I Think, Therefore I Don't Drive

It was suggested to me by no less than 10 people that I ought to start my own blog. Since I'm such a giving person, I decided to throw those people a bone. Here it is!

In return, I would like you to throw me a bone: stop bringing up the fact that I don't drive.

I have observed the way people discuss (with me) my lack of a driver's license and you would think, given their level of concern, that I told them that I abstain from drinking water and that breathing is something I don't really take seriously. That driving is a vital aspect of Life and that I am somehow living incompletely or perhaps even dangerously.

You know what's dangerous? Driving. Other drivers. My disturbing lack of coordination.

Driving is dangerous. I can't fathom the type of behavior I've seen on the road. Why people talk on a cellphone or text while driving is beyond me. Nothing you're saying is that important, trust me.

I can't control what other drivers do and I don't like that. Even if I am a perfectly adequate driver, (all my experience driving has suggested that I am) it is safe to assume many people are not. I have observed that this is case. They are not careful, not aware of their surroundings and usually swing from being too passive to too aggressive. They're simply unpredictable.

Even if you argue that major accidents don't happen that often, (ETA: and that the road is dangerous for all people, including passengers and those on buses and pedestrians and so on) accidents often happen to me. I'm a klutz. I walk into walls on a regular basis. I have tripped in public far too many times to count. There are always at least three bruises somewhere on my person, and several cuts to compliment those bruises. My hand-eye coordination barely exists (which is why I never played sports and instead focused on the arts while in school).

Furthermore, while I have wonderful reflexes, my reflexes generally have me cowering the moment anything potentially life threatening occurs. This is good if I'm caught in a gunfight, which I routinely am, because my reaction would be to duck and cover. But that would also be my reaction in a car, if another car was about to run into me head on. This is not an exaggeration. This is not an excuse. It is the truth. I would scream like a little girl and cover my eyes. Fact.

Most of the arguments I've heard for driving are baffling. I have no need for a car, as I live in a large city with a great public transit system.  So that argument is out the window. The one I get the most, however, really blows me away: "Cars let you be more independent."

What.

Independent? Independent from what? Mommy and daddy? I don't live at home, irrelevant.

Independent from relying on other people to get you somewhere? I love taking the bus or metro, irrelevant.

Or maybe this mean that with a car, you can go anywhere you want at anytime. Well... irrelevant! It costs money to go anywhere. You're not free from the financial burden of driving, which is how I see it. I would not be going anywhere unless I had the money to back it up or unless it was absolutely necessary that I go to that place. And if it's necessary to go to that place, (say, to go to the grocery store so that you can eat so that you don't starve so that you don't die) you're not going "anywhere you want at anytime," you're going where you're required to be at the time you're required to be there (after all, stores aren't always open all time time). That's not freedom, that's an obligation.

I feel independent by not driving. I have not given in to this social norm that forces me to be a slave to my driving. In order to get somewhere, I have to rely on my legs or ability to ride a bike (you may think that riding a bike is easy but I assure you, for a klutz, it is not. I once fell off my bike and broke my arm). Or my ability to read a bus/train timetable.

Which brings me to my next point: there's a hefty price tag associated with driving. Driving is expensive. Me getting a license is an empty gesture because I wouldn't be driving. Know why? Even if I had a job, I'm not going to pay for a car. For auto insurance. For gas. For maintenance. If I had money, I would have more important things to spend it on, like food and contributing to rent and paying off loans and buying presents for my cat. A car, and its associated costs, are at the bottom of the list. There is nothing lower on my list than "a car." I would buy a steam shovel before I bought a car. So that I could dig a pool. A pool that I could relax in during the time I spend not stuck in traffic and buy pool toys for with the money I didn't spend on gas.

I also simply find it rude and inconsiderate. I cannot tell you how many nightmares I've had about driving in my life. In these dreams, I just can't drive. I drive too fast, can't brake in time, run red lights, mow down pedestrians and cute little kittens, somehow drive off bridges because it was, for some reason, impossible for me to stay between the lines, etc etc. I have had these dreams since I was about 13. Excuse me for having a panic attack when I'm behind the wheel. So sorry if I offended you with my totally legitimate fear. I realize that maybe my inability to conform scares you but that's your problem, not mine.

What's wrong with me waiting until I decide that driving is inevitable? I never said never. I'm not ready to drive now and, once again, have no need for a car - I have my legs, a bike, the bus and the metro. I made the responsible decision that I am currently incapable of driving and that driving would be an unnecessary strain on my already tight budget. This is very mature of me, I feel, and you should not attempt to take that away from me. Shame on you.