Chris0516

I 'sort of' mentioned this forum, and the 'Living Car Free' forum. In an epilepsy group on Facebook. Someone had posted an article about epilepsy and not being able to drive.

I have a (congenital)brain aneurysm, (congenital)hydrocephalus, and epilepsy. The brain surgeries I had as a kid. Caused a loss of a certain extent of fine-motor skills. I can still ride my (road)racing bike at 20-30mph. No one in my family has three incurable health issues, and can ride a bike as fast as I do.

I am glad I don't have a drivers' license. I have saved $1,000's on tax, tags, insurance, and maintenance of vehicle. I am also not polluting the earth.

FBOATSB

Thank you for this post.

Chris0516

Another person in the epilepsy group whined about not being able to drive.

FBOATSB

Blame the culture, not the person.

Juan Foote

Yes, it's really a shame that a "car" is seen as some rite of passage, as an item that all people NEED, rather than the tool that it is. And worse, that the structure of our communities is such that living without one can be extremely difficult for anyone outside the metropolis.

blue192

Don't forget all the beer you can now afford from all that money saved, or riding past cars stuck in traffic whilst you take the bike lane etc

Leisesturm

I don't know about beer, but I can definitely now afford bikes that are higher up the food ($$$) chain than if I also had a car(s) to keep in the manner to which. Beer: bleah; Bikes: yeah...

ValerieAnne

This is such a positive thread, I'm a member of an Epilepsy group on facebook as well and I do notice people complain about not being able to drive. I do not drive (I've also never been diagnosed with Epilepsy, even though I have some of the signs) but I'm an advocate of the disease. It upsets me when others get mad when/if they can't drive because of it, when to me it would be a safety concern (not for just others on the road, but you never know when a seizure will happen). I also understand, depending on when diagnosed why some people would be upset, it just seems like they are most upset than you'd think someone should be... then again, I've never driven so I don't know what it's like from the 'other side of the wheel' so to speak.

Like you, bikes are cheaper (even if you get the most expensive/customizable one you could think of I'm sure) since you don't have to worry about gas, taxes, titles, etc as you mentioned... you'd think so many people wouldn't be against saving so much money lol.

Leisesturm

Well... to be fair... I live in Portland, Oregon with a HUGE and active bicycling community. I moved here without a car from NYC and found to my shock and amazement that employers in the Portland Metro area going out of their way to determine not just drivers license status but car ownership status as well and prepared to use a negative finding as a reason not to hire. The dating prospects for a male who does not drive in Portland, OR are nearly as dismal as in many other places. So, bottom line, I missed out on some jobs that I 'might' have gotten if I had a car (I have a valid drivers license) and since I have a wife who shares my car free mindset I don't need to play the dating roulette game, but I know that driving and car ownership, even in places you might not think, is a big, big deal.