Never had a driver's license?

[gopheralex]

Has anyone as old as me (24) never gotten their driver's license? I remember turning old enough to get my learner's permit (15 1/2) and just not being interested (or having any money)... went off to college at 18 and the university strongly recommended that students not bring cars, so I didn't. Got back home at 22, got a job on the bus route, went back to school for a master's degree at 24, still no car and no need for one. Always either biked, walked, or took the bus. 2 grocery bags at a time (plenty) w/ panniers, buy most things online. I reckon I've saved many thousands already. There is a driver's ed school just down the street from where I live now, but I still feel no compelling need for a car. I am rather self-conscious about it in the company of others who drive, and I never ask for rides, but I wonder how I appear to them.

Anyone else in a similar boat? Never learned how to drive, never intend to?

[Chris L]

Nearly 30 here and never held a licence. I don't really have any intention of changing that anytime soon either. As far as the thoughts of those who know me, they all seem to have accepted it by now.

[crypticlineage]

I did not know driving until I turned 30. Obviously I never had driver's license either. Now I have it and I am about to sell my car so I can get back to my carfree self.

[!!Comatoa$ted]

I did not get my license until I was 27 and I regret it. I put on 80 pounds whithin 2 years after getting my license, but I have lost almost all of it since taking the car of the road.

[smurfy]

My wife will be 40 in Aug. and she never had a DL. She was raised in NYC so there was never a need for a car.

[rs_woods]

I'm only 21 but I don't have a license either. Doesn't bother me.

[BenyBen]

almost 28 here, never had it either.

[alwaysmiling]

What do you use for identification if you don't have a driver's license or a passport?

[BenyBen]

What do you use for identification if you don't have a driver's license or a passport?


health card, birth certificate.

[rs_woods]

What do you use for identification if you don't have a driver's license or a passport?
i have a state id. same as a drivers license, but without driving privileges or restrictions listed on it. i think most people get them because the cops can't take it away from you if you're caught driving under the influence, or because they have a medical or legal condition preventing them from driving.

[patc]

Haven't we seen this thread before? ;-)

34, never had a license. If I need photo ID: health card, press pass. Other ID: birth certificate card, credit cards, SIN, etc....

[Chris L]

What do you use for identification if you don't have a driver's license or a passport?

I have a passport, just not a driver's licence.

[Cosmoline]

I've driven nearly half a million miles in the past decade, most of them in Alaska.

You really haven't missed much.

Since I shut down the S-10, I've written a novel and gotten my career back on track. Like Miller said in "Repo Man," "The more you drive, the less intelligent you are."

[swwhite]

My Brother The Biker (who has been across the continent on a bike) didn't get his licence until he was 40. But then, he did, and got a job as a taxi driver. Now he telecommutes and bikes for fun.

[ryanparrish]

got a license drive at least once a week because I live in farmland usa and I need stuff sometimes that is out of range and or to dangerous to ride to

[genericbikedude]

I got my license when I was 23 just to "get it out of the way." I've used it exactly once since then, to drive a big uhaul truck. I'm now 25.

[lauren]

I would suggest getting one anyway, since when you get a car your insurance will be based on how many years you have had your license. Thankfully I got a permit at 16 (let it expire, didn't know I could get a license without insurance) so that was counted as driving experience when I got my motorcycle.

[Roody]

I got my license when I was 23 just to "get it out of the way." I've used it exactly once since then, to drive a big uhaul truck. I'm now 25.
Man...I bet that was a white-knuckle ride! :)

[powerhouse]

I'm 37 and never had a driver's license, partly to epilepsy and legal blindness. For identity I have a state I.D. card and passport.

[Domromer]

Didn't get it until I was 21, then I got into motorcycles and never road my bike now I'm overweight and getting rid of all my cars and motorcycles. Not worth it

[wfin2004]

My Wife was 50 before she felt the need for a DL. She lived in NYC for all those years until she met me and moved to FL. Now she wheels the Expedition around I got her (upon passing her driver test) like a pro! I am proud of her AND she ALWAYS uses her turning signals! Unlike some morons who have been driving for umpteen years and still have no idea what the lever for that is on the left side of the wheel.

[PunctualAlex]

I'm a college student and I've never had a license. To all of you thirty and forty-somethings without your licenses, I must say I am impressed! Although I believe quite firmly in a car-free lifestyle on principle, the reality of the situation is starting to take hold of me and I've been considering lately if it would be worth it to have a license, even if I rarely use it. Anyway, the really odd thing is that I'm only 19 and people look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them I have no license, nor have I ever needed one. I got a learner's permit at age 16 or so, used it for the allotted year and a half, and let it expire. I haven't been behind the wheel since, nor do I particularly miss it. My younger sister is on the fast track to getting her license years before me. I'd love to convert her to car-free but I don't see it in the cards.
When I do need to get around, I carpool or take a greyhound. For my ID, I've had a state-issued ID card which is due to expire soon, and my passport. But the thing is, it's not weird to me. To most of my friends, it seems like a genuine oddity.