I recently started learning how to drive and so far, it's been okay. I mean, I think it's been okay, but my mom may or may not have a different opinion.
Anyway, I decided not to get my license when I was 16. That was completely my decision. I live someplace where every place I needed to go was in walking distance. Literally, the old school was right down the street and I can see the new school from my house. And since that was the only place I was going to was high school, I was perfectly content with using my two God-given legs to get there. I also go to college where I get access to public transportation (which is awesome, I love public transportation).
But now that I'm older, not driving is getting more inconvenient. I mean, I can't just go home and visit my mom and sister whenever I feel like it during the school year because my hometown is a two and a half hour drive from Cleveland and public transport to the middle of nowhere isn't a thing. I'm also planning on moving into an apartment next year, so I'm going to have to be able to drive to get to school, go to work, get groceries, and other things like that.
That being said, I'm perfectly content with my decision to wait to drive.
For one, I don't have to pay for gas or insurance or car maintenance. I also don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on a parking pass for school (which saves me money on tuition) and I don't have to worry about parking in Downtown Cleveland (if you've ever been to Cleveland, you'd know parking is horrendous).
Some people tell me about all the “freedom" I would have had if I had gotten my license in high school, but in all honesty, it's not like I would've gone wherever I wanted to whenever I wanted to. After all, my mom, my sister, and I have had the conversation about, “Just because you can drive, doesn't mean you're taking the car whenever you want."
Besides, it's not like I'm suddenly going to galavant all over Hell and Creation just because I'm an adult. I have school and I'll have a job in the fall. I'll have responsibilities. I'm also living on-campus again and not planning on taking a car with me because I don't want to buy a parking pass and worry about someone breaking into the car (because it's Downtown Cleveland and that's always a possibility, even though I know better than to keep anything valuable just sitting in plain sight - I'm still a very paranoid person when it comes to things like that).
I mean, I plan on having my license before winter (ideally before I even start fall semester, but I know that might be pushing it). But I don't really feel like I missed out on anything by not getting my license the second I turned 16. In fact, I feel that it's better that I waited because I am way more mature now than I was at sixteen.
The fact that I'm more mature — which means I have a better understanding of the responsibility of driving — and have saved money is why I'm glad I waited until I was an adult to start learning how to drive.
