To drive or not to drive

If you live in a city/urban area with good transport links and dont go out all that often a car can be a needless expense.

There are some advantages in being a non driver and not having a car.

People you dont want to see cant make a descision that you are "in" because the car is there/not there so you can safely not open the door to them.

You can get out of some of the things you dont want to do because you "dont have transport". I managed to have all my jabs as "home visits".

When you really want to get somewhere there are always taxis.

No ripoff expenses for petrol, road tax, insurance or worries about passing your test.

I loved driving. Indeed, would often describe myself as being like a tortoise - my car was my safe place. I would quite happily go for journeys all over the place in it. Had maps, and later on a good satnav.

When I last moved (in my late eighties), having a garage was one of the absolutes in my viewings. Although was sensible enough also to ensure that my new home would have very close bus services, etc. etc.

Using a mobility scooter for all my local groups and meetings, I found I only used my car for my weekly Sainsbury shop (six mile round trip), and my visits to friends and children back in London (long journey, taking me about four hours each way.

I also found that as confident as I had always been in the car, I was starting to feel somewhat nervous on such long journeys by myself. Found myself listening for noises, worried about punctures, etc. etc. Actually preferred using trains, etc.

So a few months ago, I worked out that that the six mile round trip to Sainsbury's was costing me nearly a thousand pounds per year - Yes £1000 p.a.!!! This was Insurance, RAC cover, MOT and Servicing plus the occasional new tyres, repairs etc.

Decided I would not wait until either a large accident or a series of small ones occurred, sold my car, and now use buses, delivery services, etc.

Yes, I do have the occasional times I miss the freedom of just getting into that to go off somewhere, but, also have that feeling of relief of not having that as an extra concern (even more so as the cost of petrol seems to rise every week). I can also feel quite smug on the ecological front.

Also have a lovely tidy, neat garage in which I can store all sorts of things!!!

You can also have an anti glare coating on prescription lens.

My driving glasses are reactolite with a anti-glare coating.

Price of second hand cars has gone through the roof, might be worth trying to sell it before the MOT!

We tend to forget the costs of running a car when we are just nipping out to the supermarket.
Be prepared, if you give up your car, that taxis do cost. I have found that a £20 round trip to the shop comes as a huge shock to many.
They are so amazed at the cost they hardly go out. I’m not saying that car ownership is cheap but one calculates the cost differently. It’s all in the mind.

I bought some anti glare specs from amazon. Excellent. 3 different styles £12 or can be bought separately.

Check how much taxi fares are locally. I live 4 miles from a railway station. Last time I got a taxi home it cost over £15. Given that was a couple of years ago it probably now costs £20. A lot of the money you save on running a car can be dissipated in relatively few taxi journeys.

My late lamented Toyota Yaris was 19 years old when an idiot drove into me and wrote it off. I had had it 14 years. It cost £4,000 to buy, around "350 for every year I owned it, insurance was under £200 a year, comprehensive and it never needed a major repair, never broke down and only onced failed its MOT. All told running costs were very low and it wouldn't take many months of taxi travel in my neck of the woods to account for all th eannual savings from not running a car.

I didn't think twice, my car will be replaced, just as soon as the cash comes in from the insurance company and I have worked out how much more I can add .

Make sure that's what you want....because once the car is gone...I'm guessing your confidence will be gone with it....my mums 85...lives in a large village with all amenities and excellent bus service....she would not consider giving up her car tho

You already have days where you do not drive, as you feel you should not.

Hard as it is to admit it, the time comes when we are faced with something we no longer can do, and have to face up to it.

You may have reached this point with driving, but really only you can decide this.

I would sit down and work out how much money you will save by not having a car. We did, and were astonished to see the amount.

Are you fit enough to ride an electric bike, or a handicap scooter with three wheels or an elecrtric cargo-bike (my preference)?

I would be very wary about the peripheral neuropathy. DH nearly killed us when he drove straight through a red light. He though the accelerator had jammed but the garage could find nothing wrong and I've driven it for 3 years since and it's never happened again. I realise now that he had no idea what his feet were doing. I also realise now that we should have notified the DVLA that he had peripheral neuropathy.

I try to avoid night-driving for all the reasons mentioned above. What concerned me about the OP, was that her feet get numb. Now that's scary ....so think carefully ....

Totally agree with the LED light comment Hetty - they are terrible . I hate driving in the dark in our rural area as they are blinding !

It is true that in many small towns and rural areas, taxis are not easily available. I always suggest that when you first do without a car, book a taxi on a fairly regular basis and get to know the drivers / dispatchers.
Some think that whilst they can get around using buses and lifts with friends then they will. But if you get to know the taxi firm, then they will try to be helpful if you need them at an awkward time.

A couple I know have both lost confidence with driving. They don't have major health problems but only use their cars locally and won't drive after dark -due to the awful glare from modern headlights.

Apparently, there's a maximum wattage - but it's not been updated to adjust down for LEDs - I think that's ridiculous, as even as a passenger, I'm blinded by them.

Well nannycake hopefully your feet won’t get as cold as mine in the north east ! I wear sensible woollen socks all winter in all circumstance ! It’s lovely that you have everything so close - it shouldn’t be a problem

Sad to say I agree with OP, if you have health problems you really should stop. Don’t waste money on repairs. You will adapt.

Thank you so much everyone for responding so quickly. I found all your comments honest and helpful. I appreciated the prompt from marymary62 about driving with cold feet. I live in a small town just outside of Bristol where everything I need is within walking distance which is fortunate for me so not being able to drive won’t impact my everyday life. Thanks again for your comments.

Hetty using the word 'cab' is quite telling. We have Sam's Taxis - if he isn't doing s hool runs.

Today, we dropped something off at DD's (only 3 miles away - over Charnwood Forest) while we were on the way to Leicester shopping.

Not sure Sam's taxis are up for that. And we don't have cabs!

My daughter uses hand controls in her automatic car - a simple lever with the indicator on the end - push the lever away to brake, or pull forward to accelerate. Obviously DVLA would need to know, as would your insurance company.
Worth a look?

I love driving and don’t look forward to giving up one day. I do pretty well all our driving. OH has his own car which he uses when going out on his own. If we are together we go in my car and I drive. I drive up to London to see my son and his family, which is around 70 miles each way. Obviously over the last two years that hasn’t always been possible! Also, we live in a small village. There is a bus service but rather infrequent. To get to Oxford I would have to drive to a nearby village, park in an overgrown lay-by and wait for a bus there. There is also a village taxi, but just the one. I know that one day infirmity will catch up with me and I will have to rely on other forms of transport!

Of course, in the summer I walk a lot more and use buses and trains. My shopping's done mainly online and I have the freedom of doing round trips, with no parking or returning to a parked car.

My legs are strong anyway from twice daily dog walking - 'use it or lose it' is very true.

funny I have just been on the phone cancelling my insurance and Sorn my tax because my car is ancient and coming up for an MOT not used much lately very sad though I will miss the car

I’d take it for it’s MOT and see what happens . If it passes and you’ve somewhere off-road to park it just SORN it for a while until you find out whether life without a car is for you. If it fails you will find out how much it costs to put right and that may help your decision as to whether to spend the money or not . If you want a new car get one. Don’t make your decision whether to drive or not based on the car, make it because it is either a positive choice or a wise one .
My mum (30 years ago now aged 70 ) stopped the instant she felt she wasn’t safe as she could not bear the thought of causing an accident. I’m not suggesting you are unsafe as you are very aware of your condition and do not drive when affected - but what do you do if your feet get cold when you are out ? I know my feet get cold sometimes ! If you have a tiny niggle that you should not drive for health reasons and safety then I would very kindly suggest you do stop now . Only you can decide that nannycake, and it is a difficult decision. Good luck !

If there are plenty of taxis and buses near you, definitely that’s a better option. Add up the cost of road tax insurance garage bills,,,,

I have a friend in central london who gave up her car 20 years ago at age 50. It just wasn’t financially viable,

I've never driven - or had the expense of owning a car - but there's always a cab available when I need one.