Can you - do you - drive?

I’m still driving at the age of 77 - and will continue for as long as possible. Not too keen on driving at night on busy roads though. I’ve seen the limiting effects of not being able to drive and getting old. My neighbour - now in her early 80’s has never driven. Her husband has Parkinson’s and can no longer drive so they sold their car last year. Even though they just drove mostly locally without accessing motorways, now their outings are practically non existent and they have to rely on their son and daughter or use a car hire company (which she now won’t use because of Covid). . I have heard her say so many times how much more difficult everyday living is for them without a car, even though she is fit and active for her age. Now they are looking at moving into a retirement home - even though they love their current home. It’s a lesson learned for me - keep as mentally and physically active as possible so as to maintain my driving skills!

I'm 80 and drive. I drive anyway as does my friend who is 84. We take turns in normal times. We go anywhere, Lakes, Somerset, Wales. Drove to Scotland regularly until my brother died a few years ago. Can't way for my freedom again.

You would be amazed how many men don’t like the women to drive them. I often drove to the station to pick my husband up and I would see women drive into station and when their husbands came out they would vacate the drivers seat and get into the passenger seat! It would make me fume!!!

I drive but my husband doesn't, which means he's always the passenger, I don't mind unless he points out a mistake, then my language is choice. I don't mind driving on motorways but I could never drive abroad, I really don't think my brain could cope with driving on the wrong side.

As I’ve said, I don’t drive. There seem to me to far too many very elderly drivers on the road. We had a lot of trouble persuading my father to stop when he was in his mid-eighties. He had always driven and couldn't imagine life without it. He was not very dangerous, but his reactions were slowing down, and he didn’t seem very aware of others on the road. He did stop, though, to everyone’s relief.

He, of course, thought he was fine.

I drive, but I did not learn to drive till I was 45 and then only after 8 attempts. I did have motorway lessons but the instructor was impatient and abrupt. When lockdown is over I will attempt them again. I cannot say I love driving because I don't but I am glad I learned. Don't know how learner drivers will go on now, because instructors cannot socially distant.

I do drive in central London but don't like it as the other drivers seems so aggressive if for instance I'm in the wrong lane, I sit and indicate but no bugger lets me in and the guys behind just hoot.
I've driven all over the world, left hand drive cars in Europe, right hand drives cars in UK, really enjoy driving

I am 69. I would be stuck if I didn't drive....no buses here. I am fine with motorways and distance with planned stops. Looking forward to driving south to see family in Kent when allowed. This involves M11 and the M25.

I learned to drive when I was 50; it took one year and ten months to pass the test! I am 75 now and have never regretted learning to drive. I do motorways, whatever. But I don't drive on the continent; that would be a step too far.

I'm 67 and have been driving since I was 17. There are nervous drivers of either gender.

Of course some people can't drive due to illness or disability, I think that was understood in the OP. However I too find it really hard to understand how anyone can choose not to drive. How do you transport heavy shopping on a bike? Or do an emergency run to.... Well anywhere? What about when parents become elderly and need taking to hospital appointments etc? How do you go on holiday? I really admire people who are concerned about the environment but I still can't imagine living without wheels

I would absolutely love to have been able to drive but owing to poor eyesight have never been allied to. It has been very life limiting.

Can drive and used to drive all over country for work and also in several other countries on the 'wrong' side of the road. Have always been nervous though not because of the driving but because I have no sense of direction and mostly got lost on any journey. A search party went out from work once when I was driving just a few miles across Birmingham ( 10/15 min journey) . Took me well over an hour and a half ,went the scenic route and was really panicking. Not driven much at all since DH retired as he enjoys driving and hates being a passenger.

I can drive and drive to work everyday normally. I also use the motorways to see son and mother but I would give up in a blink if someone else would chauffeur me around. I find it very boring. I am a good driver and not at all anxious just prefer to look at the countryside or in the shop windows

Passed my test first time when in the final weeks of pregnancy, made a complete hash of the test and I always believed the only reason I passed was because the examiner feared I might giver birth in the car!

I never really liked driving and after a few months gave up and can honestly say I have never regretted it.

I have been drivjng for over 50 years and have always loved it. At the age of 69 I drove from Portugal to England and back again all by myself. Other than being a bit boring it wasnt a problem and motorways most of the way. Now 76 I havent driven much over the past year as I have been having chemotherapy and am on strong painkillers so maybe my reaction times could be impaired by the medication. My DH is quite happy to drive me to wherever I need to go.

I have been driving for 60 odd years and have driven all over the world. I'm no good at navigating as I feel ill looking at a book, (no GPS then!) so my husband used to do this. So glad now to have the car as we don't have a bus any more. I'm not so keen on driving at night though now.

I can't drive. My husband can but we haven't had a car since the early 80s. DH had to stop then due to medical issues, we got rid of the car and so I never bothered to learn. We use public transport and taxis. If we'd still had a car I think I would have learned a long time ago.

I didn’t learn to drive until I was nearly 50. I didn’t have the money or the time for lessons, and, for a long time, we didn’t have a car. I passed my test first time, and eventually got my own car.
I’m 80 now, and still driving. I don’t often have the need to drive very far, but am quite happy on the motorways. The only thing I try to avoid is large complicated junctions. I hate trying to find the right lane, with vehicles whizzing around me in all directions. I accept that my reactions aren’t as sharp, at my age, so I try to stick to simpler roads.
I dread the thought of having to stop driving, but will stop when I consider that I should. My nearest bus route is a mile walk away. No problem now, but maybe in the future. On the other hand, with the money I save by not running a car I could probably afford to get a taxi.

I drive but couldn’t care less if I never drove again! Most of the time my DH drives. Living in Greece at the moment and he has three herniated discs and can’t drive, so I have had to! That was a baptism of fire. After being terrified initially I decided that in a country of completely mad drivers, what’s one more!

I do drive but I am not keen on long distance driving as I tend to get bored and my mind wanders off, along with the driving. So I am just plain dangerous.

I started to learn to drive in Scotland when I was sixteen, but as I was moving away from home, Daddy utterly refused to let me sit my driving-test. He maintained that having a license and not driving regularly was dangerous, as you got into a car and drove anyway.

Unfortunately, I moved to Denmark, where you must take lessons from a driving school. This is ruinously expensive, so I never got a driving license. I have always regretted this.

I can sail a motor-boat though, which is some consolation.

Glad to hear others don't like driving or being a passsenger on the motorways, thought it was me being silly. I don't like the way the big lorries come so close and then swerve around you, it is frightening.

My Husband used to do most of the long distance/general driving but then he had a stroke which affected his sight and he had his licence revoked. After at first panicking, in that I had to step up and do all the driving realising I had no choice I now do all the driving anytime anywhere!

I have taken around 20 lessons in my life - don't drive badly, but not ever felt ready to take test and now Type 1 diabetic with bad eyesight, so sadly no longer any chance of learning.