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Did your Mum ever drive?

(168 Posts)
Foxglove77 Thu 02-Sept-21 00:03:58

My Mum never learnt to drive although she had a few lessons. I was a late learner in my mid 30s. My daughter passed her test at 17. My mother in law eventually passed her automatic test in her 60s.

Thisismyname1953 Fri 03-Sept-21 12:17:47

No , it never occurred to my DM to learn to drive . We couldn’t afford driving lessons for me until I was mid 30’s .
I was to start training to become a nurse but needed to drive in order for me to get to 7am placements. I passed my test at 36 and then my 3 offspring learned to drive within a few years of me .
I’m still driving and will visit my brother 125 miles away down the M6. I do prefer an automatic car nowadays though .

Soozikinzi Fri 03-Sept-21 12:32:49

My mum loved driving in fact she said take me to Switzerland when I can’t drive any more! We didn’t of course!

JdotJ Fri 03-Sept-21 12:32:59

My dear mum never learnt to drive but I rather think she wished she had.
Apparently she did mention it to my dad in the mid 1960s when they bought a new car but my dad replied 'the insurance would be too much', so she never bothered.

jocork Fri 03-Sept-21 12:33:43

My mum never learnt to drive despite her dad, my grandad, being a driving instructor. My dad learnt to drive in the army during the war but hated driving. The family didn't have a car so there was no point my mum learning. In later life she developed epilepsy so she couldn't have driven after that. My first car was the first car our family had. I was a student and bought a 10 year old banger after my grandad taught me to drive. I can't imagine not being able to drive!

Quizzer Fri 03-Sept-21 12:36:06

My mother never had to take a test, she got a licence before it was required. She was an average driver and never had an accident. She was much better than many older people who live round here!

Tabbycat Fri 03-Sept-21 12:36:30

My Mother never learned to drive. My parents didn't own a car until they were both in their 50s! My father had learned to drive in the RAF during the War and drove various vehicles as part of his work, but couldn't afford to buy his own car until then. I doubt he ever passed any kind of test and he was a menace on the roads - drove way too fast and expected everyone else to get out of his way!

So I left home at eighteen without learning to drive. At university not many students had a car - we walked, used public transport or thumbed a lift!

When I got married my husband could drive, but we couldn't afford to run a car, so we had a scooter and I rode pillion on the back - no helmets! We were given an ancient Ford Cortina by his mother, which had been used as part of a barricade in Belfast! It was falling apart - part of the floor was missing on the front passenger side, so you could see the road passing underneath you! Needless to say I didn't learn to drive on that.

When my second husband and I got together he could drive, but couldn't afford a car, so again we relied on public transport. When we were courting he used to visit me every weekend and travel by train from Lincoln to Coventry. Then we got married and bought our first car - a second hand Mini called Goldie. But by then I wasn't that interested in learning to drive and so I never have. I commuted to work by train and bus until I retired.

Neither of our daughters drive either. We gave the eldest a course of driving lessons for her eighteenth birthday and she passed the theory test, but never took the actual driving test. The youngest wasn't that interested and didn't even want the driving lessons.

GrammaH Fri 03-Sept-21 12:38:16

My mum learnt to drive in her 30s. She drove a little grey A35 for some time, nicknamed the Mighty Midget & used to take my younger sister & the 4 little boys to school in it every day - no seat belts of course! She was stopped by a policeman one day regarding a road closure up ahead. He took one look in the car & said " My word madam, you've got a heap of mischief in there haven't you?" ! He was quite right as they were all under 8. Sadly, she gave up driving when my dad retired at 55 & completely surrendered her independence.
Mother in law drove tractors & all sorts in the Land Army & continued to do so after marrying DH's farmer father who died before we were married. She got progressively worse at driving and was particularly bad at reversing, especially along our country lane. DS could drive a car by the time he was 8 & it wasn't unknown for him to take over reversing duties from his grandmother when meeting somebody on the lane. They often got some funny looks! She did continue driving until her early 80s but became a potential danger to herself & others & DH had to have a little chat with her, hoping he would make her decide not to drive rather than taking the keys away. Fortunately, sense prevailed!

Maru Fri 03-Sept-21 12:44:22

My mum passed her test at 58 after 5 attempts and loved driving. She was so pleased she could drive as my dad fell ill and died soon afterwards. She drove safely until she was 88. I was very proud of her.

nexus63 Fri 03-Sept-21 12:53:34

we had no drivers in our family until my mum decided in her 40s that she wanted to learn, she passed first time and is driving in her 70s, i never wanted to drive and only found out 5 years ago that my panic attacks are in fact epilepsy, my son never wanted to drive but did drive trucks and tanks when he was in iraq years ago, he could drive in an emergency but never wanted to have a car.

Gingerbit Fri 03-Sept-21 12:59:00

My Dad said if I pass my driving test first time he would buy me a car so I did and the car arrived 2 weeks later

nannypiano Fri 03-Sept-21 13:03:17

My mother never learned to drive, but my grandmother could from her time working for the post office. Tests were not heard of then. She didn't own her own car until in her 50's, and used to scare the life out of me when she gave me a lift anywhere. She would sit next to me when I was learning and I felt much safer even as a complete novice. I loved driving so much, I became a self employed driving instructor. I didn't retire until 70, after 45 years in the job and ten cars later.

jenpax Fri 03-Sept-21 13:08:40

My mother learned to drive at 17 and passed first time (this was the 1950’s), my grandfather bought her a little Riley straightaway and she drove all her life until she couldn't due to her health
My paternal grandmother drove an army general around in WW1 and loved driving, she was very fast in her little triumph spitfire zipping around the Sussex lanes and drove more than my grandfather.
My maternal grandmother didn't feel the need to drive until the family returned from living in Egypt (after Suez ) as they had chauffeurs on the pay roll so there was no real need, but on return to UK she took secret driving lessons which only my mother knew about, until the day she presented my grandfather with her test pass certificate! After that she bought a mini and drove around Brighton and over the Downs to visit us all the time.
I learned to drive at 17 but was hyper anxious so rarely drove until I got into my 50’s now I enjoy it

Shandy57 Fri 03-Sept-21 13:11:29

None of the women drove in my family, I was the first. My Mum still used her bicycle until her arthritis was too bad.

rowyn Fri 03-Sept-21 13:42:35

Yes. After she passed her 5th attempt at the test. This was in the 50s when roads were much, much quieter!!

Smileless2012 Fri 03-Sept-21 13:46:24

My mum gave up when she failed her test for the 4th time. Maybe she should have stuck with it like your mum rowynsmile

Nitpick48 Fri 03-Sept-21 13:50:03

My mum drove trucks in the Land Army in the war and was a brilliant driver till her 80s when she became ill. She hated taxis and buses though, so one of her children was always at hand to take her out (I am the oldest of 6 and we mostly lived within 10 miles of each other)

Retired65 Fri 03-Sept-21 14:02:44

Neither of my parents or grandparents could drive. As far as I know they never learnt to drive. We all used to ride bicycles .We also lived near the tube and there was a reasonable bus service. so it was easy to get about. I tried learning to drive in my early 20's but failed my test. I eventually passed it when I was in my early thirties , the first person in my family to do so. My son lives on the outskirts of London, although he passed his test he doesn't own a car.

Theoddbird Fri 03-Sept-21 14:06:47

Apparently my mother drove an ambulance in the war. When I was growing up we didn't have a car so neither of my parents drove one. My dad did have a motorcycle with sidecar I remember.

sunnybean60 Fri 03-Sept-21 14:36:53

mum passed her test first time. First outing crashed into someone at the lights, even though strong minded never drove again which is hard to believe except my dad was furious as he really couldn't afford the car to be off the road and had to take trains to work. it put them in a right difficulty and that was the reason mum never drove again.

leeds22 Fri 03-Sept-21 14:41:48

My Mum never drove but she was a great back seat driver.

NanaPlenty Fri 03-Sept-21 14:44:21

My mum learnt to drive in her late 30’s - my dad worked for Ford Motor and won a car in their employee suggestion scheme. He had never learnt to drive and had no intention of doing so but my mum became a good driver and indeed enjoyed the added freedom it gave us all. Both have sadly now passed - happy memories ?

Sheilasue Fri 03-Sept-21 15:28:45

Only round the bend ??

knspol Fri 03-Sept-21 16:01:05

My mother learned to drive in her mid 60's so that she would be able to drive my father to hospital for his many routine visits and to save waiting for ambulances in emergencies. She was the only member of the family to pass her test at the first attempt. Sadly father died shortly afterwards and she stopped driving after slightly scraping the car (her DH's pride and joy) when driving into the garage.

MickyD Fri 03-Sept-21 16:11:01

Yes 1000 cc superbikes.

Deedaa Fri 03-Sept-21 16:17:42

My mother never drove and neither did any of our female relations. My father had learned before the war but we couldn't afford a car till 1956.

Our neighbour was considered very strange as she not only drove but used to drive her family on holiday to France! Her husband was deputy headmaster at St Paul's School for Girls and very academic. He could no more have driven a car than flown to the moon!