Do you drive?

I took driving lessons and passed my test first time after very few lessons but DH did not have any confidence in my ability, his car so didn't push it.

I stopped driving 3 years ago when I was 83. Passed my test in 1962. I just avoided a headon collision as my foot got stuck between the brake and the accelerator.
That was it I never drove after that.Luckily bus services here are good and husband drives.

I had lessons when my children were small in my thirties, and although I’m not an anxious person I was always in a state of high anxiety when my lesson time came. I hated it all. My DH was not the most patient of people so I had little practice between lessons . I failed twice , gave up and never tried again . Since DH has died I do miss car trips through France and spontaneous days out, but I live in the London suburbs with excellent services and get about easily when I want to. Unfortunately my DD has moved out into the sticks so my visiting always involves me being picked up from the station 15 miles from their village. Yes travelling does take longer by public transport but nowadays I have plenty of time and usually enjoy my train journeys . A number of my friends have given up their cars either for health or financial reasons , but we are fortunate in living where we do. I think the decimation of rural public transport is outrageous. In my daughter’s village the bus service has been reduced to once a day- 8am to the nearest town and a 5.30 return . Elderly people living there are marooned.

For my 17th Birthday present I had a course of Driving lessons from my Mum and Dad about 10 lessons.
I paid for the rest, I passed within 3 months best gift ever.
So 50 years driving now, and bless them they added me to the Car Insurance until I could afford my own one.

We did the same for our children.

My SiL never bothered to learn, that was a big mistake, she lives in a remote area in Scotland, she often get stuck without transport when her DH who is now not in the best of health can't drive her anywhere.

I’m 73 and never learned to drive. Couldn’t afford it and live in the centre of town with excellent transport links. Of course it must be different if you live somewhere with only 2 buses a day and no railway station.

I've been driving for over 50 years. I've driven abroad and around the UK but now I stay fairly local. I've virtually given up driving at night now. I can't say I enjoy driving. I see it as a means of getting from A to B. It's finding somewhere to park is the problem- the fiddling around for cash/card for meters is a right bind.

I try not to drive locally for environmental and now, obviously, financial reasons.
I did give up the car for a while (having deliberately downsized to somewhere with excellent rail and bus links), but family moving to a place that takes 4 hours by public transport but 1 and a half by car... no brainer.

I have driven since a child, as my DF had a garage business and I helped move the vehicles around. My life would have been so different if I didn't drive - I have driven many different types of vehicle and travelled the roads and cities of Europe too. Great adventures were had! All of my female friends drive with only my DS not driving in the family.

I learnt to drive in my early 20s. Passed on my 2nd attempt. I love driving, but detest negotiating the roads in cities and built up areas. Fortunately I live in a rural area and our largest local town has ample parking.
As my cataracts are slowly developing, I am becoming more wary of driving at night but will still do it if I need to.

I started driving when my youngest son started school and it was 2 x bus rides away OH worked 3 shifts so he could not take him every day.
I passed my test first time and can still hear the shock from my OH that I would be buying my own car.
I've always driven with my job before retiring and have just recently bought myself a new car which I love driving as often as possible.

I drove from the age of 20 until forced to give up because of eye problems two years ago. I feel very frustrated, loosing ones independence is not easy when one lives in a rural area with very limited public transport. I hate asking for lifts so miss out on events. I used to love deciding at the last minute to go somewhere, but now DH has to be sweet talked and our interests are totally different. He is kindly taking me to buy some plants this morning but has nil interest in gardening so will be a quick whiz round and home, not my usual style in a nursery!

Yes, thank goodness, I do drive. It's been a real necessity at times. Especially with some medical issues.

I’m not ‘proud’ of being able to drive, Grammaretto, it’s just a fact.
But I’m very glad dds learned in their late teens - even though they cost us a fortune in lessons. Both took 3 goes to pass, but at least by the time they did, I thought they’d had enough practice to be reasonably competent on the road.

To me it’s a very useful life skill, a bit like being able to ride a bike or swim, though I’d rate swimming as decidedly more necessary.

OTOH an old schoolfriend of dh, although a competent driver, feels no need for one since he lives in a central-ish London flat with excellent PT - but parking would be a nightmare.
If he wants a car for the weekend, he just hires one.

Surprisingly more young people are not learning to drive. The costs to them are prohibitive
Good for them ayse it's not just the cost in money terms but the cost to the environment.

A car is a means of transport, one of several.
I'm sure we would have learned to ride a horse or a camel if that was the way to get about.
I wish we could wean ourselves off the private motor car in these days of climate emergency.
How many of you fly aeroplanes? It's now 100 years since Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic.
I have 3 women friends who drive buses, one is a school bus driver.
Otherwise, I can see little real virtue in being proud of driving.

Yes.

Love my car.

I loathe driving but still do it. I had to learn when there were 3 children going in different directions for after school stuff. I’ve never had an accident, touch wood.

I’d be very happy not to drive but it’s still a necessity atm.

Surprisingly more young people are not learning to drive. The costs to them are prohibitive.

I had my first driving lesson on my 17th birthday (1969) as I couldn't wait!

My eldest son did the same.

Youngest son has never felt the need to learn and nor has his partner.

I learnt to drive at seventeen. My parents bought me my first car. It was a soft top Triumph Herald. If I remember correctly petrol was about 65 pence a gallon. Not long after that I think it rose to a pound.
I remember seeing the renewal date on my driving licence, and thinking how ancient I would be by then. Where did those years go?

I drive but only on local roads. Because my son and daughter live in local villages and there’s no easy bus service to their homes it would be difficult for me to visit them and help out with baby and dog sitting if I didn’t drive. Ditto shopping and going to the gym (although I’m still not back to doing those yet). My doctors surgery and dentist are in nearby towns. My dodgy knee and dodgy waterworks mean that I’m not comfortable using what buses are available. Because I only drive locally I’m terrified of a driving test for older people being introduced because, although I’m no longer happy driving on urban motorways there’s no one safer than me on the roads that I know. I couldn’t even get my dog to the vets without a car.

I still drive although I am limited to where I go as i can't cope with the amount of traffic on the road. I'm able to get to wherever i need to be family members, friends, social groups and shopping anything else its buses or trains. One son's wife doesn't drive and the two eldest GC don't either but they are happy to rely on their father to run them everywhere. I'm hoping the younger GD will try to learn once of an age. Not sure how they'd cope if anything stopped my son from driving. My other children apart from one also all drive. If I didn't have my car I would be virtually housebound due to mobility issues and dependant on others for lifts.

I drive,but not a happy driver.Same as Greyduster DH loves big cars and a few years ago we decided to just have the one car, of course it was the big powerful one!Having said that I’m pleased I can drive if I need too.

I don't enjoy driving but it would take up a lot of the day on buses and trains to get to my children.
The buses where I live are infrequent too.
I would prefer not to drive if I could.

It was another thing we did for our children at 17. Paid for driving lessons. Hugely expensive, but we considered it quite an investment for them and there future. Luckily all passed reasonably quickly ( being younger) and no we are not wealthy so no cars they had to earn and buy their own.

I love driving,passed my test 35ish years ago Dh doesn`t drive he had a nasty experiance when he was young and it`s a bit of a phobia.
Although he manages to drive me up the wall didn`t need a test for that.