Why do people choose not to drive

Ive heard a few people say "im never going to drive" but im just wandering why people choose not to, I get if they arent allowed to, cant afford to run a car, cant be botherd or scared to. Im just wandering why people just decline that optinuity because it is freedom you can go everywhere or anyway at anytime, you can get a car, its so pratical, having a licence is a qualification, public transport is just so bad, most people do it, its so much fun, it is very independent, it is reliable etc.

To anyone who is 17 plus explain why you have not chose to drive apart from you arent allowed to, cant afford to run a car, cant be botherd or scared to etc. Even if you cant be botherd learning its something that will help you in the future so its worth it. So anyone who have chosen not to drive reply to this saying why.

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Reply 1

999tigger

Original post by Dont know01

It isnt always needed and the costs outweigh the benefits. London would be a prime example.

Reply 2

1582

Volunteer Team

I grew-up in a household without a car. We always managed perfectly fine between walking and public transport. I don't see any need to drive.

Reply 3

Dont know01

Original post by sinfonietta

I grew-up in a household without a car. We always managed perfectly fine between walking and public transport. I don't see any need to drive.

Reply 4

Dont know01

Original post by 999tigger

It isnt always needed and the costs outweigh the benefits. London would be a prime example.

Yep london is good for public transport and it is hard to drive in central but what about a moped or renault twizy or something

Reply 5

adam271

Because the cost is often too much.

Let's say you buy a car for £5000
Insurance £2000
fuel for the year £1500
servicing and mot £500.

That's a heck of a lot of money just to get to work to make money and to drive where you want.

Reply 6

N. Auditoré

Original post by Dont know01

Don’t see the point, in London i have enough buses and trains to get me where i need to go where i can just watch programs and so nothing. When I’m out of London for school in the Midlands everything is in walking distance in my city and if i want to visit ppl, as said trains get there quicker and i can enjoy my programs, cheaper too so it’s really a no-brainer

Reply 7

Dont know01

Original post by nathan_nacu

Insurance will be expensive in london as well tbf

Reply 8

username3729202

Original post by Dont know01

I'm 18, at university, and I don't have a licence. I'm planning to get driving lessons and a licence within the next couple of years. My dad didn't get his licence until he was 25. I am planning to get lessons in the next couple of years. I probably won't have a car for a couple of years yet (I can't afford a car). A drivers' licence is important for things like ID, and driving is an important life skill. Public transport isn't great, but it's there.

Original post by 999tigger

It isnt always needed and the costs outweigh the benefits. London would be a prime example.

Original post by nathan_nacu

Absolutely true, the underground trains are fast (especially the central, victoria, jubilee and metropolitan lines) and reliable (most of the time. TFL updates their status regularly so people can check if they need to replan their journey). Traffic in London is just awful, especially during rush hour. When I need to commute to my uni in london, I get the underground because it's fast.

Reply 9

999tigger

I think its less of an issue now, but vehicle break in and theft used to be a big one.
These days its just as much parking space and insurance costs.
Nice to have, but consider what else you could do with the money.

Reply 10

Dont know01

Original post by 999tigger

You could get a holiday or put it towards a house I guess or put it towards uni

Reply 11

josie71202

I don't drive because I'm disabled and the idea scares me
I would also become really lazy and it would wreck my health

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 12

RichPiana

Original post by adam271

I’ve been driving for nearly 6 years now and my insurance is now less than £400 for a 15 plate golf. In the short run insurance is expensive but once you’re experienced enough the cost of insurance isn’t that bad. I also have no idea where you’d be going to pay £500 for MOT and servicing. I can get them done for a combined total of around £150.

To answer OPs question, it depends on a range of factors:
- Cost: This is probably the single most important reason. However, there are solutions for this e.g. financing and paying monthly for insurance rather than a whole year up front.
- Time: Some people are just busy with education/work. Again, there are ways around this. I spent a lot of the free time I had gaining experience by driving with a family member. This saved me a lot of money on instructor costs and it was more flexible since I’m not restricted to whenever the instructor was available. I could go for a drive with a family member at 9-10pm if I wanted to, or any other time we were free.
- Laziness: There are some people who genuinely can’t be bothered. It’s just too much effort for them and they’d just much rather take the bus or train. I know a few people who can’t be bothered simply because their mates have a car and whenever they need a lift they just ask them for a lift.
-Location: Have you ever driven in London? It’s often a nightmare.

I do believe, however, that it’s a good skill to at least be able to drive. Even if you’re not planning on buying a car it is still handy to know that you can drive, so that in the future if you do require the use of a car then you don’t have to worry about waiting for someone to pick you up or waiting an hour for the bus to come. I remember a month or so back I went to the club with my mates when my car was in the garage for repair, and my mates ended up having too much to drink. It was an absolute nightmare getting them home cause the buses weren’t running and most taxis wouldn’t take us simply wouldn’t take us. It’s times like that when having a car on hand is very useful.

Reply 13

StriderHort

Just depends I suppose, to many in city areas a car is the opposite of freedom, it's a huge restrictive pain in the rear compared to paying a pound or so and popping up 5-10 mins later at a different tube station/bus stop with no parking to worry about and the reassuring knowledge that emission zones/bus lanes/one way streets/cameras just aren't your problem.

Reply 14

StriderHort

Original post by RichPiana

I also have no idea where you’d be going to pay £500 for MOT and servicing. I can get them done for a combined total of around £150.

I could see some of the dealer service costs getting close to that tbh, some of them are bum clenching. I was quoted bet part of £250 to service a Fiesta last year.

Reply 15

ThuggerThugger

Only places you can live well without a car is London and Birmingham.. went to Birmingham few years back and you can literally get anywhere by tram and the buses run like clockwork. London is even better and its not as expensive as you might think.

People who dont want to drive probably feel like they couldn’t do it tbh, its not for everyone it does take skill and some people just dont have it. There are people who will never understand the bite point.

Reply 16

RichPiana

Original post by StriderHort

I could see some of the dealer service costs getting close to that tbh, some of them are bum clenching. I was quoted bet part of £250 to service a Fiesta last year.

That’s a bit of a rip off. Then again, I have a few good links nowadays so they do my MOT and service at a discounted price.

Reply 17

Gent2324

Careers Forum Helper

i mean you kind of answered the question in the first post.
i dont have a car because i can get everywhere i need to get to with public transport and i also dont really care about having a car to show off and just drive around

Reply 18

StriderHort

Original post by RichPiana

That’s a bit of a rip off. Then again, I have a few good links nowadays so they do my MOT and service at a discounted price.

Oh I didn't pay it, I have a local garage that I trust far more who did it for 150 odd (didn't need an MOT though) ..but it depends how much you care about the service history being all dealer or not I suppose, and that's the kind of thing that annoyingly comes up if you need to make an insurance claim