here!!!!

Ruby_Moon

Miss-Moneypenny wrote: »

I am 27 and can't drive, I never wanted to as it scares me. a former partner bought me lessons for my 21st and i came close to taking my test but then relocated back to my home town and couldn't afford to continue.

I am going to take them after xmas because i know it will make it easier when i have a child and it will open so many doors for me career wise, but i have to admit i am not looking forward to it.

I have seen so many reckless drivers taking risks and it worries me because i could be the safest driver in the world but it only takes one idiot to take a risk and cause an accident that could injure me.

Yes, but you are at risk walking down the road because that same idiot could smash into you on the pavement as you walk. At least in a car you would have some metal armour protection.
Trains crash, buses crash and planes crash. You can be hit by a car on a bike or while walking. You can fall off a horse and break your neck!! In fact, why not stay home and not go out at all!!? Even then you have to worry about planes falling out of the sky, floods and burgulars!
Seriously though, just enjoy life.

Ada_Doom

Neither myself or my husband drive and we have two small children. People react in really strange ways when they find this out and are amazed that we manage! Actually its easy, as we have never known any different. Trains are easy and not too expensive with our railcard and i like working out routes to out of the way places and feeling satisfied when we get there quicker that people who drive. Not having a car means not having to ever have the urge to visit a retail park or diy center at the weekend or bank holiday and that is a good enough reason for me...

Rachel021967

I passed my test at 20 but I gradually lost my confidence and became too nervous. It would of only been a matter of time before I seriously hurt or killed someone so I stopped. Now I can't drive due to medical reasons and medication. I do miss it at times - when its cold and raining hard.

jackieb

zimm143 wrote: »

I am really, really shocked by the responses here. Hardly any of you have mentioned not driving for environmental reasons - but that is the single biggest issue facing mankind today! In December, in Copenhagan our world leaders are going to sign a treaty to cut carbon emissions but up to 90% over the next 20-50 years, in order to save our planet. People are going to have to dramatically reduce their car use, 2 car families will be a thing of the past. Car use will have to be restricted to those who really need it. I have never driven for this reason and niether does my OH. We manage fine. Come on guys - we should all be focussing on finding ways to reduce our personal carbon footprint - not talking about the joy of cars.

For some of us we don't have any option. There are no trains here. The bus service is shocking and costs an absolute fortune (if me and my husband and 2 teenagers, wanted a day into Aberdeen - 42 miles away - it would cost us £50 return on the bus.) If my husband or son had to take a taxi (as there are no buses) to go to the airport to get to work, it would cost £70. I got up at 4am on Friday to take dh to the airport, and 6am to take my son to the airport on Thursday. If I didn't drive we'd be stuffed.

I don't think people should be pressurised into learning to drive if they feel they can't, or just don't want to. I just know that we'd find it incredibly hard if I couldn't drive.

TheEffect

I can't drive due to being born with an eye disease that left me with very poor vision. I cannot read a number plate from the required 20 meters. It's horrible, as I'm 18 and all of my friends are passing their tests.

Do I wish I could drive? Every day. My friends moan about how they don't like their current car and how they want a nice BMW. I want to give them a punch and remind them how lucky they are.

jennihen

Passing my test at 39 changed my life. It gave me so much confidence and independence not having to rely on other people.
I did the really hard part of bringing up 3 children on my own for 10 years in a small town with no buses and the nearsest train station over 20 miles away! A hospital appointment would take all day.
The whole family can now take part in more activities that we couldn't do before, and as well as working I'm a volunteer driver.
I couldn't imagine not driving now although running a car is a big commitment.

red_devil

its a shame lessons arent free?

minerva_windsong

Tish_P wrote: »

BUT - the other message we get from advertisers is that cars equal independence and freedom, and a life without a car is a life half lived! And that's nonsense too. Several women on this thread have explained that they're happier, richer and healthier because they don't keep a car. Looking at money alone, reasonable estimates for the running cost of even a small car are well over £2000 a year (fuel, tax, insurance, repairs, depreciation) - for many of us, investing that money will do much more for our freedom and independence in the long run.

This might be one of those (rare, imo) cases where sexism works in women's favour: we don't get the aggressive marketing, fewer people will think we're weird for not driving, and so we're less likely to spend money we don't have on cars we don't need. We win!

Hear hear! :T

The expense of a car is one of the big reasons why I didn't get one when I hit 17 (much to the horror of pretty much everyone I knew). I just didn't see the point of paying thousands of pounds in insurance, petrol, car tax etc for something that would hardly get used.

MrsE wrote: »

Why is it still (in 2009) that most of the people on this thread who don't drive are women?
I can't help thinking that most of the women who don't learn to drive because the allow/expect their OH to drive them around are stuck in a time warp.
I don't want to have to rely on my OH every time I need to go somewhere.

I've never relied on my OH to get me anywhere thank you - he can't drive either! (And yes he is a Londoner.) I have legs that (thankfully) work perfectly well and can get me wherever I want to go, and when 'wherever' is too far away to walk then I get buses or trains.

littlemissmoney wrote: »

Why does that make lessons redundant? I learnt to drive without practising outside of lessons and I'm sure most other people do too.

I didn't know anyone who didn't go out driving with parents or family members on top of their lessons, but maybe that's just who I knew. I am also one of those people who learns by doing something over and over again, so an hour a week wasn't really enough for me to be able to get better at it.

I was also a very nervous driver - I've always been like that about new experiences, a bit wary at first but once I'm used to it I'm fine, and I think that played a part in it as well as I was very reluctant to go at top speed. That coupled with my dad's 'helpful' attempts to teach my sister outside of her lessons (normally involving shouting at her for stalling), plus a 'tough love' instructor, did not make a good combination for me.

carpedieme

driving or not driving is a personal thing, its up to the individual and ive been on both sides of the fence, however I do get angry when every tom !!!!!! and harry you hardly know expects lifts here there and everywhere with comments like " its alright for you, you drive, have a car etc ". Running a car is an expensive game paid for out of my own hard earned cash, I,m generous with lifts but do object to people at work who " expect " them just because you have a car. I work shifts mainly nights and had to rely on public transport for fifteen years and never once expected lifts from anyone especially people I hardly know.