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Jkid
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24 Jun 2009, 3:58 pm

I have no interest in getting a car because where I live, I don't need a car (metrorail, metrobus, shopping within walking distance). Problem is that my mom and dad keep asking me the same question "when are you going to learn to drive?" "When are you going to get a driver's license". They keep asking me this question once every four months.

Should I bother learning how to drive and getting a drivers license even though I have no interest in getting a car?

By the way I'm 21 years old.



Last edited by Jkid on 24 Jun 2009, 5:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

zghost
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24 Jun 2009, 5:07 pm

Yeah sure, it's a good thing to have.
But that's just my opinion.



Peko
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24 Jun 2009, 5:52 pm

Sure, and it would allow you to leave your house more (if you still live with your parents). That way you can go places outside your home town. But, I should not even be talking about this b/c I plan to not drive period or wait a few years (until I'm at least 20-21) to get a license myself (go permanent ID's) :D. The only reasons I would prefer to avoid driving are poor reflexes (it would take me a long time to learn/though my parents let me drive once to see if they would ever consider letting me drive, though I never even had a permit), a tendency to fall asleep in a car, and a slight fear b/c I had seizures as a newborn infant (been seizure free for over 18 yrs. though) :). If you have no medical problems & can pass the permit test, it couldn't hurt to just have a license.


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DonkeyBuster
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24 Jun 2009, 6:59 pm

Yes, it's a useful and helpful skill to have, even if you don't want a car of your own. You never know when you might need to drive someone to the doctor or something. You'll also be able to help your folks out more...

It's easier to learn while you're young.



cyberscan
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24 Jun 2009, 7:05 pm

Even though I do not drive much, I recommend having one if you can get a license. There are employers who will think you are less of an adult or less capable if you do not have one.


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Tekneek
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24 Jun 2009, 11:19 pm

Might as well go for it. Never know when it might become important, and you probably only have to take the test once. One and done. Not a bad deal. As long as you pay attention to detail, it shouldn't be too hard. I did not get my license until I was 20, which was well behind the curve at that time (most people I knew got their license at 16 or 17). I had not even planned to get it. On a whim, we went by and I took the test. I did not manage to parallel park properly, but I did well enough to pass.

A bunch of 16 year olds were so proud of their 95+ scores on the test. I took my 83 and 15 years later I have not had a single traffic citation. I would suspect they have each had at least one, if not more.



DavidF
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25 Jun 2009, 5:29 am

Hey there :-)

Is there any other reason why you don't want to get a licence and why are your parents keen for you to get one? Maybe you should talk to them about it. If you can pass the test and not be a danger to other people, you should get one even if you don't really need it. It could be that your parents may like YOU to drive THEM somewhere from time to time. I'm a parent with two daughters (24 and 22). They sometimes give me a lift to places. It is pay-back for all those years of driving them (and their friends) to/from parties, sport etc before they were allowed to drive. Also, as someone pointed out, some people may think of you as less of an adult because you don't have one. Then there are the employment opportunities you could miss because you don't have one. Besides, it may be handy to have in an emergency to be able to transport someone to hospital etc.



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25 Jun 2009, 1:04 pm

Definitely get a license.

I'm 30ish now, I put it off for ages, which I could, because there is good train network, and I had a push-bike.
But I'm enjoying it, it helps if you have a good instructor who is willing to let you and help you work out your own way to do things.
I'm learning manual which added I think about 20 lessons. But I need to be able to drive manual as I expect to be driving vans.

If you are just driving a car, Auto would probably be easier to learn.
That said I have come to like the extra control manual gives you.

L.



Asterisp
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25 Jun 2009, 1:14 pm

First I put it off too. But one one moment I decided to do it anyway. And I really like too drive a car.
For my current job it was also a big pro on my resume.



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22 Jul 2009, 9:47 pm

I agree with everyone here. Go for it so that you have it. I got mine at 17 but didn't really do much driving until I was in my late 30s. Even now I drive about 125 miles per month, and only that much so as to avoid the battery in my car dying. I don't like driving, and prefer to walk to where I need to go, if I can get there. But since I live on my own and haven't any friends or family near, being able to drive to see docs has been very useful.



CaroleTucson
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11 Aug 2009, 7:25 am

In modern society, a driver's license is used for many more things than just driving. You're not considered a "legitimate" adult if you don't have one. It's kinda the same with a credit card, but that's another issue.

Even if you never set foot in a car, you should definitely get a driver's license.



MissConstrue
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13 Aug 2009, 10:16 am

You're so lucky not to need to drive from where you live.

I don't drive but there is no public transportation or means to get around unless I have a ride. I'd say yes...if you move, driving may not even get to be a choice.


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duke666
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24 Aug 2009, 2:35 pm

I think it's good to know how to drive and have a license.

But my NT partner never got one, because transit is good here, and owning a car is expensive and a hassle.

The choice is yours.


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WoodenNickel
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30 Aug 2009, 3:00 pm

It's useful to have the option to drive. I had a now-deceased friend who had no car and no need for one, but kept his license for that purpose.

Your reluctance reminds me of myself. I rationalized that I didn't need a license, even though I had made a few legitimate attempts to learn to drive. I now realize that I don't drive because of my Sensory Integration Disorder. Being a passenger can be overstimulating. Driving is even worse.


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Icecypher
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31 Aug 2009, 3:39 pm

DonkeyBuster wrote:
Yes, it's a useful and helpful skill to have, even if you don't want a car of your own. You never know when you might need to drive someone to the doctor or something. You'll also be able to help your folks out more...

It's easier to learn while you're young.


This is a good answer.

It's good to know how to do it, and then you can choose if you want to drive or not, knowing you could drive if needed.



FreeSpirit2000
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12 Sep 2009, 4:38 pm

Get a license dude, because it will be useful if you get a job or out with your freinds, because you can take turns each day to see which freind will drive whenever you go out each day. But I don't get to drive that much because my parents are intentionally making me wait to have my own car until I transfer out of a community college, which I really hate my parents for because my freinds got their own cars once they started knowing how to drive.