Asklemmy

I'm not allowed to learn to drive. Where I live, people drive like crazy and they follow some sort of "law of the jungle". Having ADHD doesn't help either.

People with ADHD, Dyspraxia (a motor disability), and some type of insomnia disorder have significantly higher rates of car accidents – around 4x more likely for ADHD and 3x more likely for insomnia disorders (driving while sleepy is around as dangerous as driving while drunk). At minimum 25% of all car crashes involve people with ADHD or insomnia disorders (which is why your car insurance rates might skyrocket in some states if you get diagnosed)... I have all of those. Yet, somehow, they still allowed me to get my driver's license, and I got it with single-digit hours of driving experience at the time... very American to give licenses that allow you to drive 13-ton vehicles to people who shouldn't even qualify to drive on public roads.

I still have no reason to waste tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a few years on a car though.

Subway that arrives almost to my office. Yes it's a bit slower overall, but I can doomscroll my phone for a hour per day instead of rotating the wheel for the same amount of time.

because they gave me a license anyways

I have an e-scooter that gets me everywhere I need in town, and can use a taxi or get a ride from friends/family if there's a situation where the scooter won't work. Cars are expensive to insure, run and keep fueled, and money is tight enough as is.

The more you know, the more responsibility you have

I'm not someone who refused to learn to drive, but I have made pointed efforts to avoid driving but for rare exceptions that usually involve driving other people to appointments. For reference, it's cold as shit, rainy, and more often snowy where I live 7-8 months out of the year. Our biking infrastructure isn't great, but it's better than most of the US.

I hate traffic and everything surrounding car-centric culture and I'm lucky enough to live close enough to work that I can easily walk or ride my bike if I don't want to take a bus. The grocery store is a bit harder to manage, but usually something I can do on the bike. I repair everything on my own and ride a bike that's 40+ years old and the joy I get from riding it is a stark contrast to the experience of driving the same route.

Sure, the narcissistic behavior of drivers, the exhaust and other fumes, and the stress of are all factors that make me hate driving, but the single thing that bugs me most about cars whether I'm driving, walking, biking, or just sitting on my couch with all of the windows closed is the NOISE of cars. Engine noise is annoying, honking is annoying, but the tire noise above ~20 mph is a constant assault on my senses.

That's why the bike trails are nice, not because I don't have to breathe exhaust or worry about getting hit by a car, but because they are the only quiet and peaceful places in our city. They are the only place cars can't go.

I don't like it, haven't really needed it, prefer public transport and have terrible motor skills.

Other than making sure to be wearing your glasses if you are near sighted enough that your local licence requires it, glasses are an irrelevant factor. It's not like you are going into active combat duty...

Friend of mine never got their driver's license. They live in NYC and don't need one. They also were concerned about safety- they have ADHD and are prone to inattentiveness, and they didn't want to be driving a car when that manifested.

I have a license but I also live in NYC. I don't need to drive. It's pretty great. It's expensive in time money space and externalized costs, and it's often less effective than just taking public transit.

Unfortunately most of the US is resistant to investing in mass transit and density, so it's going to be shitty car-first spaces for a while.