Do you know how to drive a car?

[Sir Mohamed]

Yup (car owner), for well over a decade.

[ProudModerate2]

Technically yes.  I have a drivers license.
However the number of car accidents I've been involved in makes me question whether I really know how to drive a car.

How many of those were "accidents"? No offense, but my good judgment in you becomes more compromised by the day.

You really think I deliberately destroy cars?  I might be British but I'm not nuts.  I'm actually fairly normal.  The science lab thing was about 6 years ago...

Of the 3 proper accidents (cars badly damaged or completely destroyed):
One was definitely my fault (I was distracted by something...)
One was difficult to say (I wasn't looking properly but the other guy was going too fast)
One probably wasn't my fault (she was going way too fast but claims I was on the wrong side of the road)

Thinking about it I probably drive too fast and recklessly.  Problem is I really enjoy doing just that.  Perhaps I should find another way to get my adrenaline up.  Any suggestions?

A lot more sex.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

My original license was on a paper card. 

[Big Abraham]

Technically yes.  I have a drivers license.
However the number of car accidents I've been involved in makes me question whether I really know how to drive a car.

How many of those were "accidents"? No offense, but my good judgment in you becomes more compromised by the day.

You really think I deliberately destroy cars?  I might be British but I'm not nuts.  I'm actually fairly normal.  The science lab thing was about 6 years ago...

Of the 3 proper accidents (cars badly damaged or completely destroyed):
One was definitely my fault (I was distracted by something...)
One was difficult to say (I wasn't looking properly but the other guy was going too fast)
One probably wasn't my fault (she was going way too fast but claims I was on the wrong side of the road)

Thinking about it I probably drive too fast and recklessly.  Problem is I really enjoy doing just that.  Perhaps I should find another way to get my adrenaline up.  Any suggestions?

A lot more sex.

This is an Atlas poster we are talking about.

[afleitch]

No. Never learned.

[beesley]

Based on an AAD thread. Currently I do not know how to drive and have been avoiding it due to my conditions, but I'm hoping that will change someday.

Same as me, but I have no desire to change it whatsoever. Driving is of no benefit to me and certainly not to anyone else at this point in time.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

There is no such thing as an "accident". The fact is, most people should not be trusted with automobiles. I felt this way before, and have only been proven right since.

I have often questioned the wisdom of allowing 15 or 16-year-olds to drive metal death contraptions, but I know that opinion wouldn't fly with most people, especially as someone who believes the voting age should be 16. But in a way, I am glad I never learned to drive if only because there's a lesser chance of me being alive otherwise. For all I know, just using Uber or Lyft might be cheaper anyway than owning an actual car and paying all the insurance fees.

(I do find motorcycle riding kind of cool, though.)

For people who live within five miles of their work, it's generally cheaper to not own an automobile. Insurance, parking, maintenance, it all adds up.

The personal automobile is an outdated model that never had a chance to truly shine.

Depends on where you live and what else you do.  I live within five miles of my office (and am mostly WFH at this point anyway), but I'm in the suburbs, where there are few places I can walk to and where public transportation isn't really a thing.  Plus, my church (where I am at least three times a week) is 25 minutes away by car.  My lifestyle would not be remotely sustainable without a car.

[ProudModerate2]

Technically yes.  I have a drivers license.
However the number of car accidents I've been involved in makes me question whether I really know how to drive a car.

How many of those were "accidents"? No offense, but my good judgment in you becomes more compromised by the day.

You really think I deliberately destroy cars?  I might be British but I'm not nuts.  I'm actually fairly normal.  The science lab thing was about 6 years ago...

Of the 3 proper accidents (cars badly damaged or completely destroyed):
One was definitely my fault (I was distracted by something...)
One was difficult to say (I wasn't looking properly but the other guy was going too fast)
One probably wasn't my fault (she was going way too fast but claims I was on the wrong side of the road)

Thinking about it I probably drive too fast and recklessly.  Problem is I really enjoy doing just that.  Perhaps I should find another way to get my adrenaline up.  Any suggestions?

A lot more sex.

This is an Atlas poster we are talking about.

[MATTROSE94]

Technically yes.  I have a drivers license.

However the number of car accidents I've been involved in makes me question whether I really know how to drive a car.

Same for me, though I only had one accident that basically totaled my car and resulted in me getting a pretty bad ticket that almost resulted in jail time.

[ProudModerate2]

Technically yes.  I have a drivers license.
However the number of car accidents I've been involved in makes me question whether I really know how to drive a car.

Same for me, though I only had one accident that basically totaled my car and resulted in me getting a pretty bad ticket that almost resulted in jail time.

Were you driving under the influence, overly speeding, or racing? There is normally no "jail time" for a standard car accident.

[MATTROSE94]

Technically yes.  I have a drivers license.
However the number of car accidents I've been involved in makes me question whether I really know how to drive a car.

Same for me, though I only had one accident that basically totaled my car and resulted in me getting a pretty bad ticket that almost resulted in jail time.

Were you driving under the influence, overly speeding, or racing? There is normally no "jail time" for a standard car accident.

Back in February of 2020, misjudged a red light and totaled my 2012 Jeep Compass and a 2010 Ford Explorer. The police officer at the scene gave me a ticket for careless driving, which could result in up to two weeks jail time in New Jersey.

[HAnnA MArin County]

To all here who’ve had wrecks, I completely sympathize with you! I’ve wrecked three vehicles since I started driving at 15: my mom’s car (age 15), my car at the time (22), and my great-grandmother’s (age 25-closer-to-26). Surprisingly, I’ve never hit a deer while driving but I have hit a Great Dane before that caused some damage to the right front side of my car that I have now, but thankfully I haven’t wrecked the car I have now (owned and paid off).

[muon2]

I learned to drive in 1974 in a '69 Mustang convertible. My first long drive was from St Paul MN to Dayton OH with a stopover in DuPage county IL in 1978 in a '73 AMC Hornet. I've continued to drive on road trips ever since. My most recent one for vacation was this summer for two weeks to Vail CO, by way of MN, SD and WY and returning through NM, OK, KS, MO and IA. I'm in the middle of another trip with my '16 BMW X3 as I type this after an 1100 mile drive from Beloit WI to Acton MA to visit family.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Yes, I've been driving for almost 50 years and generally enjoy it, although I don't drive nearly as much as I used to (I've worked from home since the start of the pandemic and will likely never return to the office).  A few thoughts on dead0man's post:

1.small cars are safer because they are easier to avoid accidents with (stop shorter, handle better) and because everyone is bigger than you, it forces the driver of the small car to pay attention more than the driver of the big car, thus avoiding even more accidents.
B.adding weight in the back of a car to help with traction in the snow is dumb.  If the only way you can move is if you have 40lbs of kitty litter in the trunk, then you shouldn't be moving in the first place.  If you do lose control with extra weight in the back (and you will), it's going to be that much harder to "catch" it because of, ya know, Newton (an object in motion tends to stay in motion).
III.being higher isn't helpful if everyone else is in tall vehicles too.  Plus the handling negatives inherent in taller vehicles.
4.using a full sized pickup/SUV as a go back and forth to work vehicle makes you an asshole
e.it should be much harder to get a driver's license.  While I think most drivers are good adequate drivers, it's still far to easy to get and keep a license in the US.

1. Agree completely.

B. I always thought the point of the kitty litter was to spread it (like gravel) on a slippery spot you were stuck on, not for increased weight.  (I've never carried it myself as it rarely snows here and anyone who drives around here when it does is nuts.)

III. Probably true although I haven't driven that many tall vehicles.  I'd agree about the handling being worse.

4. Yep.

e. Definitely!  The road test in the U.S., at least in Georgia, is way too easy.  I'd go even further and require everyone to retake the road test every few years, with the frequency increasing as you get older.

Related: I think I've become a better driver as I've gotten older -- more careful, defensive-minded, and experienced, and in less of a hurry.  As a counterpoint, I'm at an age where my reaction time has slipped a bit.  But not much, and I think it's offset by driving slower and more carefully than when I was young.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

I'm not old enough to get a license, although from how good I am at driving golf carts whenever I go to a course I think I can. Then again, I hate being in cars.

[Hammy]

I do, but driving in Georgia makes me really wonder if anybody else on the road does.

[vitoNova]

I don't think I've ever met anyone over the age of 18 who didn't know "how to drive."

But yes.  Stick, too.  I know plenty of people, on the other hand, who don't know how to drive a stick shift, but I personally would never own a manual transmission.

Imagine not being able to eat fast food while driving in traffic.  

[Tintrlvr]

Yes, but I don't like doing it and tend to be a very nervous driver. I also only drive maybe once or twice a year.

[Hammy]

I don't think I've ever met anyone over the age of 18 who didn't know "how to drive."

But yes.  Stick, too.  I know plenty of people, on the other hand, who don't know how to drive a stick shift, but I personally would never own a manual transmission.

Imagine not being able to eat fast food while driving in traffic.  

I know quite a few people online who don't, but all live in Europe where public transit is widely available and driving isn't a necessity.

[vitoNova]

I don't think I've ever met anyone over the age of 18 who didn't know "how to drive."

But yes.  Stick, too.  I know plenty of people, on the other hand, who don't know how to drive a stick shift, but I personally would never own a manual transmission.

Imagine not being able to eat fast food while driving in traffic.  

I know quite a few people online who don't, but all live in Europe where public transit is widely available and driving isn't a necessity.

All the Euroweenies I've ever met were somewhat gearheads, and roasted me for driving a wussy "point-and-shoot" automatic.  

When I was 18, I had no choice but to learn quickly how to drive a manual transmission on a Ford Mondeo.  Which were the standard NATO military police patrol vehicles on NATO installations in Europe.

[Joe Republic]

Yep, including stick shift.

4.using a full sized pickup/SUV as a go back and forth to work vehicle makes you an asshole

Ok ordinarily yes but my daily commute is a winding mountain road that gets heavy snow in the winter.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Yep, including stick shift.

Not long after our daughter was born we needed a better vehicle than the piece of sh**t we were driving.  So we bought a new 81 Renault Alliance.  I couldn't afford and automatic so I bought a stick but I didn't know how to drive one.  My wife's uncle came down in their stick and taught me in a bit over a day.  I got good fast out of necessity.  I enjoyed the stick tbh.  A lot.