good for you! i think you will enjoy knowing how to drive. it's a kind of independence, and could improve your entire life. but, it is dangerous. i've spent a good part of the last 20 years of my life working in law firms on personal injury claims related to motor vehicles accidents. traffic deaths are up 14% this year, thanks to a number of variables.

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if you drive carefully you can reduce your risk, but always be wary of what is happening around you on the road. i witnessed a horrific traffic accident on 94 west, saturday afternoon. a four car pile up which happened because several vehicles were following each other too closely at high speeds and someone in front slowed down, triggering a massive accident. so right now i'm still feeling that sight.

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please be careful and enjoy!

[Edited 8/24/15 6:46am]

To be honest, I HATE IT

I only learned how to drive because I consider that being able to transport myself (if necessary) is a must (like speaking a second language), but I hate the whole racing subculture, the "road heroes-warriors" thing (that usually get killed), peop,e driving TOO FAST on the freeways, the thin line between drugs and driving, the overpriced cars, the contamination, etc

I can drive yes, but I don't own a car, you get the idea

breakdown2k14 said:

At 26 years of age ,I'm finally learning how to drive .the reason why I waited so long is becuz my cousin died at 21 in a car wreck .he was trying to get to his best friends wedding .I contemplated driving for a long time.I didn't feel so bad cuz I have friends my age who don't have their license either .I figured I need mine .Never know when there will be a emergency .my grandpa still drives and he's 90.he runs through red lights and stop signs all the time .so if I get my license I will be his shofer .So how do you offers feel about driving ? Do u enjoy it or dislike it?

Learning has no age limit, congratulations! its the greatest freedom in the world to just be able to get up and go anywhere you like.

Having a driver's license (and maintaining a good driving record) is one of the most important factors in improving one's socioeconomic status. Congratulations.

Congratulations! Good for you.

I'm busy with my drivers lessons too, at 41.

Because I travel by bicycle or train, I never really needed it. Now that I get it soon, I'm thrilled about it.

But I still prefer my bike.

Congratulations!!! I have several close friends who grew up in New York City where a car is not a necessity. They moved to California in their 30s and never learned to drive. They just never felt comfortable with it. I learned to drive at 16 and am now 36. Personally, I dislike driving and avoid it as much as I can. In the last 10 years I have been in 7 accidents. Of those, 3 of them occured in the last 12 months and my car was totalled all 3 times. None of them were my fault. The first time I was at a complete stop at a metering light at an on-ramp waiting to enter the freeway. The driver from behind hit me at over 60 miles an hour. He hit me so hard he slammed me into the car stopped in front of me. The second one, I was crossing an intersection and another driver blew through a stale red light at 40 mph and hit me head on. And the third one ... I was stopped in traffic on the freeway on rainy day and the driver behind my slammed into the back of me. So I'm not fond of driving. There are a lot of very careless drivers on the road who are doing everything but driving (including talking on the phone, texting, brushing their teeth, shaving, putting on eye makeup, disciplining their kids in the back seat, rolling their hair in curlers, etc...). I drive 120 miles a day round trip to work, I see it all. Drive defensively!!!

Yeah, I agree with the fuckers here who say that driving can be a very rewarding experience IF you remember to always implement those safety precautions that are so obvious that they can be pretty easy to dismissively forget.
Things like,
always buckle up,
stay within the speed limit
and always remember to assume the fetal position whenever a police officer tells you to step outta the car. A surrendered body posture goes a long way in helping to convince a cop to beat with you with his bare fists instead of a night stick.
(Of course, the extent of how far the pigment of your skin goes into the darker side of the spectrum is also a big determining factor, but that's one of those elements of car safety that is pretty much outta your hands....and I know that that seems kinda unfair, but whattaya gonna do? ...that's just how this flat ass world of ours works.)
Oh,
and congratulations.

I like driving. But I could easily live without it in a decent city with excellent public transportation or riding my bike. Unfortunately this is hard to find in the U.S. so I drive like everyone else. Girls don't seem to care about my rusted old car either. But in high school I was always told that you could get the best girl by having the best car. Nice to know that never proved to be true.

3rdeyedude said:

I like driving. But I could easily live without it in a decent city with excellent public transportation or riding my bike. Unfortunately this is hard to find in the U.S. so I drive like everyone else. Girls don't seem to care about my rusted old car either. But in high school I was always told that you could get the best girl by having the best car. Nice to know that never proved to be true.

Yeah. It's more attractive to make sure your soul is allright.

Congratulations! You will love the freedom of not having to depend upon public transportation or other people to get you where you want to go. My mother never learned to drive and I don't think she ever really cared. I train case managers and cover a large portion of the state, so I'm driving all the time. Be careful out there. Remember that you cannot control what others are doing on the road, you can only control what you do, so no texting and driving! No prince.org and driving either! I always try to keep in mind that I'm driving a potential weapon that has the ability to take someone's life if I'm not cautious with my own driving. However, there are definitely people on the road that are impatient, think they own the road, and do not take others in consideration. It is those idiots that you will need to be careful around. Good luck! And congrats again!

My Late Grandmother never learned to drive and that never, ever phased her. She was our Big Mama, Matriarch & Rock so she never had to worry about transportation because we took her wherever, whenever..

breakdown2k14 said:

OK so today I drove in traffic for the first time .I had to pick up my dad from the hospital .so I drove 20 miles......WITHOUT a drivers license !! And I did great .there was a cop behind me at one point but he only stayed behind me for 2 minutes .my dad was shocked that I drove myself .I guess I got lucky

Don't push it. If the cop would have stopped you, you'r in trouble.

Besides, you are not ready yet to participate in traffic as a driver. You lack the skills to be a responsible driver, so by driving by yourself, you deliberately put other people on the street in danger. You are not capable yet to oversee it all and act in a save manner.


It shows you are irresponsibile when it comes to making decisions as a driver.

breakdown2k14 said:

OK so today I drove in traffic for the first time .I had to pick up my dad from the hospital .so I drove 20 miles......WITHOUT a drivers license !! And I did great .there was a cop behind me at one point but he only stayed behind me for 2 minutes .my dad was shocked that I drove myself .I guess I got lucky

Too bad the cop didn't stopped you. That would've been a great opportunity for you to put the "fetal position" thing I told you into practice.