I feel so trapped without a driving license… can’t go anywhere…

I think everyone has a driver’s license at 16 here in the US, but I’m already over 18 with no license… :(

  • KristellA
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    10 hours ago

    21, both my grandmother, and an instructor.

    Before then I feasibly had no way to drive, so it was just an extra cost for no benefit. Family didn’t have a car at all when I was 16, and I didn’t get my first car until shortly before I got my license. I also just hate driving, it wigs my anxiety out. It’s still the only car I’ve ever owned, and I sold it about a year ago.

    I work from home, and only even borrow someone’s car or get a ride if I can’t get to a store on foot, which is one I only go to monthly. I’d still be borrowing a car if I could, though, I’m not sure I could carry 40 pounds of compressed sawdust home on foot. Even with that I likely won’t let the license expire, since it’s the same cost as an ID anyway.

  • JayJLeas@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    I got my licence 2 years ago at 35! I initially tried at 16 but my mother was just horrible to drive with and scared me off learning for a long time. When I actually got it I did lessons with an instructor for a long time and that was much better for building my confidence.

  • hornedfiend@piefed.social
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    16 hours ago

    I’m 40 and I got my licence in 2021. I pid 50$ to make sure(not USA), but never caused an accident with anyone.

  • Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    15 hours ago

    Road my bike to take the written test. Borrowed a car for the road test.

    Didn’t study for the written test. I did practice with my temps before the road test.

  • Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    18 hours ago

    Was driving my dad home from the bar at 13. School permit at 14 that let me drive to school and work. Drivers license at 16. Drivers education course was offered in our middle school/high school (grades 7-12 in the building).

  • snugglesthefalse@sh.itjust.works
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    18 hours ago

    I got mine when I was 26 after doing on and off lessons and other practice for nearly 10 years. I learned most of it from lessons so neither.

  • Ryanmiller70@lemmy.zip
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    21 hours ago

    I got my license in 2014 at the age of 19. Driving just didn’t interest me before cause only place I went was school and I had a bus to go there which didn’t charge me like the school did for people wanting to park there. Once I graduated and needed a job, that’s when I started learning to drive. My dad taught me everything by taking me to a local state park and occasionally letting me drive through town or on the interstate.

    Edit: throwing this in that my gf is 33 and still never had a license. She tried in the past, but nobody took her driving and I couldn’t cause I live 600 miles away. She’s trying again since her family has more free time now to do it.

  • VibeSurgeon@piefed.social
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    20 hours ago
    1. I did a mix of driving with my parents and taking driving classes.

    I didn’t hurry up to take it because it’s not mandatory to drive where I’ve lived so far, and where I live now it’s completely optional. These days I drive very rarely, most commonly when visiting family.

  • Pamasich@kbin.earth
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    24 hours ago

    I don’t have a license, because I live in a country with great public transport and never really saw the need to driving, especially in regards to outweighting the damage it does and the danger it poses.

  • dimjim@sh.itjust.works
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    23 hours ago

    I didn’t get mine till 18, even though I went through my schools driving program at 16.

    Its nothing to be embarrassed about! I literally didn’t know that vehicles would slowly move themselves when in drive until the first time I got behind the wheel in the driving school lol.

  • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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    22 hours ago

    Back in the 70s, we had Driving Class in high school. My Dad also took me out to practice. I was about 16 1/2 before I got my license.

    OTOH, I had a buddy who wanted to start driving as soon as he turned 16. So he saved his money from his paper route, and the moment he turned 16, he signed up for a private driving school, and he had his license within a couple of weeks after turning 16.

    Shhhh, he’d also been secretly borrowing his sister’s car for a couple of years.

    • BeBopALouie@lemmy.ca
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      21 hours ago

      Me too. I did 2 of those after school driving courses in the 70’s. Got 10% off insurance for taking the course as well. I also did a 3rd course paid by my mom as it included training on standard. I already knew how but if I told my mom I would be busted for stealing my dads truck to drive around and also drove a friends standard while underage.

      Edit forgot to say I went for my chauffeurs license. It opened me up to drive more types of vehicles if needed.

  • Flauschige_Lemmata@lemmy.world
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    22 hours ago

    A driving school. Anything else is illegal here.

    I was lucky that my parents paid for it. And prices have gone even more through the roof since then.

  • AA5B@lemmy.world
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    23 hours ago

    A little bit of each. Technically drivers Ed in high school. I think 16 or 17, whatever I was the summer I took it. However my dad taught me to drive stick, plus driving a car was easier since I already drove tractors and ATVs