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I am 23 and don't have a driver's license. Everyone makes fun of me because of it. Truth is I met FI when I was in HS and he drove me everywhere so I never really had the "need" early on. All my jobs have been in places where it was easier to take the train than to find parking, plus I had a free bus pass year round so it was super cheap! I did try taking the test once but it turns out I "don't know what a complete stop is" lol. Also I am really scared to die alone, I know it sounds ridiculous but I feel that if I drive, I will be driving alone most of the time and therefore if something happens I will be all alone with no help.
Anyone out there that has postponed getting a driver's license? Or am I really the only weirdo lol.
Don't feel bad. I just got mine about a year ago age 22 at the time. Yes, everyone looked at me like WHATTTTTTT, but I didn't have a car and I live home so my parents and or friends drove me places awful I know, but I am a broke college student and lived at school at the time so I didn't need a car or license.
I guess it really depends on where you live. I have never lived in an area with a good public transportation system so it has been necessary to drive!
I have a friend who is getting hers this year. She is 28, turning 29 in June.
Don't feel bad I am 34 and I don't have my license. I don't even know how to drive. I have been behind the wheel once. Drove to fast and scared my self and made my step-dad come and get the car. I have also had numerous family hurt or die in car accidents and I don't want to die that way either. I have always lived close to the bus line or had boyfriends or now my fiance with a vehicle.
My best friend and MOH doesn't have a license, she plans on moving to a larger city when she graduates college...probably Chicago.
Don't feel bad! I am 25 and I don't have mine yet. I have my permit which will expire in Sept. Truth is I am terrified of driving and do not have any intention of getting my license in the near future.
I got mine when I was 20, although I held a permit from age 16-20 (I retook the permit test every year to keep it current). My boyfriend at the time drove me everywhere, and his parents paid for his car and gas, so there wasn't really a need to have a license. I went away to school and lived so close to campus I didn't need to drive (lived in a college town).
I'm 22 now and I can't believe I waited so long to start driving!! The sense of independence I have now, not having to depend on someone else's schedule, is amazing.
However, what I learned was you aren't going to pass until you are ready. At 16 I wasn't comfortable in the car and would make stupid mistakes. At age 20 I just felt ready, practiced for two weeks, and passed my exam with flying colors. When you are ready to drive you will know it.
If you are in the city in Chicago I can see why you wouldn't necessarily have a license. It would not be necessary. I got mine at 16 because I lived in Houston and we have barely any public transportation. I don't think it's weird though and I always kind of hope that I can live in a place with really good public transportation so I can ditch my car/car insurance and quit paying for gas!
I got mine at 19. My mama got hers when she was either in her late 20's early 30's. I don't remember when but I was a little girl when she did.
One of my friends doesn't have her license and we are turning 29 this year. Her husband doesn't have his either. The city where we live does not have a great public transport system, but somehow they have managed. I do worry though, she was born on the kitchen floor because her dad couldn't drive her mum to the hospital and I worry that something like that could happen to her, especially as her husband has a lot of health issues. For me it is a natural step to becoming an adult, like getting a job and moving out of your parents house. I wouldn't have dated a man who couldn't drive, I don't want to be someone's taxi driver! It's never too late to learn if that's what you want, regardless of previous experiences or fear.
Yay I am glad I am not the only one! I have had a lot of people pass away in car accidents and it just freaks me out. I do agree that I will know when I am ready. I know I am getting closer to wanting to do it because when I move in with FI transportation will be a little harder. Also FI promised me a shiny brand new car, but even with that incentive I still don't see the need.
I can see not needing the license in a larger city like yours, but I got mine at 15 (14 1/2 is legal here) and have been driving ever since. I guess, for the small towns here you just really need one because there is little to no public transportation.
14.5!!?? Oh my goodness, where I live you HAVE to be 16. Once you get your license it is still provisional for a year. Meaning: You can't drive between the hours of 11pm-5am or with anyone 20 and under in your car, unless you have a parent or guardian with you.
You can get your permit at 15.5, but after that you need 6 hours of formal driver's education and 50 hours of driving practice with an adult over 25.
I couldn't imagine being 14.5 and having a license (even though I waited longer than norm), I would have just been entering high school at that age!!
I got mine at 16 and drove all the time in Canada. However, even though I moved to Seoul 4.5 years ago, I still don't have a Korean driver's license. I'm really terrified of driving in this city!!!!!! However, DH has a car, and I may need to drive it some time in the future for an emergency or to drive his parents around etc, so I really need to get my Korean one once we come back from the Canadian wedding....I'm scared....
Oh my gosh! I cannot imagine not having mine. BUT- I live about 30 minutes from downtown Louisville, KY, so no public transit here. I drive everyday. I assumed everyone got their drivers license. Thanks for enlightening me. ;-)
when i was in high school and actually got to the age that i could go for my learner my bf at the time didn't like the idea of me getting it cuz that would mean i would have some form of freedom *rolls eyes* anyway took the written test 3times without reading the book and failed everytime when i was 16 and half... and gave up...it wasn't until i met Craig when i was 19 i started feeling a lil silly for not even having my learners lol... then my little brother got his.... then he got onto his P plates (here in Australia you have to go a year with Learner plates until you take your practical test then you get red p plates for 1 year then you move onto Grean p plates for 2years then after that your on your opens)... anyway family started poking fun (not in a mean way) that my little brother was driving before me... by this time i was so scared to drive... not the actual driving itself but being on the road with other drivers...... then i got the job i'm in now and they needed me to have a license they ended up paying for driving tests and the actual license test too... which helped.
I have my license now and i'm on my first year of Green p plates and OMG i wish i had of done it sooner. My partners always says about if i had of done it sooner i could be on my opens by now and it wouldn't matter if i have 1 drink... PPFFFFTTT like hell i'm ever having even just a sip of alcohol before driving... i know how my body is with alcohol and i even HATE driving late at night because i feel i don't have as much concentration as i would when i'm fully awake.
I drive to the train station every morning and catch the train to work because parking in the city is expensive plus i'd never find a park at the time i come in.
I know how you feel but trust me when you do actually get it you will wish that you had of done it sooner.
my partners mum has never got hers.... she's 50something now and has to wait to be picked to go out somewhere or sit at home while her husband is at work and not being able to go anywhere she would like... calling her daughter to come pick her up when she wants to go shopping or to the post office or simple things like that... I'm glad i won't be doing that at her age.
i remember not having one and wanting to go out somewhere and my partner didn't..... so i couldn't LOL!! now i'm just like BYE I"M GOING SHOPPING !!! LOL
@babyboo Yea, mostly it's because about 1/4 of the kids in the area (way more in even more rural areas as in 75-95%) live out of town and on farms. They have the tests early so that the kids can drive the equipment which most of them are already driving by then anyway. I always thought it was odd that more places didn't get them at a young age, because most of the kids I know drive pretty well. They never actually checked our hours. I know I was even short a few hours of observation/driving when I took driver's ed, but they didn't check that either.
We can't drive with anyone under 21 when we're getting in our hours and until we reach 16 we can't have another person under 18 in the car, but there isn't any actual probationary period. Most kids waited until they were 15 and 16 to get their license though, so it's not that different from other states.
The farm equipment thing does make sense :) I just couldn't imagine someone as young as 14.5 driving in LA traffic :p
I got mine at 21, and only because I needed it to get a job. :P I hate hate hate driving! it's scary! especially in the city!
I love driving so much now... i'm actually looking into how to get into sprint car driving or rollover car racing! <3
I love driving! Got my license at 16 (failed once first though, but nailed it on the 2nd try). Love the independence, being able to drive whereever I want, whenever I want!
Not too fond of the rush hour traffic of course, but other than that, I love it!
I actually didn't realize so many don't have licenses, although if I lived in the city I wouldn't drive and I can see why one wouldn't need a car.
My little sister is 18 and doesn't have her license. She has no intention of ever learning how to drive, it makes her anxious and she is terrified of other drivers. She was the same way when it came time to learn how to ride a bike... she got stressed out about it and decided that she would just walk to where she needed to go. It's working out fine for her... and she plans on moving to a city with good public transportation.
I have mine because when I was 16 I lived in the suburbs. Since moving to the city, though, I rarely drive.
My BF is 31 and still doesn't have his! When we take road trips I feel a little like his driver. People make comments too.
It's not a bad thing at all, but sometimes as we plan longer road trips I wish he were able to drive a leg of it. And as we talk about buying a home in NJ, further from the city, or maybe even leaving NYC altogether, I realize this means dropping him at a train station or at the office everyday.
He did say. "If we move to Florida, I'd learn to drive. That's how much I love you."
Hahahaha.
didn't read all the posts (lol) so i don't know if you DO live in chicago - but i lived there for 4 years (college) and knew MANY people that were born/raised in chicago and NEVER got their license. I got mine when i was 18 and here in indy it's a must as public transportation sucks...but when i lived in chicago, i gave up my car and didn't drive for 4 years!
It definitely depends upon where you live. I live in a suburb, so to get anywhere, driving is a necessity. If you're in a big city with public transportation, however, I'm sure you're not the only one!
I will be turning 21 in 2 weeks and do not have mine. I lived in California and somehow always had a ride to go around and in general i am not the person who needs to go out a lot...if need be it is a close place usually. I moved to Toronto last summer after i get my legal things straight i will be getting mine..but it takes a LONG time here :(
I am also scared of cars...i think i was either hurt by them in my past life or many of almost accidents in my life has made me afraid of it. I do not find driving exciting i often say i was born in the wrong century what happened to horses i ask myself...BUT i know even with the good public transportation here i NEED to know how to drive for emergencies...last year when we were moving my other half had an asthma attack (his first one ever caused by all the dust in his old place) and i keep thinking what if he could not drive himself to the ER? what if...
MY brother who is turning 27 does not have his..his problem? he is not good with written tests and failed it many times...
I say you aren't crazy...unless you lived somewhere where you needed a car. lol The town I'm from is so rural, that when you want to "go to town" you literally say, "I'm going into town." LOL Some of my friends lived 35 miles out in the country. So, yeah, you definitely need a car when there is 35 miles of open pasture and field between you and town.
However, when I lived in D.C. one summer, I never used a car and completely relied on public transportation. Infact, when my family came out to visit me, we all piled in my dad's car and he looked at me and said, "Well, where do we go?" I had no idea at all how to get around by car. I promptly unloaded the fam from the car and went to the nearest subway station. LOL
I have mine, but hardly ever use it. So I guess in all honesty I'm in the same position as you.
I knew someone who didn't drive at all but eventually got a driver's license because it was a hassle not to have one. He had trouble getting people to believe that his government-issued non-driver's license ID was legitimate. People had never heard of it and didn't want to accept it as a form of identification. Even if you don't drive I would want to get a driver's license just because that's the most common form of identification we have in the US. Plus, you would have it in case you needed to drive someday in a pinch.
Don't feel bad...while I did have my drivers license in the US, I can't trade that one in for a dutch license so my mode of transport has been bike, train, tram and bus for the past 4 years since the lessons and test are so bloody expensive (yes, I have to do it all over again and at 32, it's not easy to "re-learn").
@chelsea: I got a government issued ID at 17 since I didn't have my license. No one ever questioned that it was real, but maybe that is because California IDs and DLs look EXACTLY the same, except on has "driver's license" in small blue print and the other has "ID" in small green print under the "California" heading.
I have been driving since I was 14. I guess it seems very important to one's independence, IMO. My FI told me a guy at work doesn't have his and his grandma picks him up and everyone makes fun of him. I guess he is very sensitive about it. I can't imagine, I just feel like it is so important. I think it makes a big difference who teaches you to drive, and having a safe vehicle. I was taught by my HS boyfriend and he was a mechanic. He taught me to be an amazing driver, but I do find myself wanting to yell at other drivers, sometimes!
@babyboo---this guy's state-issued non-drivers ID looked nothing like a driver's license. If they look the same, my point about others getting confused is (happily) moot.
@Chelsea: Gotcha :) I could see how that would be confusing because state issued ID's aren't that popular!
I thought I was alone! My parents were effin crazy and wouldn't let me take driver's ed like a normal teenager when I was in high school and then I was away for college and didn't exactly have time to learn between class and working every single break from school to pay for the next semester. And then I got a job right after I graduated, so no time again. It frustrates the hell out of me!
I'm 29, and didn't get my license till I was 26! I've lived in the city till I moved to subarbia, and up until subarbia I never needed my license bc of public transportation or bumming a ride from family members or my FH..or the fact I was just scared to be driving. After we bought a place, my FH pretty much nudged/forced to me to learn to drive. Which in turns was great and now I don't have to rely on anyone to get to places! But only when you are ready will you ever be comfortable behind the wheel.
Mr. Scissors doesn't have one, but will (hopefully) give in soon and get one. :p
I didn't get my license until last year, right before I turned 20. We didn't have a car when I was living at home; we used public transportation, walked and biked. It was cheaper and kept us active. I only got my license bc public transportation is not very available where I live now and people got frustrated having to chauffer me around sometimes. It's certainly not that I enjoy driving; I really don't like it at all and avoid it whenever I can.
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