sethw

I moved to NYC back in October. Only need a car for driving back to PA to see family, but even then, we just rent a car or take a bus. Our car died in December so we've been car-free for awhile now.

I'm wondering though - at what point do 'ya "give up" your licence? Like, just not renew it and make that full and complete car-free existance? just wondering... heh...

recursive

Well, I still have 3 years to go before mine expires. I'll probably renew it eventually though, as (ironically enough) I seem to, on rare occasion, end up driving cars for others as a favor.

SecretSatellite

its weird now though. if the whole national id thing goes through, they'll use the drivers licenses to start the database so theres no way to get out of having one.

becnal

A license is like a gun. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. It doesn't hurt to keep it valid.

patc

Giving it up? I've never had one.

geeklpc1985

It's good to have one just in case. I have been car free for over an year now, and I been ask to drive other peoples' car a lot. Also if you find your self needed to drive, you have it, if you try to get it back it's a lot of jumping thought hoops, and a lot of money, late finds, ect.

Good Luck,
GEEK

weed eater

i would love to ditch my DL. however we belong to city carshare and use it occasionally (3-4 times/yr) and I need it for that. I agree about the gun analogy...in more ways than one!

sbhikes

Don't ditch your license.

My boyfriend voluntarily gave up his driver's license in college. Big mistake, he says. When he eventually went to get a new one he was sent a form for him to fill out about his "case." They automatically assumed his license had been voluntarily revoked because of some plea bargain agreement in a criminal case. He had no case, so he had to try to clear up the problem and says it was a huge hassle.

Once he finally had the license, the insurance companies did the same thing. Assumed he had committed some crime.

It's not worth the hassle to give it up.

Guest

No way. Some places require two forms of ID, and without that drivers license, you'll be running around with an original copy of your birth certificate. Too much hassle.

Koffee

lilHinault

I'm keeping mine, well, need it until I sell the car hehe, but I've kept my motorcycle endorsement even though I haven't ridden one since 1993. It's just too useful to not hang onto.

There are "State ID cards" for the ID thing, I had one for a while before being one of the proud, the few, the oddballs with a license for motorcycle but not car, and now have a license for both.

So, if you're really motivated to not have a car license, just get a State ID.

recursive

This thread has given me the idea that if I don't renew my license, I conveniently won't be able to do any favors for people by driving their cars around. Sounds tempting, not that it happens all that often, but the look of shock and confusion on their face might be worth it.

Crazy Cyclist

I still have my DL, I renew it every year, you never know when you might need it. I don't even own a car, but I still keep my DL up to date. One time I had to ride my bike to a bar to pick up a friend after he had too much to drink, I put my bike in the trunk and drove his car home and then I rode my bike home from his house to my place. If I got rid of my DL I would never have been able to do this.

sethw

good points all around. Im pretty sure I'll be holding onto mine

pedex

I got rid of mine and got a state ID instead.Im done driving, when it came up for renewal I didnt renew it,got a state ID instead,it was cheaper and gets me off some of the "lists" you get attached to with a DL.

RWTD

Funny you should mention this as I just got a renewal form for my dl in the mail today.The cheapskate in me is saying don't renew and save the $15 dollars but as others have mentioned I may go ahead and renew just for the sake of having an id.Luckily nowdays it can all be done by mail and for multiple years so its not like this will be a yearly hassle.

Rex G

Some establishments, public and private, will not deal with people with expired identification, requiring currently valid government-issued photo identification. So, if someone wants to give up a drivers license, it might be a good idea to obtain state-issued ID and/or a passport before the DL lapses. Another factor to consider is that a police officer might issue a citation to someone with current photo ID that shows a home address, but will book into jail those who do not have such ID. Signing a ticket/citation is a promise to appear in court, and the officer may be required to see proof of an address so the defendant can be located if he fails to show in court.

fallstorm

You could get a state-issued ID. It carries the same clout as a driver's licence, you just can't drive with it. In Washington, a renewed licence is $25 for 5 years while an ID card is $5 for 5 years (afaik). As far as I'm concerned, I will be renewing my licence becuause I may have to move across the country in a U-Haul next year... fun.

Roody

Most of us do not live in areas with reliable mass transit--especially interurban. We never know when we might need a DL. For example, my father has been sick lately in a city about 200 miles away. I borrowed his car, thinking that if he took a turn for the worse, I would be able to get there in three hours. The Greyhound bus, which I normally use to visit dad, leaves once a day and takes five hours on the trip.

Second example: I was badly injured in a bike accident last year, and was unable to ride for more than five months. Although I usually took a city bus or walked to destinations, there were a couple occasions when I borrowed a friend's car. I was glad to have my DL then.

(Complete disclosure: I just realized that I forgot to renew my DL on my birthday last year, so I'm not actually street legal right now. So never mind!)

noisebeam

Roody's last point is good. Related is you never know what unexpected situation comes up where you may even need to rent a car/truck, or suddenly need to use an available car for an emergency situation.

Mine expires 2035 (used to say 2030, but I just checked and was wrong), so even if I did live a car free life, theres not much I could do other than destroy it.

Al

recursive

2030?!? Holy hell! Something needs to be done in this country about driver (re)certification. You take a half-assed test once, and are henceforth allowed to operate a dangerous motor vehicle for the rest of your life with no continued training or evaluation. That's nuts!

samundsen

You think that is bad? While my Texas driver's license expires in 2007, my Norwegian license expires in 2071! I got it in 1989. The first one is valid for two years, within which you have to take some extra training (driving on snow and ice). When that is complete, you get a license that is valid for 80 years, basically, it's for life......

noisebeam

Training? What is training? I got a TX license in the 80s just by taking a multiple choice test which I had to score a 70 or better on. Then I got my AZ license by showing them my TX one. My roommate in TX (from NY) had never driven in his life and got a TX liscene from same mulitple choice test.

If Norway is anything like other European countries I'd bet your testing is far more vigourous than any thing someone from the US could imagine.

Al

samundsen

Yes, the training I had to go through to get the Norwegian license was much more involved than what I did to get the TX one.... In Norway (at least back when I got mine) there is a mandatory classroom training over several weeks. Mixed in with this you take driving sessions. The number of hours driving varies (it's up to the teacher to decide when you're ready to take the test). I had about 20 hours of driving, which included city driving, highway and country driving, and nighttime driving etc. You take one written test and one practical test. When passing both, you get a temporary license valid for 2 years. Withing those two years you have to take a few hours of snow/ice driving on a closed track (incredibly fun, you get to do all kinds of cool stuff on that track). You then get the permanent license. Oh, and you pay a lot too. I think it cost me around $2000 back in 1989.

In Texas, I skimmed through the drivers handbook, took a quick multiple choice test on a screen, and a 10 minute driving "test" where I had to show that I could stop at a stop sign and parallel park. That was it.

I've actually considered letting my TX license expire. It would be easier that way to refuse when asked to drive anywhere. However, I don't think I could give up my Norwegian license even if I wanted to.....

Moistfly

I say you give it up after having one last late night high speed freeway run ... That's what I did and that several hundred dollar ticket still haunts me to this day

Raiyn

I maintain mine. It's always good to have one just in case. It also helps with the designated driver rotation.