having a drivers license, but don't drive.

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Belushi87
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12 Mar 2017, 4:04 am

it took me almost 10 years to get my drivers license and i got it just in situations where if i needed to drive somewhere then i could just hop in a car and go, but because i live within walking distance to everything and there is a bus stop less then 3 blocks from my house, i don't drive as much as i should. i think its because i don't have my own car. i would have to borrow one and it feels like i have to have the car back by a certain time so i feel like borrowing a car isn't worth the trouble.

if i had own car, which i can't afford, i would be able to go place that would normally take me 2 hours by bus and it feels like i would be able to apply for jobs that are out of my comfort zone because i would have a car to get there.



Joe90
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12 Mar 2017, 5:12 am

I'm exactly the same. I have a drivers license (passed my test 7 years ago) but I don't have a car. I use buses. Here are some reasons why I don't have a car:-

-I can't afford a car (I don't earn enough money in my job)
-I like getting buses
-Getting buses works out cheaper than having a car
-Driving a car on today's busy roads does frighten me

It took me 3 years of driving lessons to pass my test and get a license, because I was rather nervous and it took a while to learn all the rules of the road. But at least my license is there for whenever I decide to get myself a car.


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Lunella
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12 Mar 2017, 5:16 am

I've been thinking about getting mine soon. I've avoided it because I know the learning process will take me a long time because of changing gear and remembering stuff. I tried to learn with another autistic friend who can drive and it was fun, but like his damn pedal kept making me panic cause it was too sensitive to the point I was driving with my toe. Plus I can't figure out how much space I actually have. Driving a car is weird. I may end up just getting a motorbike.


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TheSilentOne
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12 Mar 2017, 11:51 am

I got my license a few years back (it was a painful experience, despite passing the road test on the first try), but just recently sold my car to my sister. I hate driving with a passion and almost always try to get rides from people in exchange for gas money or fast food on the way :) I think that if I weren't afraid to drive more, it would make my life easier in a lot of ways. I'm usually stuck waiting around for people to pick me up from places and I would get more done if I were able to provide my own transportation. Maybe someday.


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tylerb1011
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12 Mar 2017, 9:25 pm

Yeah, I got my license about five years ago (after three attempts at the road test). I rarely drive because, at this point in my life, I have no need to. I work from home, my primary social group lives within walking distance, and every type of business is about a mile away.And, it is pretty stressful being on the road.



2wheels4ever
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12 Mar 2017, 11:24 pm

I succeeded in getting my license at the age of 34, after being rejected at 18 and 24 due to the vision part of the test. Even if OP chooses not to drive, a license is still preferable over a regular ID, some places (stupid, I know) will refuse to accept tenants or even rent out motel rooms on the basis of ID status. I always resented that Motor Vehicle departments issue the IDs even though non-drivers have no dog in that fight. Just a month or so after 9-11 I went to Mexico without a shred of documentation to my name and was extremely fortunate to get back across the border; only my knowledge of where I was born convinced US Customs to let me through.

Anyway all I have to productively add is that one of my longtime friends has a wife (they both ride motorcycles) where her mother went out and got her motorcycle endorsement in the event HER husband became incapacitated and she needed to ride the motorcycle to summon help.


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cberg
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12 Mar 2017, 11:32 pm

These threads come up every month or so & my answer never changes: learn your car's mechanicals. Drive a manual & learn to align gears, then you'll always know what the whole car is doing. That way your left foot can always cut the power, if that was a source of anxiety.


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