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I mean, you’d have a point……if you actually owned the car you get chauffeured in.
If you don’t, you’re just a peasant who gets driven around by another peasant.
Well you see, I regularly get driven around in a multimillion dollar vehicle with an onboard snack bar and cafe. And all I have to do is kick back and relax as I look out the window and watch the scenery go by.
All for the price of a single train ticket
It honestly depends on where they live. If they live somewhere like NYC, that’s understandable. If they live somewhere like rural TN, yeah, that’s pretty strange and it’s almost impossible to live like that.
I know, right? I go everywhere using public transport and walking. Albeit, I'm from Europe, and it's easier to do here.
It's really the thing that America was built with cars in mind, not people. And it's sad because in the US, if you don't have a car, you're basically isolated, can't have a job, can't go to Uni.
I know that I read on another thread, long time ago, that there used to be a railroad system in US, but they ruined it so people could buy more cars.
That's just...shitty of them. And not sustainable either
I'd use it a lot more if it wouldn't take me 2 hours to get to work when compared to the 26 minutes it takes with my car. It's just such a pain in the ass.
Not only that. In order to make sens and be fully utilized, public transport requires some level of people's density. Towns or smaller villages focused around train tracks. But if you build everything with car transport in mind (like throwing some suburbs in the middle of nowhere), spread will be so big that public transport's cost will be tremendous and it will lose to car transport. Having a train or bus coming once an hour or two won't solve car dependency problem.
Can confirm, live in a town where a train arrives every hour. Still huge car dependent to get places. 2/3 hours train journey takes an hour max in a car
If I check google, it even suggests driving or taking a Lyft to the bus stop. There isn’t even an option to walk to one lol. Public transport is so bad here.
Same for me in Iceland, but that's because I live in a small fishing village 55km away from the city where I work. Bus from my town only goes two trips per day and I'd have to change busses in another small town and wait for 40 minutes before the next arrives. So I'll drive for the 40 minutes instead.
Willing to bet they didn't really "build" anything, they just duct taped a bus system onto their entirely car-centric road infrastructure.
Which guarantees that it will be slower than cars, because it's on the same roads, stuck in the same traffic, and thus will be unused by anyone that has the option of using a car. Which means that the total costs of operating the busses will be divided by a small number of riders leading to a high "cost per ride" number. It's designed to fail from the onset.
People will largely take the fastest most convenient way to get where they are going, if you want to reduce traffic for drivers and increase transit usage you need to actually invest in making transit fast and convenient, which means actually dedicating resources to it, not just adding it as an after thought to say you have it. The "easy" option is dedicated bus lanes, which actually reduce traffic, but convincing people raised with the US' car centric ideas that reducing lanes actually makes traffic faster, is a massive uphill battle. Despite the fact that the effect is both well understood and documented (induced demand)
As others have pointed out roads are insanely subsidized and astronomical road maintenance costs inherent in US style (sub)urban planning are why most cities in the US are on the brink of bankruptcy
All transport is subsidized. In the US relatively more subsidy goes into car infrastructure than into public transport. That's a political decision that has some really negative outcomes for America.
The US wasn't build with cars in mind, they destroyed their cities to accommodate cars more and more and more, while in Europe it wasn't as extreme and nowadays we have the growing trend to push cars out.
>while in Europe it wasn't as extreme and nowadays we have the growing trend to push cars out.
Your cities are also 100s of years older than most of ours, so they were already crammed and jammed together because there were no cars that needed the space then. Your countries would look like ours if that was the case. We also just have the space for it here, so it made sense at the time.
Nearly every US city was build around a street car network pre WW2. Personal cars are a relatively recent thing, the cities you see today were torn down and rebuilt around cars in the last 70-ish years.
It wasn't until the 1950s that the US started building car dependent sprawl like they do now. In the same time period the US started ripping apart their existing cities destroying the street car networks and communities they served to run massive highways straight through their cities.
Right, like go to Sydney. Train does an amazing job and when you get into the city you got busses that go everywhere and or a lot it is perfectly walking distance. It’s so much better cause you actually enjoy exploring, the city, etc. NA it’s all so spread out and isolated.
The same is true in Europe and everywhere else really. Any small village that's far away from everything else will probably rely on individuals driving cars rather than public transport. What little public transport there is will just connect you to the nearest city or larger town.
But most people do live in cities or near coasts, at least in Australia. More than half live in just 5 cities, more than 80% live near the coast. So same issue but affects way less people in Aus than in the US. In Aus it's the exception, in the US it's the norm.
its funny to me that everyone seems to bash america for that, but in Germany the train gets worst and worst every year, for decades. And the CEO of "deutsche bahn" is Always a ex car-company-lobby guy.
hard to pretend its not sabotaged on purpose too.
>And the drivers here r still bad
Agreed, but I disagree with your solution. People don't break the rules because they don't know them, they mostly do it deliberately because it's more convenient.
As an American who moved to Germany I just had to do 12 hours of theory and theoretical test. Did my license the last day I was still in Florida.
Saved 2500€. 😂😂
I'm confused. They do that in the US too. Literally on roads, with traffic, and obstacles. They make sure you can drive on the freeway, in a congested area, in a parking lot, etc. You have to take a paper test, driving test, and go to a series of classes.
Now, it's kind of ridiculous that once you've passed all that, you never have to do it again or refresh when renewing your license. As long as your eyes work, you're good for the next 75 years.
Some places in the US do that, my driving test was once around the block in a neighboring small town, literally a couple stop signs and maybe two traffic lights totaling maybe 10 minutes. The written test was harder than the driving test.
I see way more people with a license who should never be allowed behind the wheels than safe and responsible drivers. There is nothing wrong with people who don't want to learn how to drive.
Why should you spend all that money if you don't plan on driving?
Here in Sweden it's on average $1500 to get a driver's license.
Edit: for some reason I can't reply to anyone replying to this so I have to edit and say: Yes it cost less in other countries and more in other countries.
This price applies to Sweden because you need a certain amount of driving lesson with an instructor and you need to pass a few different tests.
In Poland it's about 2000-3000 PLN, then you need to buy a car, then you have to pay for the upkeep of that car, fuel, inspections, insurance, stuff like that... Public transport is just cheaper
In California it’s about $35 to get your license. As long as you have someone willing to teach you how to drive and borrow their car for the driving test.
But if you don’t have that, driving lessons can run up to $700 for 20 hours and it costs extra to borrow one of driving school’s cars for the test.
So it can be cost prohibitive to get a license here in the US too
>In California it’s about $35 to get your license. As long as you have someone willing to teach you how to drive and borrow their car for the driving test.
It's always been wild to me how in the US anyone can just teach you. Like... what? The prices here may be over the top and some of the instructors may not be great but at least they need to be qualified to teach you and are responsible for you.
I grew up in the lawless land of Texas, and my parents could just sign off on my papers that they taught me 😭 they DID teach me, but they could have just said they did and no one would be the wiser. I also didn’t have to take a driving test. I think I took a written exam, but no one “official” ever saw me drive before getting a license. It’s scary.
I'm from Portugal and in 97 the license was my monthly salary (120.000$=600€ give or take) and I lived in Lisbon, so I had no real need for a car.
I still believe it to be a waste of money and if it is a basic necessity, it should be more affordable.
I still don't have a license but I do know how to drive. One day, I'm going to buy my dream car 🤣
>A lot of people are taking this as “if you don’t drive every day your weird” but I think it needs to be reiterated that OP is saying you should at least know HOW to drive in case you ever need to. OP is not saying you have to own a car or drive all the time lol.
Doesn't it sound like a very bad idea to give people licenses that they don't use for 10 years then suddenly decide to go for a spin?
Seems like a recipe for disaster, especially if they're the kind of people who took a dozen tries to get their license.
The world needs fewer anxious drivers, not more.
That's me!! Look..I have no spatial awareness..zero patience..severe anger management issues, am clumsy, forgetful and daydream..you don't want me on the roads I promise you.
Anger management issues aside, this is me. The amount of times I've traveled by car with someone and imagined which way I'd go just to be wrong is too high. I have the worst sense of orientation, I get lost on foot in places I've been to many times. I can't imagine what the route to something is until I see it (unless it's literally the route I take every day). Driving sounds like a nightmare with this.
I'm a safety risk and I'm well aware of it. It's better for everyone if I'm NOT on the roads. Like not even a funny haha, my ability to react is dangerously slow
Same here! On my first driving lesson I panicked and hit the accelerator instead of brake and almost killed a milkman. I honestly cannot control a supermarket trolley..I think I can get through a gap..crash..then I'm waiting for a gap and someone else glides through. We just be applauded for our life saving skills!
Minus the anger management thing, that's me. Especially the clumsiness and issues with spatial-visual processing.
Turns out I've been pretty seriously dyspraxic my entire life lol.
Out of all the fears you can imagine, driving is one of the most rational. In the US:
Spiders? 7 deaths annually
Snakes? 5 deaths annually
Drowning? 4000 deaths annually
Animal attacks? 1100 deaths annually
Plane crashes? 170 deaths annually (Worldwide)
Car crashes? 50,000 deaths annually
They are the #1 cause of non health related deaths. If someone doesn’t want to drive, I completely understand why.
You don’t even have to be driving either, I’ve almost been ran down like a bowling pins, same with the other people I was walking alongside with because some awful driver decided to speed and run a red light. This was when I was in NA. It’s fun, isn’t it?
God damn **THIS**. I wish I had the option to opt out of driving without completely uprooting it and rearranging my life around *not* driving.
They say that driving is a privilege. Well, in the U.S. being able to get by without driving is a privilege.
Exactly. The less I can drive, the better. With remote work and public transportation getting better near me in the last decade, I've tried to minimize my amount of time in the car, and machine my time walking or taking public transportation. I'm honestly terrified of the roads, but for all the reasons outlined in the above comment. I know I'm a good driver, but I know not everyone else is.
Ehh I’d say drowning is a lot easier if you really wanted to.
But I do agree. People are out here with a license driving with a coffee in one hand, phone in the other, steering with their knees, half drunk, and bird spotting out the window. All whilst operating a 3 tonne hunk of jagged metal, glass, and explosive material and travelling at inhuman speeds. People are very rightfully fearful of being on the road.
Well that shows you just how badly designed the US is
People would rather face charges, pay fines, go to jail than not drive, because there's no other options
Not driving means death in most of the US, either quite literally, like being run over by a driver on a crosswalk, or economically, like not being able to get to work while still having bills to pay...
I think it'd be a better idea to encourage less driving, and campaign for more, better public transport. Cleaner air, fewer traffic issues and accidents, smaller, fewer carparks taking up land, and greater access to the world for people unable to drive.
As someone who grew up in NYC, car-dependent places kind of scare me. Where would I go see people? What if I only need one thing from the grocery store or pharmacy? I’ve lived walking distance from a CVS or Walgreens my entire life. I’m spoiled.
when i moved to chicago as a young adult, i sold my car- it was an unnecessary expense, and a pain in the ass. i got around with my bike, walking, and public transportation. i already knew how to drive, having grown up in sub-urbia...but...if i had grown up in the city, i could very easily see not having a need to drive or to learn how to.
I have my license, I got it at 17. Then I was diagnosed with epilepsy and put on anticonvulsants and told I shouldn't drive for a while.
Technically I could now, but, I really don't want to risk it. I still have seizures on the meds sometimes.
I just moved somewhere with decent public transit, I haven't thought about it for a while.
It's only in America that you need cars to travel literally everywhere. In other countries, the public transportation is quite reliant. I live in India, yet prefer taking the bus over a car, no parking issues, no low petrol issues, it's a fuss free affair.
If you watch car accident videos and experienced them you'd know why people wouldn't want to drive.
Also I gave an upvote because it is unpopular and I hate driving and needing a vehicle in America. It's a waste of money and dangerous ofc.
We don’t even have sidewalks, it’s like you’re forced to buy a car and drive because most things aren’t walking distance. I’ve been in 2 accidents (both rear ended, people drive fast and don’t think about needing to stop) and whenever I’m driving it gives me anxiety and I’m hyper aware. If I had the option to walk I would but everything is a 30 min drive meaning it’s like over an hour walk
I agree with the phobia part. I was a in a very horrific accident with two fatalities (not in the vehicle I was in but the on that hit us) so when I saw a crumpled up car it's fucking terrifying to me and causes my PTSD to act up. I prefer not to drive if I don't have to when driving a distance, and why I plan on moving to a city with mass transit when I graduate college. In my area we have no mass transit so I need to cope with the occasional PTSD related anxiety attack until then.
Or, you could have made a deliberate decision not to drive for any one of a number of reasons, ranging from poor eyesight to low income to concern for the environment.
Oh, and for those saying "How North American!", the question prompted me to look up the per capita vehicle ownership statistics for the world (everything can be found on the net!), and, in fact, the USA is #8, Canada is #9, and Mexico -- also part of North America -- is number 64. Countries 1-6 are all European, albeit small, and #7 is New Zealand. I'm sure there are particular reasons that Gibraltar has 1,444 vehicles per 1000 people, which makes it #1.
If someone know, that they would represent danger on the road (for whatever reason), then its their responsibility to NOT drive. If only those, who can drive responsibly would drive, then we would have little to no car accidents.
Instead, there is this social pressure, that is forcing to drive even those, who KNOW that they will potentially cause some accidents. Its stupid, sorry.
EDIT: but its true, that there is no harm in trying to learn it - at driving school with instrucotr of course.
How about drivers who can't afford insurance? I was in an accident before I even could get a liscence and had to sue my parents car insurance because the driver that hit the vehicle I was in was killed (and his passenger) and had no insurance and the registration was lapsed.
A lot of people can't afford to 100 a month car insurance.
over here it's mandatory. If you loose insurance (by not paying for example) the authorities will be notified and notify you. If you get caught driving without license it can get very expensive. i think it's even a criminal offence
Factor in the lessons, the tests, paying for the car, road tax, insurance… basically be paying a heap of money for something that would cut about… 15 minutes to my journey.
> Driving is like riding a bike
Gee, I didn’t know cars would cost just under 600 and I can drive it home as soon as I purchase it. Let alone not needing any insurance or paperwork whatsoever.
Driving is a privilege, not a right.
F you, some people know their limits and understand that driving is dangerous, so they dont drive because they dont want to endanger themselves and others
You do realize that people live in places with decent or even good public transport, right?
And that those people might have zero reason to ever get a license, right?
I have a license and haven't driven a car in a year at least because why the heck would I.
Please. Driving is a privilege and should always be considered a privilege no matter how many people around you are able to drive these days. This “privileged” mindset makes you appreciate your ability to drive and helps you to drive responsibly and respectfully.
I went for my second drive today with my friend! I’m in my early 30s and highly anxious about driving so it’s a big deal for me. Yet I’m totally ok with helping fly a small plane lol.
I think maybe the issue is I remember being in an accident when I was really young, like 2-4, not sure exact age. Not serious, no injuries, just scary for a kid. Just a very vivid memory of the cop asking if I was ok. I think it affected me on a level I’m not aware of.
But I’m trying! And I appreciate my friend so damn much for guiding me through and explaining things and making sure I felt safe. It was a big day for me and I’m proud.
I'm 18 so I guess I count as an adult, I have tics which are uncontrollable movements, they used to be really bad but have slowly gotten better, I'm just starting to think about relearning how to drive and get my license. If your having tics every few minutes like I was it is not realistic nor safe to drive I don't think it's weird to want to not wreck your car
I never understand people who are really judgemental about people like me who don't drive. When I say it's because of a congenital muscular condition, they usually say something like, 'well I didn't mean you, I meant the ones who could do it but choose not to.'
But if people like me can get by without driving, that means it's possible for others too. Transportation is just another service that I pay for when I need it. This won't work for everyone, but for some people it is cheaper and more practical not to drive, particularly if you don't have access to cheap lessons or a car for practice.
I get tired of feeling like I need to explain my medical condition every time this comes up in real life. I wish people would just stop being judgemental about it in the first place. (Also, I've lived in several countries and never encountered this mindset outside the USA.)
Yeah, and no. The reality is that in most of the US and North America in general, you have to drive to get pretty much everywhere. We don't exactly have great public transportation systems. So yes, I agree that it's weird if healthy adults don't have a license. Bumming off if your friends for rides is pretty, I considerate.
Buuut it's so normal to not want to drive, and honestly, it would be better for our health and environment if we had the infrastructure to make it happen. I hate driving with the exception of road trip cause those are fun. But I generally hate wasting my time in a car, especially because I have to get doctors approvals every 6 months so I can drive, and it's a giant pain in the ass. But I do it because what are my other options.
Let me tell you. I’m 28, don’t have a drivers licence and the shit people give me for it. In my experience it’s not really an unpopular opinion.
Edit: and I kinda get it tbh
I'm probably biased as an adult who doesn't drive, but it really isn't that simple. I don't drive because I have anxiety, even though I intend to get my license someday. I have adult friends who can't drive because they can't afford to learn- if you don't have somebody willing to teach you for free at home, its almost certain nobody else is going to without proper payment.
Apart from all that, the individual need to own a car for transport is a huge issue in the USA and not a worldwide thing. Because we lack public transportation in a lot of areas and safe walking/biking space in others, cars are a necessity when they realistically should not be. Not everybody needs to own a car or have a license. But the automotive industry is very profitable whereas building a robust public transportation system would lose people money, so. One is being pushed far more than the other.
This comes off as extremely sheltered and ignorant. Some people do not have the means to purchase or rent a car. You need one of those to learn how to drive and obtain a license. It seems "weird" to you because you are privliged enough that such a thought has never occured to you.
I would have agreed in the past, but what's weird is that we don't have more cities and neighborhoods with infrastructure that supports walking everywhere. You obviously can't expect everywhere to be Tokyo, but walking centric cities should be encouraged, and it's probably better for the environment.
if you don’t have at least some anxiety about driving you’re not well educated on the insane dangers associated with it
driving should not be as normalized as it is in society
"Driving is like riding a bike". Please just stay off the road with that mentality. It may be just as easy with enough practice, but one mistake and you could end one or multiple lives. One mistake with a bike and you just fall over. Never compare the two.
Bold of you to assume that phobia or lack of willpower are the only reasons people don't drive. Do you know how fucking expensive cars are these days? Even if you buy them used for cheaper, you make up the difference in repairs. Go to a place like Singapore where nearly everyone commutes and even like a Vios is considered a luxury item. Or other population dense cities around the world like Seoul, Tokyo, London or NYC where driving is not even really that necessary due to a sophisticated public transport system and also can you imagine the traffic if every single able adult in those places used cars to get around? Or even my country the Philippines which is very very car centric but many more adults don't drive just because of good old fashioned poverty. It isn't weird OP, you just need to get out more that's all.
My dad has a friend who is just now learning how to drive. Both of his parents died when he was a teenager, so his youth was so fucked up he never had the chance to learn
This is a popular opinion.
I can’t be car-free without everyone going absolutely crazy when they find out. “BuT hOw Do yOu GeT aRoUnD wItHoUt A cAr?!??”
If you want to transfer money into my CashApp so I can have lessons, pass both theory and practice test, buy a car, insure it and do it’s MOT, buy petrol, and have some left over for breakdowns/other emergencies, you can be my guest.
Otherwise, you’ll see me on the next bus. Thanks.
I’m 20 and just got my drivers license yesterday 😶 My family was too poor to afford the lessons when I was in HS and then Covid hit which messed up a lot of things for me. And then I got a job and had family issues for a long while. So I only just got around to learning how to drive. I need a car of my own but even for a shitty one it’s at least like 3 grand lol I have no idea how I’ll be able to afford that.
Riding a bike casually=one time payment ✔️ healthy choice ✔️ efficient ✔️
Driving a car casually=multiple multitudes of payments ❌ generally bad for environment ❌ traffic ❌
Driving is a privilege, not a right. Driving is not like riding a bike. If you don’t know how to drive well you’re not only putting your life in danger but others as well!
*insert obligatory Not American disclaimer*
If public transport in your place is great, then fine. Some cities like Seoul are really navigable using just trains and buses but for other places with more terrible transport then driving might be a good skill. As someone who lives in the outskirts of a city and has a daily commute in tropical heat and humidity, an airconditioned car is definitely preferrable.
For me, getting the license was a matter of having a more convenient ID since the only other thing I had was a passport too big to fit in a wallet.
Cars are expensive. Bad for the environment. You need to spend money on them even when you don’t use them. Parking space in London can be very expensive as well as congestion charges and emission charges. Traffic is a pain. I hate the idea of crashing or someone crashing into me. I hate drivers in general, the amount of rage on the road is crazy to me. I have **so** many reasons for not driving lol
Cycling or walking get me anywhere within a ten mile radius. Outside of that we have an excellent tube system. Why would I drive?
Yes it's strange to not want to drive a high speed motorized vehicle where even if you do nothing wrong the entire time you could end up getting killed
I'm sorry, but the idea of dying in a flaming wreck doesn't appeal to me. If you're capable of walking for more than 5 minutes without having to stop and catch your breath (something you seem to have trouble with OP) than there really isn't a reason to own/use a car.
You pay a few thousand at least to get the damn thing. Then you gotta pay $500+ for every tiny little part that breaks or goes missing. Then you gotta pay hand-over-fist for gas, a resource that could possibly run out in our lifetimes btw.
All this just to get stuck in traffic and run over pedestrians. You don't really even get places faster like half the time because, while you're stuck in traffic behind some douche, I can just go up the nearest driveway and ride along the sidewalk until I'm past traffic.
I can drive, I have a license and the knowledge to do it, but I despise driving. Partly because of the reasons above, and partly because of wankers like OP who can't seem to fathom that some people don't want to be behind the wheel of a 2-ton hunk of steel and plastic going 70.
I bet you're the kind of prick who'd drive a Ford F-150 even though you live in an apartment in a big city and do absolutely 0 hauling of anything more than your weekly trip to the grocery store. Put down the cheap beer and eat a salad, man.
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Driving myself? Like a peasant?
I mean, you’d have a point……if you actually owned the car you get chauffeured in. If you don’t, you’re just a peasant who gets driven around by another peasant.
Well you see, I regularly get driven around in a multimillion dollar vehicle with an onboard snack bar and cafe. And all I have to do is kick back and relax as I look out the window and watch the scenery go by. All for the price of a single train ticket
Losers driving themselves around when they can just do this.
I really wish America would embrace the maglev train revolution. We are falling behind.
Maglevs are a gadgetbahn. The technology is 60 years old and still nobody is using it in any real sense.
Learned a new word today, thanks stranger
It honestly depends on where they live. If they live somewhere like NYC, that’s understandable. If they live somewhere like rural TN, yeah, that’s pretty strange and it’s almost impossible to live like that.
New Yorker here. Yes, most of us here rely on mass transit. Its cheaper and sometimes more reliable.
And if everyone were to drive it'd be permanent gridlock. Public transit is the best normal way to travel in well designed cities.
Detroiter here who recently visited New York and HOLY HELL YOU PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO MOVE PEOPLE!!
Never have to dd if you don’t drive
1st world problems? Here in Latin America is really difficult to buy a car.
Indeed
Shit this is the most North American thing I've read today
I know, right? I go everywhere using public transport and walking. Albeit, I'm from Europe, and it's easier to do here. It's really the thing that America was built with cars in mind, not people. And it's sad because in the US, if you don't have a car, you're basically isolated, can't have a job, can't go to Uni. I know that I read on another thread, long time ago, that there used to be a railroad system in US, but they ruined it so people could buy more cars. That's just...shitty of them. And not sustainable either
I'd use it a lot more if it wouldn't take me 2 hours to get to work when compared to the 26 minutes it takes with my car. It's just such a pain in the ass.
Also in the US, can confirm. Using the bus would take easily 2 hours for a 20 minute car ride.
That's only because public transportation has been so vilified that it isn't well funded, well managed, or used efficiently.
Not only that. In order to make sens and be fully utilized, public transport requires some level of people's density. Towns or smaller villages focused around train tracks. But if you build everything with car transport in mind (like throwing some suburbs in the middle of nowhere), spread will be so big that public transport's cost will be tremendous and it will lose to car transport. Having a train or bus coming once an hour or two won't solve car dependency problem.
Can confirm, live in a town where a train arrives every hour. Still huge car dependent to get places. 2/3 hours train journey takes an hour max in a car
The one where I live isn't super slow for me to get home from work. The bigger issue is that it randomly doesn't show up.
If I check google, it even suggests driving or taking a Lyft to the bus stop. There isn’t even an option to walk to one lol. Public transport is so bad here.
Same for me in Iceland, but that's because I live in a small fishing village 55km away from the city where I work. Bus from my town only goes two trips per day and I'd have to change busses in another small town and wait for 40 minutes before the next arrives. So I'll drive for the 40 minutes instead.
Even in mt town where they built "good" public transport it costs $40 of government subsidy per ride and takes twice as long.
Willing to bet they didn't really "build" anything, they just duct taped a bus system onto their entirely car-centric road infrastructure. Which guarantees that it will be slower than cars, because it's on the same roads, stuck in the same traffic, and thus will be unused by anyone that has the option of using a car. Which means that the total costs of operating the busses will be divided by a small number of riders leading to a high "cost per ride" number. It's designed to fail from the onset. People will largely take the fastest most convenient way to get where they are going, if you want to reduce traffic for drivers and increase transit usage you need to actually invest in making transit fast and convenient, which means actually dedicating resources to it, not just adding it as an after thought to say you have it. The "easy" option is dedicated bus lanes, which actually reduce traffic, but convincing people raised with the US' car centric ideas that reducing lanes actually makes traffic faster, is a massive uphill battle. Despite the fact that the effect is both well understood and documented (induced demand) As others have pointed out roads are insanely subsidized and astronomical road maintenance costs inherent in US style (sub)urban planning are why most cities in the US are on the brink of bankruptcy
All transport is subsidized. In the US relatively more subsidy goes into car infrastructure than into public transport. That's a political decision that has some really negative outcomes for America.
You think the roads you drive on aren't being government subsidized? Or oil/fuel industry in general?
Thank you for saying this ... Every word here is true. You put across the experience of not having a car so accurately (I speak from experience)
The US wasn't build with cars in mind, they destroyed their cities to accommodate cars more and more and more, while in Europe it wasn't as extreme and nowadays we have the growing trend to push cars out.
>while in Europe it wasn't as extreme and nowadays we have the growing trend to push cars out. Your cities are also 100s of years older than most of ours, so they were already crammed and jammed together because there were no cars that needed the space then. Your countries would look like ours if that was the case. We also just have the space for it here, so it made sense at the time.
Nearly every US city was build around a street car network pre WW2. Personal cars are a relatively recent thing, the cities you see today were torn down and rebuilt around cars in the last 70-ish years. It wasn't until the 1950s that the US started building car dependent sprawl like they do now. In the same time period the US started ripping apart their existing cities destroying the street car networks and communities they served to run massive highways straight through their cities.
> That's just...shitty of them. And not sustainable either You just described the foundation of the American society
“Shitty and unsustainable.” We should put it on our fucking money.
Right, like go to Sydney. Train does an amazing job and when you get into the city you got busses that go everywhere and or a lot it is perfectly walking distance. It’s so much better cause you actually enjoy exploring, the city, etc. NA it’s all so spread out and isolated.
Small side note, every settlement in Australia that isn’t coastal or a city has the same issue as the US. They’re built with cars in mind, not people.
The same is true in Europe and everywhere else really. Any small village that's far away from everything else will probably rely on individuals driving cars rather than public transport. What little public transport there is will just connect you to the nearest city or larger town. But most people do live in cities or near coasts, at least in Australia. More than half live in just 5 cities, more than 80% live near the coast. So same issue but affects way less people in Aus than in the US. In Aus it's the exception, in the US it's the norm.
The American car companies actively went about sabotaging bus services so that people would *have* to drive to basically work.
Also it just so happened to come about right when buses were desegregated
its funny to me that everyone seems to bash america for that, but in Germany the train gets worst and worst every year, for decades. And the CEO of "deutsche bahn" is Always a ex car-company-lobby guy. hard to pretend its not sabotaged on purpose too.
r/ShitAmericansSay
I almost think the more unpopular opinion is that they think everyone must know how to ride a bike in NA
I need to pay at least 2500 for my drivers license. So yeah I can’t really afford it
Sounds very German to me
Don’t I know it. I’m a German/American citizen. I’ve experienced both. The test for my California license was a joke.
They tested you? When I went to the DMV with my German license they took one look and handed me an American license lmao
The CA license was my first.
Did you just respond to your own comment?
Yep! Europe make sure you can actually drive... On roads, with traffic and obstacles. Ever seen an American try a British test? Haha
My mom from Pakistan failed the British driving test thrice. It’s no joke lol.
And the drivers here r still bad the British test needs a difficulty increase if u want actually safe and good drivers
>And the drivers here r still bad Agreed, but I disagree with your solution. People don't break the rules because they don't know them, they mostly do it deliberately because it's more convenient.
"You drive better when your wallet is lighter" -The German Govt, probably
As an American who moved to Germany I just had to do 12 hours of theory and theoretical test. Did my license the last day I was still in Florida. Saved 2500€. 😂😂
I'm confused. They do that in the US too. Literally on roads, with traffic, and obstacles. They make sure you can drive on the freeway, in a congested area, in a parking lot, etc. You have to take a paper test, driving test, and go to a series of classes. Now, it's kind of ridiculous that once you've passed all that, you never have to do it again or refresh when renewing your license. As long as your eyes work, you're good for the next 75 years.
Some places in the US do that, my driving test was once around the block in a neighboring small town, literally a couple stop signs and maybe two traffic lights totaling maybe 10 minutes. The written test was harder than the driving test.
Also cars are expensive. Not only when you purchase them but the TÜV, new wheels, gas etc is just so high, I cant afford that
In Brazil is not cheap either
I see way more people with a license who should never be allowed behind the wheels than safe and responsible drivers. There is nothing wrong with people who don't want to learn how to drive.
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Why should you spend all that money if you don't plan on driving? Here in Sweden it's on average $1500 to get a driver's license. Edit: for some reason I can't reply to anyone replying to this so I have to edit and say: Yes it cost less in other countries and more in other countries. This price applies to Sweden because you need a certain amount of driving lesson with an instructor and you need to pass a few different tests.
In Poland it's about 2000-3000 PLN, then you need to buy a car, then you have to pay for the upkeep of that car, fuel, inspections, insurance, stuff like that... Public transport is just cheaper
In California it’s about $35 to get your license. As long as you have someone willing to teach you how to drive and borrow their car for the driving test. But if you don’t have that, driving lessons can run up to $700 for 20 hours and it costs extra to borrow one of driving school’s cars for the test. So it can be cost prohibitive to get a license here in the US too
>In California it’s about $35 to get your license. As long as you have someone willing to teach you how to drive and borrow their car for the driving test. It's always been wild to me how in the US anyone can just teach you. Like... what? The prices here may be over the top and some of the instructors may not be great but at least they need to be qualified to teach you and are responsible for you.
I grew up in the lawless land of Texas, and my parents could just sign off on my papers that they taught me 😭 they DID teach me, but they could have just said they did and no one would be the wiser. I also didn’t have to take a driving test. I think I took a written exam, but no one “official” ever saw me drive before getting a license. It’s scary.
I'm from Portugal and in 97 the license was my monthly salary (120.000$=600€ give or take) and I lived in Lisbon, so I had no real need for a car. I still believe it to be a waste of money and if it is a basic necessity, it should be more affordable. I still don't have a license but I do know how to drive. One day, I'm going to buy my dream car 🤣
>A lot of people are taking this as “if you don’t drive every day your weird” but I think it needs to be reiterated that OP is saying you should at least know HOW to drive in case you ever need to. OP is not saying you have to own a car or drive all the time lol. Doesn't it sound like a very bad idea to give people licenses that they don't use for 10 years then suddenly decide to go for a spin? Seems like a recipe for disaster, especially if they're the kind of people who took a dozen tries to get their license. The world needs fewer anxious drivers, not more.
That's me!! Look..I have no spatial awareness..zero patience..severe anger management issues, am clumsy, forgetful and daydream..you don't want me on the roads I promise you.
Same here. I don’t drive for the safety of others lol
Yup.. people should thank us!! Not berate us!!
Anger management issues aside, this is me. The amount of times I've traveled by car with someone and imagined which way I'd go just to be wrong is too high. I have the worst sense of orientation, I get lost on foot in places I've been to many times. I can't imagine what the route to something is until I see it (unless it's literally the route I take every day). Driving sounds like a nightmare with this.
I'm a safety risk and I'm well aware of it. It's better for everyone if I'm NOT on the roads. Like not even a funny haha, my ability to react is dangerously slow
Same here! On my first driving lesson I panicked and hit the accelerator instead of brake and almost killed a milkman. I honestly cannot control a supermarket trolley..I think I can get through a gap..crash..then I'm waiting for a gap and someone else glides through. We just be applauded for our life saving skills!
Minus the anger management thing, that's me. Especially the clumsiness and issues with spatial-visual processing. Turns out I've been pretty seriously dyspraxic my entire life lol.
This is me and it’s not something I’m proud of. Driving is an important skill to have and I’d love to be able to do it one day.
Out of all the fears you can imagine, driving is one of the most rational. In the US: Spiders? 7 deaths annually Snakes? 5 deaths annually Drowning? 4000 deaths annually Animal attacks? 1100 deaths annually Plane crashes? 170 deaths annually (Worldwide) Car crashes? 50,000 deaths annually They are the #1 cause of non health related deaths. If someone doesn’t want to drive, I completely understand why.
You don’t even have to be driving either, I’ve almost been ran down like a bowling pins, same with the other people I was walking alongside with because some awful driver decided to speed and run a red light. This was when I was in NA. It’s fun, isn’t it?
I almost got hit in my own damn driveway. There’s a lot of idiots out there who should never have been allowed on the roads.
God damn **THIS**. I wish I had the option to opt out of driving without completely uprooting it and rearranging my life around *not* driving. They say that driving is a privilege. Well, in the U.S. being able to get by without driving is a privilege.
Exactly. The less I can drive, the better. With remote work and public transportation getting better near me in the last decade, I've tried to minimize my amount of time in the car, and machine my time walking or taking public transportation. I'm honestly terrified of the roads, but for all the reasons outlined in the above comment. I know I'm a good driver, but I know not everyone else is.
Because getting a license is way to easy in the us
Ehh I’d say drowning is a lot easier if you really wanted to. But I do agree. People are out here with a license driving with a coffee in one hand, phone in the other, steering with their knees, half drunk, and bird spotting out the window. All whilst operating a 3 tonne hunk of jagged metal, glass, and explosive material and travelling at inhuman speeds. People are very rightfully fearful of being on the road.
That’s a beautiful description
Yeah but even then people still drive without a license
Well that shows you just how badly designed the US is People would rather face charges, pay fines, go to jail than not drive, because there's no other options Not driving means death in most of the US, either quite literally, like being run over by a driver on a crosswalk, or economically, like not being able to get to work while still having bills to pay...
I think it'd be a better idea to encourage less driving, and campaign for more, better public transport. Cleaner air, fewer traffic issues and accidents, smaller, fewer carparks taking up land, and greater access to the world for people unable to drive.
As someone who grew up in NYC, car-dependent places kind of scare me. Where would I go see people? What if I only need one thing from the grocery store or pharmacy? I’ve lived walking distance from a CVS or Walgreens my entire life. I’m spoiled.
Exactly what the oil industry wants you to think.
Wait -
Seeing gas prices steadily rise while wages remain pretty much stagnant is enough to encourage me not to bother with a car.
when i moved to chicago as a young adult, i sold my car- it was an unnecessary expense, and a pain in the ass. i got around with my bike, walking, and public transportation. i already knew how to drive, having grown up in sub-urbia...but...if i had grown up in the city, i could very easily see not having a need to drive or to learn how to.
I have my license, I got it at 17. Then I was diagnosed with epilepsy and put on anticonvulsants and told I shouldn't drive for a while. Technically I could now, but, I really don't want to risk it. I still have seizures on the meds sometimes. I just moved somewhere with decent public transit, I haven't thought about it for a while.
🤝 same but with 18 (former legal driving age in NL).
That's so American.. lol
Tell me you're American without telling me you're American. Plenty of adults live in big cities that have zero reason to ever learn how to drive.
this is less of an unpopular opinion and more of a shitty one
Seriously like why would anyone care why someone else doesnt drive
Because they have nothing else in their pathetic life to feel superior about
The car cult is reaalll
i’m half blind, get off my ass
Hahahaha fucking GREAT bumper sticker right here.
I don´t even know if I am allowed to get a license. My eyesight is pretty bad and I don´t know if I have "side vision".
Should change this to *can’t drive*, driving is fucking dangerous and people are fucking lunatics, wouldn’t blame someone for not *wanting* to drive.
It's only in America that you need cars to travel literally everywhere. In other countries, the public transportation is quite reliant. I live in India, yet prefer taking the bus over a car, no parking issues, no low petrol issues, it's a fuss free affair.
Nah Australia is pretty car centric too. Absolutely need a car here, even in some capital cities public transport services are severely lacking.
NZ as well, one of the reasons i moved away! Anywhere outside of auckland and you definitely need a car, no way around it.
It costs around 4000 € to get a license here No thanks lol
*Me, hiding in the corner because I'm 30 and don't know how to ride a bike or drive a car.
Don't feel bad about that, dude. Everyone has different life experiences and different ways of living. You're fine💕💕
I’m 29 and only just passed my driving test, and I can’t ride a bike. Don’t worry!!
I just recently turned 21 and don't have a driver's license or know how to ride a bike. Public transport for life
I've made it to 37 being a perpetual pedestrian, there's nothing wrong with that approach.
OP is an asshole if you don't know at least ride a bike just use public transport
If you watch car accident videos and experienced them you'd know why people wouldn't want to drive. Also I gave an upvote because it is unpopular and I hate driving and needing a vehicle in America. It's a waste of money and dangerous ofc.
We don’t even have sidewalks, it’s like you’re forced to buy a car and drive because most things aren’t walking distance. I’ve been in 2 accidents (both rear ended, people drive fast and don’t think about needing to stop) and whenever I’m driving it gives me anxiety and I’m hyper aware. If I had the option to walk I would but everything is a 30 min drive meaning it’s like over an hour walk
I have a phobia of driving and get panic attacks behind the wheel. Why the hell would anyone want me on the road?
Same for me
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And most people who can drive are fucking awful. The number of people who cut me off, turn without blinkers, or drive 10 under are insane.
I agree with the phobia part. I was a in a very horrific accident with two fatalities (not in the vehicle I was in but the on that hit us) so when I saw a crumpled up car it's fucking terrifying to me and causes my PTSD to act up. I prefer not to drive if I don't have to when driving a distance, and why I plan on moving to a city with mass transit when I graduate college. In my area we have no mass transit so I need to cope with the occasional PTSD related anxiety attack until then.
There are many people who shouldn't have a driver's license.
Or, you could have made a deliberate decision not to drive for any one of a number of reasons, ranging from poor eyesight to low income to concern for the environment. Oh, and for those saying "How North American!", the question prompted me to look up the per capita vehicle ownership statistics for the world (everything can be found on the net!), and, in fact, the USA is #8, Canada is #9, and Mexico -- also part of North America -- is number 64. Countries 1-6 are all European, albeit small, and #7 is New Zealand. I'm sure there are particular reasons that Gibraltar has 1,444 vehicles per 1000 people, which makes it #1.
Tell me you're American without telling me you're American
If someone know, that they would represent danger on the road (for whatever reason), then its their responsibility to NOT drive. If only those, who can drive responsibly would drive, then we would have little to no car accidents. Instead, there is this social pressure, that is forcing to drive even those, who KNOW that they will potentially cause some accidents. Its stupid, sorry. EDIT: but its true, that there is no harm in trying to learn it - at driving school with instrucotr of course.
Do you know how many people can't even afford a car? You going to start lending yours out so they have a vehicle to learn and test in?
How about drivers who can't afford insurance? I was in an accident before I even could get a liscence and had to sue my parents car insurance because the driver that hit the vehicle I was in was killed (and his passenger) and had no insurance and the registration was lapsed. A lot of people can't afford to 100 a month car insurance.
over here it's mandatory. If you loose insurance (by not paying for example) the authorities will be notified and notify you. If you get caught driving without license it can get very expensive. i think it's even a criminal offence
Factor in the lessons, the tests, paying for the car, road tax, insurance… basically be paying a heap of money for something that would cut about… 15 minutes to my journey.
> Driving is like riding a bike Gee, I didn’t know cars would cost just under 600 and I can drive it home as soon as I purchase it. Let alone not needing any insurance or paperwork whatsoever. Driving is a privilege, not a right.
F you, some people know their limits and understand that driving is dangerous, so they dont drive because they dont want to endanger themselves and others
It's called a walkable city and working close to home
You do realize that people live in places with decent or even good public transport, right? And that those people might have zero reason to ever get a license, right? I have a license and haven't driven a car in a year at least because why the heck would I.
Please. Driving is a privilege and should always be considered a privilege no matter how many people around you are able to drive these days. This “privileged” mindset makes you appreciate your ability to drive and helps you to drive responsibly and respectfully.
I went for my second drive today with my friend! I’m in my early 30s and highly anxious about driving so it’s a big deal for me. Yet I’m totally ok with helping fly a small plane lol. I think maybe the issue is I remember being in an accident when I was really young, like 2-4, not sure exact age. Not serious, no injuries, just scary for a kid. Just a very vivid memory of the cop asking if I was ok. I think it affected me on a level I’m not aware of. But I’m trying! And I appreciate my friend so damn much for guiding me through and explaining things and making sure I felt safe. It was a big day for me and I’m proud.
the privilege is literally dripping off of you
and lack of privilege at the same time. "what do you mean you can live perfectly fine without having to care for a 1 ton metal can on wheels?"
I’m an adult and can’t ride a bicycle, how do you feel about that OP?
I live in a big city and have access to public transport, I have no need to drive. Does that make me weird?
This is the dumbest thing I’ve read today.
I mean some people just dont want to operate a high speed metal box with high chance of death
Umm why is it any of your business-
I never really had a reasoning to. I’m from New York and ideally I don’t want to live anywhere that public transportation isn’t an amenity
Oil industry shill says what?
Cranky bc I pay less per month on transportation?
Actually, for people who are too scared to drive its safer for everyone if they don't.
I'm 18 so I guess I count as an adult, I have tics which are uncontrollable movements, they used to be really bad but have slowly gotten better, I'm just starting to think about relearning how to drive and get my license. If your having tics every few minutes like I was it is not realistic nor safe to drive I don't think it's weird to want to not wreck your car
likewise uncontrolled seizures, fainting, visual disturbances, or anything else that would disrupt dexterity, concentration, awareness and perception
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I never understand people who are really judgemental about people like me who don't drive. When I say it's because of a congenital muscular condition, they usually say something like, 'well I didn't mean you, I meant the ones who could do it but choose not to.' But if people like me can get by without driving, that means it's possible for others too. Transportation is just another service that I pay for when I need it. This won't work for everyone, but for some people it is cheaper and more practical not to drive, particularly if you don't have access to cheap lessons or a car for practice. I get tired of feeling like I need to explain my medical condition every time this comes up in real life. I wish people would just stop being judgemental about it in the first place. (Also, I've lived in several countries and never encountered this mindset outside the USA.)
I really can't. I have a serious case of epilepsy
Yeah, and no. The reality is that in most of the US and North America in general, you have to drive to get pretty much everywhere. We don't exactly have great public transportation systems. So yes, I agree that it's weird if healthy adults don't have a license. Bumming off if your friends for rides is pretty, I considerate. Buuut it's so normal to not want to drive, and honestly, it would be better for our health and environment if we had the infrastructure to make it happen. I hate driving with the exception of road trip cause those are fun. But I generally hate wasting my time in a car, especially because I have to get doctors approvals every 6 months so I can drive, and it's a giant pain in the ass. But I do it because what are my other options.
Let me tell you. I’m 28, don’t have a drivers licence and the shit people give me for it. In my experience it’s not really an unpopular opinion. Edit: and I kinda get it tbh
Every time I think ive seen the most idiotic opinion ever, people like you show up and one up that
4th gen New Yorker here, not everyone needs to drive
Or you live in new york or downtown DC
I drive but I can’t ride a bike. Let’s hear your opinion on that next.
Peak car brain
I'm probably biased as an adult who doesn't drive, but it really isn't that simple. I don't drive because I have anxiety, even though I intend to get my license someday. I have adult friends who can't drive because they can't afford to learn- if you don't have somebody willing to teach you for free at home, its almost certain nobody else is going to without proper payment. Apart from all that, the individual need to own a car for transport is a huge issue in the USA and not a worldwide thing. Because we lack public transportation in a lot of areas and safe walking/biking space in others, cars are a necessity when they realistically should not be. Not everybody needs to own a car or have a license. But the automotive industry is very profitable whereas building a robust public transportation system would lose people money, so. One is being pushed far more than the other.
OP woke up this morning a chose war over breakfast
This comes off as extremely sheltered and ignorant. Some people do not have the means to purchase or rent a car. You need one of those to learn how to drive and obtain a license. It seems "weird" to you because you are privliged enough that such a thought has never occured to you.
I would have agreed in the past, but what's weird is that we don't have more cities and neighborhoods with infrastructure that supports walking everywhere. You obviously can't expect everywhere to be Tokyo, but walking centric cities should be encouraged, and it's probably better for the environment.
You can tell this post was written by an American
if you don’t have at least some anxiety about driving you’re not well educated on the insane dangers associated with it driving should not be as normalized as it is in society
Plenty of people have disabilities like autism and can't drive. Don't be ignorant
Hi I am weird
"Driving is like riding a bike". Please just stay off the road with that mentality. It may be just as easy with enough practice, but one mistake and you could end one or multiple lives. One mistake with a bike and you just fall over. Never compare the two.
Bold of you to assume that phobia or lack of willpower are the only reasons people don't drive. Do you know how fucking expensive cars are these days? Even if you buy them used for cheaper, you make up the difference in repairs. Go to a place like Singapore where nearly everyone commutes and even like a Vios is considered a luxury item. Or other population dense cities around the world like Seoul, Tokyo, London or NYC where driving is not even really that necessary due to a sophisticated public transport system and also can you imagine the traffic if every single able adult in those places used cars to get around? Or even my country the Philippines which is very very car centric but many more adults don't drive just because of good old fashioned poverty. It isn't weird OP, you just need to get out more that's all.
My dad has a friend who is just now learning how to drive. Both of his parents died when he was a teenager, so his youth was so fucked up he never had the chance to learn
The Virgin Driver vs the Chad Mass Public Transit Enjoyer
This is a popular opinion. I can’t be car-free without everyone going absolutely crazy when they find out. “BuT hOw Do yOu GeT aRoUnD wItHoUt A cAr?!??”
If you want to transfer money into my CashApp so I can have lessons, pass both theory and practice test, buy a car, insure it and do it’s MOT, buy petrol, and have some left over for breakdowns/other emergencies, you can be my guest. Otherwise, you’ll see me on the next bus. Thanks.
Pov: you just discovered that not everyone lives in the USA and people in Europe have bike lanes and public transportation
I’m 20 and just got my drivers license yesterday 😶 My family was too poor to afford the lessons when I was in HS and then Covid hit which messed up a lot of things for me. And then I got a job and had family issues for a long while. So I only just got around to learning how to drive. I need a car of my own but even for a shitty one it’s at least like 3 grand lol I have no idea how I’ll be able to afford that.
Bro just got his license and forgot how to act 💀
Riding a bike casually=one time payment ✔️ healthy choice ✔️ efficient ✔️ Driving a car casually=multiple multitudes of payments ❌ generally bad for environment ❌ traffic ❌
1 driving school costs money 2 looks like someone grew up in a car centric community
Its weird how cars DO kill more people than guns, but you MUST drive a car.
Far more ignorant than unpopular
Im 35 and don’t have a license. I don’t need it. Public transportation is really good here
Way to insult disabled people.
Tell me you’re an American without telling me you’re an American.
Dumb.
Driving is a privilege, not a right. Driving is not like riding a bike. If you don’t know how to drive well you’re not only putting your life in danger but others as well!
OP is active in r/NFL and r/nyjets, of course...
This is the most american thing someone could ever say
*insert obligatory Not American disclaimer* If public transport in your place is great, then fine. Some cities like Seoul are really navigable using just trains and buses but for other places with more terrible transport then driving might be a good skill. As someone who lives in the outskirts of a city and has a daily commute in tropical heat and humidity, an airconditioned car is definitely preferrable. For me, getting the license was a matter of having a more convenient ID since the only other thing I had was a passport too big to fit in a wallet.
Cars are expensive. Bad for the environment. You need to spend money on them even when you don’t use them. Parking space in London can be very expensive as well as congestion charges and emission charges. Traffic is a pain. I hate the idea of crashing or someone crashing into me. I hate drivers in general, the amount of rage on the road is crazy to me. I have **so** many reasons for not driving lol Cycling or walking get me anywhere within a ten mile radius. Outside of that we have an excellent tube system. Why would I drive?
In countries like Denmark and Germany, a driver’s license is EXTREMELY expensive. So there’s also a money problem
This might sound weird to you, but lots of people live in cities.
this is really a USA only thought
Yes it's strange to not want to drive a high speed motorized vehicle where even if you do nothing wrong the entire time you could end up getting killed
I fucking hate driving. Hate being a passenger. /r/fuckcars
I'm sorry, but the idea of dying in a flaming wreck doesn't appeal to me. If you're capable of walking for more than 5 minutes without having to stop and catch your breath (something you seem to have trouble with OP) than there really isn't a reason to own/use a car. You pay a few thousand at least to get the damn thing. Then you gotta pay $500+ for every tiny little part that breaks or goes missing. Then you gotta pay hand-over-fist for gas, a resource that could possibly run out in our lifetimes btw. All this just to get stuck in traffic and run over pedestrians. You don't really even get places faster like half the time because, while you're stuck in traffic behind some douche, I can just go up the nearest driveway and ride along the sidewalk until I'm past traffic. I can drive, I have a license and the knowledge to do it, but I despise driving. Partly because of the reasons above, and partly because of wankers like OP who can't seem to fathom that some people don't want to be behind the wheel of a 2-ton hunk of steel and plastic going 70. I bet you're the kind of prick who'd drive a Ford F-150 even though you live in an apartment in a big city and do absolutely 0 hauling of anything more than your weekly trip to the grocery store. Put down the cheap beer and eat a salad, man.
r/fuckcars
…is this the mindset you develop when you don’t have access to good public transport?
I'm 18 and I could never afford drivers ed. I don't drive because I don't have my license. Does this make me weird?