Are there still adults out there who don't/can't drive?

Chuck Stone

Have you ever met someone who doesn't drive? I always found it a rather strange skill to lack in modern Ireland where owning a car is damn near a necessity.

I know of a couple of people who don't drive.

What's up with that shit?

Biggins

Certainly there is people who don't know how to drive.
I know a good few.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

28 can't drive

driving isn't a neccesity at all, you can walk, taxi/bus, get a lift or just not go anywhere

easy peasy

also cheap and I can drink whenever I want

deathrider

I'm in my late 20s, and never even attempted to drive. I don't need a car, so I never really bothered to learn.

sunflower27

I don't drive and never have. I have always lived in cities (until a few years ago - and even now I am 2 mins from bus/rail links).

I doubt I'll ever learn, I'm just not bothered by it and am so used to public transport now anyway.

Sonics2k

I don't drive at the moment.
But I did from about the age of 18 to 23.

Basically had to stop because the cost of insurance was way to much for me at the time, despite never having had an accident.

These days I don't really need to drive anywhere, so haven't bothered to get a new car.

FloatingVoter

Can and won't. Why even get a license ?. What is the point in Dublin ? We have taxis on tap and a semi-reliant bus service. I live centre city. As for visiting the sticks (i.e Limerick where I grew up and out of) - I have a DB pass.

SV

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

also cheap and I can drink whenever I want

So can people who are able to drive..



I've 2 friends who are incapable of driving and have never even bothered learning. One says if he won the lotto he'd hire one of us as his driver rather than learn to drive himself.

Sunnyisland

No quite a few people who cant and not interested in driving.

sdanseo

In fairness, an awful lot of people I know/have seen that have cars can't drive either :P

KilOit

Joking op? i know a ton of people that don't drive, i see no issue with it at all, minimum up keep on a car is 3k or so.
No need for a car if you work in a city center and live in busy areas with lots of public transport.

chin_grin

I'm late twenties (cof cof) and have just learned to drive this year for work. It was very tough, but like anything I'm getting better with more practice. I think it was just that living in Dublin and having a "decent" public transport system, it got me to\from work.

So I fully understand those who still don't know how to drive at my age.

Chuck Stone

flippin hell!

I really can't imagine not driving. I'd go bonkers if I didn't have a car.

Bonkers I tell thee!

Eve_Dublin

Can start a car and change the gears and move and reverse but can't drive properly. Have lived in cities with good transport systems since 2004. I've come to hate cars and those driving them in recent years. There's too many of them on the road and there's little consideration for us who choose to walk or cycle. Walking down the street the other day and a guy was driving on the footpath (in fairness, this was Italy)! It's like, who the feck do you think you are? Plus it promotes laziness and they're damn expensive to run and will continue to get more expensive. As well as that, I never had the money to get lessons etc. Lukcy those whose parents fork out the money for them but don't look down your noses at nose who can't afford it. Rant over!:mad:

deathrider

Chuck Stone wrote: »

flippin hell!

I really can't imagine not driving. I'd go bonkers if I didn't have a car.

Bonkers I tell thee!

Fair enough, but why exactly?

sunflower27

Chuck Stone wrote: »

flippin hell!

I really can't imagine not driving. I'd go bonkers if I didn't have a car.

Bonkers I tell thee!

You might if you had to give up your car, but if you have never had the convenience of a car and always factored in buses/trains, you'd sbe used to it. I know I am.

I know a good few people that don't drive, it's not that rare.

Temptamperu

im 30 and i cant drive... im to afraid

WoollyRedHat

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Have you ever met someone who doesn't drive? I always found it a rather strange skill to lack in modern Ireland where owning a car is damn near a necessity.

I know of a couple of people who don't drive.

What's up with that shit?

No, in L.A, it's a damn near neccesity.

SV

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

No, in L.A, it's a damn near neccesity.

Yeah but it's all auto over there.
and that's not really driving.

Minstrel27

It is a necessity where I am from. Public transport is pretty much non existant

WoollyRedHat

Minstrel27 wrote: »

It is a necessity where I am from. Public transport is pretty much non existant

Get yourself a horse, you don't need a car

Adyx

Also 30 and can't drive. Never really needed to. I tend to walk everywhere (public transport isn't great here in Waterford) - takes me about 25/30 minutes to walk to the city centre. Even if I did learn, I couldn't afford the car itself, the insurance or the upkeep and I certainly wouldn't make enough use of it to justify it.

x_Ellie_x

I don't drive because I had to give up the car back in January 2010. I couldn't afford to keep it anymore.

c_man

Just learning now (I'm 26). Haven't really needed to until now, wish I'd done this years ago. My Dad has never driven and Mam only learned when I was a teenager.

Chuck Stone

deathrider wrote: »

Fair enough, but why exactly?

I don't know. I just like being able to go where I want when I want.

Sometimes I go for a drive just because I like driving.

I really didn't realise there were so many people who don't drive.

deathrider

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I don't know. I just like being able to go where I want when I want.

Sometimes I go for a drive just because I like driving.

I really didn't realise there were so many people who don't drive.

I can't much argue with that.

Personally, I don't think driving would suit me anyways. I'm known for having a bad temper, so being behind the wheel probably isn't really a good plan. Also, I kinda like walking everywhere. Takes a while, but it keeps me on my toes.

Vanbis

I've a friend who is 30 and married a baby, neither he or his wife can drive or have a licence. I know he regrets not doing this test years ago.

I learned how to drive when i was 17 and was driving on and off for a few years before i did my test.

Badly Drunk Boy

I'm in my late 30s and never had any interest nor a real need for a car. My father never drove either so that might have been a factor, but my 4 siblings can all drive.

I don't live in a city but the walk to work takes 15 minutes so that's that covered. And the way people drive these days isn't enticing me to learn. I used to cycle to work but gave that up because of the lunatic motorists out there (and that puncture that I haven't gotten around to fixing.)

Sugar Free

Can't yet (25). Mostly because I don't need to living in Dublin and also the cost involved which would take away from other things like socialising and saving for more important things.

kowloon

I can't drive anymore due to medical reasons, the lack of independence is driving me mental. Have to get the shopping online and they keep delivering milk that goes out of date on the day. Next time it happens I'm going to make lampshades out of the flayed skin of those responsible.

Gordon

Check this thread out.

zenno

I only learned to drive 4 years ago when i was 38. I was a late learner. I got sick of having to use buses and I woke up one morning and said that's it I am going to do the theory test and buy a car simple as that,

but the strange thing about this is that nearly every night years before i could drive, I always had dreams of driving. I could drive great in my dreams but did not know how to drive in real life.

Chuck Stone

Vanbis wrote: »

I've a friend who is 30 and married a baby

WHAT?

Agricola

I could probably get away without a car myself. Bumming lifts and using buses would just about see me through, but Im used to the independence now and won't go back. I sometimes think it would be great if I wasnt a petrolhead, the money Id save would be immense. Motorists are the biggest fúckíng cash cow this state has, and boy does it milk our teets dry.

flutterflye

I thought I was old learning to drive at 23.
That was 3 years ago, and now I'd rather saw off an arm than live without a car.
I hate walking anywhere with my kids- one pulls out of one hand, the other out of the other, and it's just impossible.
Living without a car is like living without the internet :eek:

EdgarAllenPoo

25, only learning now.

Chuck Stone

zenno wrote: »

I could drive great in my dreams but did not know how to drive in real life.

I used to have dreams about flying (like superman) as a kid.

I used to dive from a top bunk to a single bed hoping my flying powers would 'kick in' mid 'flight' and I'd fly straight thru the bedroom window and out into the sky.

Lady Chatterton

I once worked with a guy in his forties who was put off the road for two years for medical reasons, he told (almost) everyone that he had been caught for drink driving as he didn't want them to know that he had a medical problem, I thought that was very sad

Lord TSC

24, only learning now.

Never needed to before. There's buses stop either outside my house going up to Dublin (God love Matthews) or within walking distance. Just never could justify the amount of money needed to actually get a car.

Misty Chaos

25, haven't even applied for the theory test yet. I might get the ball rolling in September though and see about getting my name added to the insurance for the family car, though.

Main thing that put me off doing this sooner was the cost of insurance, like hell was I going to be paying extortionate prices simply because I was a male who was under 25!

That and the transport links where I live are actually pretty good, though with a car, you can obviously come and go as you please and not need to live by a timetable!

Bobby42

I'm 26 and I'm learning about two months. I was too afraid/nervous to learn any sooner really.

Princess Peach

23 and can't drive. Have a learner's licence since I was 19. Just couldn't be bothered. Very rarely need to drive anywhere and have nobody to teach me.

nlgbbbblth

Only learned to drive in the last two years.

The longer you leave it, the harder it gets. Should have done something about it ages ago.

Autosport

Had no choice but to learn to drive at 17, no public transport where I live. Although being a petrol head helped me

zenno

Princess Peach wrote: »

23 and can't drive. Have a learner's licence since I was 19. Just couldn't be bothered. Very rarely need to drive anywhere and have nobody to teach me.

no need, sure I thought myself to drive I never once got a lesson I just hopped in and conked out a lot but after a while I got used to the whole car. though I was lucky in a way, I had plenty of space to learn without going on the roads till I was confident enough. 4 years on now and it's just second nature.

Sarn

I didn't learn until my late twenties. Was able to walk to college and work and had plenty of good public transport options so I didn't see the point at the time.

Now the car sits outside gathering dust during the week, an expensive luxury, but it's great to be able to head off anywhere, pick up bulky items etc. without too much hassle.

Vanbis

Chuck Stone wrote: »

WHAT?

That should of said married with a 4 month old baby .

FloatingVoter

There are plenty of people living in Donegal / Kerry who can drive very well. They also have full licenses and are well able to teach their kids how to drive. Fair play.
Driving in a city like Dublin or Cork is a whole other issue. I'm in the won't camp wholesale, the can't in terms of city driving.

There are not many roundabouts, one way street systems etc. in Castlemahon or Termonfeckin. Driving a car from NCW to Limerick is not driving from Dame St. to the airport. Same vehicle, different route.

Princess Peach

zenno wrote: »

no need, sure I thought myself to drive I never once got a lesson I just hopped in and conked out a lot but after a while I got used to the whole car. though I was lucky in a way, I had plenty of space to learn without going on the roads till I was confident enough. 4 years on now and it's just second nature.

I don't have a car either!

pow wow

A lot of my ma's friends (in their 60s) can't drive. My ma has been learning for aggggggges but she's terrible at driving and knows it. She says if she had her time over she'd have learnt when she was much younger - it was only when my dad was ill last year she realised she had no-one else to drive her around the place.

zenno

I have to say though I am glad I learned to drive even at a late age as the freedom to get to a destination in comfort with the sounds going is unbeatable. like the other poster said, no waiting on timetables.