Do you drive?

[Jordy]

Just wondering whether I really need to drive when I'm 17 and how many people do. I really can't see much need to drive when I'm 17, I can use buses to get everywhere I want and in just a year or two I'll be at University, and once I'm there I definitely won't need to drive. Trains seem good enough for mid-long distance travel. If I won't make good use of a car, there's no point going to the expense of lessons and then buying a car and insurance etc.

But inevitably I'm going to need to drive once I leave Uni unless I live in a major city?

So what are your thoughts on driving at 17?

[Sharon]

I'd like to drive ASAP - so at 17 I can go wherever then and do whatever.

[Meanies]

i left driving at 17 because i didn't have money and knew i'd get enough money to sort it out all when i was 18 so i'm doing it now. first lesson yesterday(H)

[Kieran]

You're probably right in thinking that. I passed my test when I was 17, but didn't drive afterwards until I was about 18. Purely for the fact I had no need to drive when I could use a bus etc. I've moved away now so It's more of a convenience to drive so I do.

[Rozi]

I'm very keen to learn to drive at 17, even if I don't use it until I leave uni. For christmas I got some driving lessons on a track and I'm looking forward to taking them :)

[Eoin]

I used to :(

[Suspective]

I am broke :( - No I don't

[Catzsy]

Well the only thing I would say is that parents are more inclined to pay for your driving lessons when you are 17 and whilst at home you can probably find the time and the effort to do it. Driving lessons are obviously going to be more expensive in a few years time. A license is a great asset to have maybe for a part-time job, in an emergency and most definitely for ID purposes.

[Caution]

No but I want to when I'm 17. There's no train's around here, it's all being built and it'll be finished in 2014 I think, and the buses are c r a p.

[syko2006]

Not yet, but I hope to when I'm 17. I like the idea of being more mobile and 'free' I suppose. :D

[Johno]

Started my lessons a few weeks ago and it's probably one of the best things I have done :)

[Blinger1]

I started driving at the age of 16, got my provisional license at the age of 18... And, i drive a car and a motorbike ;)

[Jordy]

Well the only thing I would say is that parents are more inclined to pay for your driving lessons when you are 17 and whilst at home you can probably find the time and the effort to do it. Driving lessons are obviously going to be more expensive in a few years time. A license is a great asset to have maybe for a part-time job, in an emergency and most definitely for ID purposes.Hmm you raise some very good points. Particularly about having the time. I think I'm going to learn to drive but I won't get a car until I really need one, which could be up to a decade away, I've no idea :)

[wixard]

no cos all my boys drive me where i wanna go
i have no need to drive, driving is for working class citizens

[Catzsy]

Hmm you raise some very good points. Particularly about having the time. I think I'm going to learn to drive but I won't get a car until I really need one, which could be up to a decade away, I've no idea :)

Yes well I didn't have a car straightaway either but it's worth it I believe.

[Hecktix]

Driving changed my life dramatically. When you are getting buses you are obliged to stick to timetables etc, when you have a car you can go where you like, when you like and for me it's really helped my social life as a teenager. Yes, I am in a dilemma as to what to do with my car when I go to University in September as obviously I won't be taking it with me, but would like it here for when I am home.. but the insurance will still be pricey.

I think it's a lot easier to learn when you are 17, as Catzsy said a Driving License is perfect for ID (and I think it's the cheapest form too). When you've learnt it'll never go away, even if you don't get a car after you've passed until after uni :)

[Swearwolf]

ive been driving for almost 2 years

[Martin]

Started learning to drive when I was 17 (On my 17th birthday infact), but didn't pass my test until like June last year (when I was 18) - It was the best feeling ever! Got a car a week later, and have been driving ever since.

Had I not learnt to drive/got a car, then it would have been far harder to find a job, as transportation is often useful for branching out and finding jobs, and busses just aren't always at the right times really.

Yes, it's extremely expensive to learn to drive, but I think it's an extremely useful thing to do, and the feeling you get when you pass your test(s) is just unbelievable! It really is something that life changing, and gives you so much more flexibility in terms of where you can go/what you can do with your time.

[Pyroka]

I dont drive and tbh as much as I'd like to start driving I don't need to start anytime soon. Paying to go on trains and flights plus using my bike wherever I need to go pretty much gets me along, and walking it ofc. If I got a car, I'd get lazy and fat lol.

[buttons]

i'm 17 n started lessons a month ago
im not even that keen on driving, don't need a car, get a lift to college for free. would rather walk to the shop than drive. once i pass i'm not gonna bother having a car. not till i get a job atleast.. plus its actually cheaper and less time consuming to get to shopping centres by train

[Nixt]

Yes I do drive, it will be two years in May :)!

[GoldenMerc]

i love driving now (A) been driving altogether for 2 years, but been driving a car for around a month and a half :D
Moped - 16
Crosser - 17 (125cc)
Car - 18

[Special]

I want to drive when im 17

[MrGazet]

yes i do drive and i can't really do anything bout it anyways as mum was eager for me to drive soon so i can be her driver lol :P

[Shockwave.2CC]

I drive a moped but not a car

I'm learning to drive a car atm so i should be driving without an instructor by November

[Jamesy]

I dont drive and tbh as much as I'd like to start driving I don't need to start anytime soon. Paying to go on trains and flights plus using my bike wherever I need to go pretty much gets me along, and walking it ofc. If I got a car, I'd get lazy and fat lol.

This is pretty much my view. No where I need to go that I can't by walking.

[Hecktix]

I drive a moped but not a car

I'm learning to drive the car atm so i shold be driving without an instructor by November


You don't drive a moped, you ride one!

[Shockwave.2CC]

You don't drive a moped, you ride one!

True

'I ride a moped' :D

[Nicola]

Voted: 17+ Female - No but I want to

Got my first lesson in a couple of weeks.

[Seatherny]

I passed my theory 10 days after my 17th birthday and my driving test a few months after. I drive when I have to. Otherwise I don't see the point in wasting the money on petrol

[Angel-Light]

I got asked when I was 17 if I wanted to learn to drive. At that point I said no as I felt I wasn't ready to try it yet (I had sat in the driver's seat a couple of times). Now I'm in my 2nd year of Uni and okay if I knew how to drive I would have the freedom. However parking anywhere is useless at my Uni as you pay so much for a parking space that you may not even get :l

Another issue with me is I have no space for a car at home as the number of cars on my street has tripled in the past 10 years :P

I would like to learn to drive eventually, maybe this summer when I have a bit more time on my hands :)

[Tash.]

i left driving at 17 because i didn't have money and knew i'd get enough money to sort it out all when i was 18 so i'm doing it now. first lesson yesterday(H)

Oh dear, thanks for the warning! I will watch myself on the roads of York from now on :P

But no, I don't drive. Never had the money or the courage to learn really. I went for 17+ female, don't want to.

[Seatherny]

Oh dear, thanks for the warning! I will watch myself on the roads of York from now on :P

But no, I don't drive. Never had the money or the courage to learn really. I went for 17+ female, don't want to.

I will teach you.

[danzooo]

Well I'm currently doing lessons and I have my own car and I am 17 so I chose the first one. Probably quite far away from doing my test (only done 7 lessons so far) but it doesn't seem a million miles away, I'm quite advanced despite the little amount of professional lessons I've had so my instructor says, because I have my own motor.

I was so determined to start that my first lesson was on my 17th birthday at 9am, meaning I had been 17 for only an hour and 45 minutes :eusa_danc

[MissAlice]

I used to get 2 buses to college, and more often than not one of them would let me down. I would make the effort to arrive at college much earlier than needed just to be there in plenty of time. I quite often got frustrated as I would be late and it would be out of my control. It's also no fun waiting for a bus in the freezing cold, that may not turn up.

My parents paid for my driving lessons, on the condition that I paid for my theory and for my practical which came from the money I earnt doing a part time job. Obviously the incentive was to get it right first time and cut my costs.

Passing my driving test gave me independence, and some freedom too. I still use trains when it's more practical and I walk. Not all my friends live on the doorstep and it's easy now to jump in my car and go when it suits me without relying on anyone else.

I recommend learning to drive as soon as you can if your parents offer to support you, particularly if you have the time. It's not cheap, and it won't get any cheaper as you get older.

[Black_Apalachi]

I do (well no car now) but at 17 you really don't need to. I only started driving because it's something I've literally been waiting my whole life to do. But to be fair, at that age it's a huge waste of money and I won't be getting another car for at least a couple years I would think (even though I really want another one) :P