Do you drive?

when I was younger,I'm 70 now,not so many learned to drive.When my son and daughter were old enough,they learned,more were doing it by then.My husband could drive,so I always had use of a car.It's only now I'm by myself that I've wished I'd learned.But then again,I would be struggling to afford to run a car,so I have to rely on family,or bus pass.I know women my age who only do short journeys now,but they still have the expense.

I have had my licence since 18, now 87 and a clean licence it is. Living where I do there is no public transport so I need my car. Also if I need to take one of my pets to the Vet, for instance, taxis don't accommodate carrying them. My car is my lifeline to to the outside world.

I am 76, and never learnt to drive.
I was never encouraged to drive when I was young. Women then, for some reason just didn’t drive. My mother never learnt either.

I briefly attempted to learn in 1982, but for some reason gave it up. I now cannot remember why.
I’m quite happy now I don’t drive as there are so many maniacs on the road.

I’m 72 have had my license since my 30s, I live in a village where it would be hard to be without transport. I love driving and have just bought a brand new car!
My mother is 94 and she still drives too.
It gives you independence: used to share a car with my husband when I was married but was delighted to have my own car when we divorced over 20 years ago!

I’ve driven since 1970 my 17th birthday. My driving lessons were 10/- for an hour and petrol 3/6 a gallon. I couldn’t manage without a car my non driving dad says I sounded snobby the other day when we were on a bus as I kept saying I hate busses.
Statistics say there are fewer young people driving now due to the costs and congestion. However I’ve loved to be able to just jump into my car and drive off. Best feeling ever.

My non driving daughter not dad

Yes - I learned to drive at 17 and am now 78. Can’t imagine being without a car - one day I guess, I shall have to .... that will be a bad day - I love driving.

I am 81 and have been driving since I was 21. My Dad had a car which sat outside his work all day and my Mum decided that if I learned to drive then we could go places on my day off.
She paid for 10 lessons and I sat my test and passed 1st time. I taught my Husband to drive and both my daughters too. The elder daughter applied for her Provisional license on her 17th Birthday she passed first time and my younger daughter was 22 but she passed 1st time too. None of us have ever regretted learning to drive.

Yes! And have driven to London today (and the last bit of the way back because husband felt sleepy). I didn't learn till I was 50 and it took a year and ten months. I took my test five times. Not being accustomed to fail tests/exams, I found it very frustrating. Next month I will have been driving 25 years, which seems incredible. Like others, I no longer drive at night. Of my three daughters, only the oldest (45) can't drive.

I have driven since I was 17 and couldn't wait to get a car, I still enjoy driving and living in a rural area need to get about. I have a few friends who drive but don't really enjoy it. We are all between 60-70.

Ditto, Nipsmum. Thank goodness we didn’t have the exam! My daughters and I have an agreement that if they think I’m unsafe I stop. Still collecting grandchildren from school a couple of times a week. I haven’t driven in London for ages but do drive to the West Country to visit friends.

I never learnt to drive. When I was a teenager I couldn't afford it. In my 20s and 30s, I didn't need a car and I still wouldn't have been able to afford it.Now a car would be very useful as I have mobility problems, but I have a mobility scooter to get around when it isn't raining and minicabs when necessary. I have one sister with a car, my mother and grandmother never drove but my great aunt loved driving, including coming up from Wiltshire to Essex and cutting across London. She told me she liked the challenge of Hyde Park Corner! I was lucky that I grew up in a place with ok public transport making a car less necessary.

I am 71 years young and I love driving. Night time is not so good but I have bought yellow tinted glasses to wear over my varifocals and they help with the glare.
I know there will be a time when I cannot drive so I shall use public transport then and work my interests around timetables
My mum was the bus timetable icon for her friends and I shall emulate her!!.

I drive everywhere. I have learnt that I have to adapt my style of driving whether I am on the streets of London, negotiating high bank Devon lanes or zooming up the motorway. My reactions are faster than DH's so I am a bad passenger and make distracting sounds. Parking is my weakness, I usually have to make a couple of attempts, but I learnt to drive in France where you just abandoned your car to nip into the baker's.

My late Mother was a driver duri g WW2 so I guess we had a role model. Also, we lived in the middle of nowhere so without transport there was no way to go anywhere. Kids left home for the nearest city at 16 and often returned to live once they had a car or, in my case, a motorcycle.

I drive and love it - independence!
Several women friends I know also drive but refuse to drive on the motorway! Never heard a man say this.

I drive and was with a (female) friend the other day - we both said we would be loathe to give up.
Interestingly my grandmother drove but my grandfather didn’t!

My mum was a driver in WW2 as well, she worked on an ak-ak battery in Scotland and she taught my 2 sisters and me to drive. I'm so pleased to be able to drive and hope to carry on for a good few years yet (I'm 69 now).

I started driving at 17, passed my test at 18 and have been driving ever since, I’m now in my early 60’s. I’m not so keen on motorway driving but do it if necessary.
Most of my friends can drive but a couple of them didn’t learn until a bit later in life & don’t like to drive very far or into big cities.
My mum never learnt, her younger sister passed her test in the 1960’s but then never drove for some reason.

blog.audicary.com/driving-and-the-brain-driving-is-good-for-your-mind/
Good reason to keep driving!

I passed my driving test in my early forties, second attempt, but I was always extremely anxious driving. My dh always drove unless we were were socialising when it was always my turn to drive home! Eventually I refused to do this and said after an argument about driving that I wouldn't be driving any more. Cut my nose to spite my face. Too late now as my licence has age expired and the mere thought of it fills me with dread.

I enjoy driving, but not always the behaviour of some other motorists - having had a speeding fine years ago (35 in a 30 area that I thought was 40, so not too terrible) I stick to the correct limit now but I sometimes irritate those who want to speed. It's so useful to drive - I was a slow starter (38) but I'm so glad I can.

Personally I know of men and women young and old who choose not to learn to drive. City living commuting on train tram taxi or tube some on bikes and some walkers. No worries about parking and perfectly happy with their choices.
Maybe historically it was more common for a man to drive for travel to work and a lot of women stayed at home or worked locally part time to look after their children. Times have changed of course.

My mum was always so proud of her driving. She learnt in the Army in the 1940s drove lorries but was too young when she left the army to have a civilian HGV licence. Parents didn't have a car until 10 years later and she did all the driving. Everytime a sibling got a new car she'd have a drive, even when she came to visit us in Indonesia she drove our car. She was of course a woman ahead of her time.

Yes I do, used to taxi my mum and Gran about, then my children and now my grandchildren. I've always loved the freedom of being able to drive anywhere anytime. Like some others I'm not keen on night driving now. Driving's a skill we need to keep using daily to maintain confidence I think.