So, I'm getting my permit tomorrow. :squee:

But god DAMN all this paperwork SUCKS. Not to mention reading the driving manual was a total downer about how fun driving will be. Seriously, after reading over something like that so many times, particularly on how to "appropriately apply the horn," I can't exactly say driving seems like the MOST fun in the world.

Anything you wanted to do for a long time, then when you got there it was a LOT less fun than it seemed?

Driving a scooter is one of them...took me three tries before I passed and could get my license. It's fun, yeah, but I can't drive without my goggles, because dust flies into my eyes ALL THE TIME. It drives me crazy because I wear contacts and the dust doesn't get out of my eye for a long time, making me drive with tears streaming down my face and looking ridiculous.

I've never really liked driving a car...my dad's recently trying to get me to learn how to drive so I can get a permit, but...I can never remember how many times I've turned the steering wheel and how many times I have to turn it back. Or reverse properly into a parking space. My dad's trying to teach me how do to parallel parking and it's driving me crazy trying to get the knack of it without crashing into the curbs or other people's cars. D:

Considering how BADLY people drive, I don't really care how much of a downer the manual is. I'd rather more people read it. x_x

lol I never really read the driver's manual. I skimmed through it and the written test was really easy.

I like driving, except driving home from school because everyone drives like a complete asshole, as if they'll get home so much faster by not letting me into a lane I NEED to be in to get on the freeway or that I NEED to merge into. :roll:

I don't want to drive nor do I in the near future. Hm, idk..I just don't know. Dx

Roller coasters were like that for me. I went on my first one a few months ago, and it was like, "... that was more scary than fun. What are you people [my friends]; masochists?" I just didn't see the thrill in it.

I have a year or two to go until I can drive... >.<

Congrats on getting your permit! I waited a year before getting it and then I had to wait ANOTHER year and I still can't drive until April when that year ends... oh, the agony of regret.

But yeah, the manual was kind of a pain. In FL, you have to take a mandatory four hour test where you read a big thing about how drugs and alcohol are bad for especially when you're driving, and then you read the manual and there's a test on it. You HAVE to wait until the time passes until to can move on to the next parts of the test after you've completed. It times you so you HAVE to sit there for exactly four hours. (Or more, you can take longer)

But now I'm scared of driving D;

I think deep inside, I always was. I want the freedom of movement and stuff so badly, but...

I have to say I think this topic is extremely funny.

I am a senior in High school and I've never had a permit nor havre I ever had any desire to drive. Everytime someone says to me "So do you have your driver's licensce?" I always answer "no, I don't even have a permit. I don't want to drive with all of the crazy drivers out there who eat their yogurt while driving their conversion van on the highway." Or a variant of that. Everyone who hears that is suprised that I, a teenager, wouldn't want the freedom a driver's licensce gives me. I'd rather have my mother drive me everywhere or take public teransportation that have to worry about other drivers causing an accident or seriously injuring me.

That's how I've always been about driving. I'd rather do that or be racing (like NASCAR or Formula one or IndyCar) because they have the ambulance right there and have protocols and plans for every type of situation, but out on the public raods there is none of those safety precautions at all.

Originally Posted by Ogaku Tenshi

I am a senior in High school and I've never had a permit nor havre I ever had any desire to drive. Everytime someone says to me "So do you have your driver's licensce?" I always answer "no, I don't even have a permit. I don't want to drive with all of the crazy drivers out there who eat their yogurt while driving their conversion van on the highway." Or a variant of that. Everyone who hears that is suprised that I, a teenager, wouldn't want the freedom a driver's licensce gives me. I'd rather have my mother drive me everywhere or take public teransportation that have to worry about other drivers causing an accident or seriously injuring me.

That's how I've always been about driving. I'd rather do that or be racing (like NASCAR or Formula one or IndyCar) because they have the ambulance right there and have protocols and plans for every type of situation, but out on the public raods there is none of those safety precautions at all.

But on the public roads, you can call an ambulance. Professional racing is only safer because the drivers are professional drivers.

With your mother driving you around, it's not like you're any safer from certain variables, say... drunk drivers. Also, your mom probably doesn't want to be your chauffeur for the rest of your life. Whenever you are on the road, whether you're a passenger or the driver, there are always risks. Besides, after a while, driving becomes second nature.

I try not to drive unless I have to. I HATE driving. I don't have the option of public transportation here. That's one of many reasons I want to move to a big city.

Getting my degree was like that. I was all excited to finish school but the job I got is EXACTLY what I was doing in my job shadowing so it really didn't make a difference if I had a degree or not.

I should really get my license. Then my mother could stay after school (she's a teacher) and finish up whatever without having to leave to pick me up. :stare:

I even have a car! It's a Miata. :squee:

Driving is okay...I mean, I'm a good driver, but I have nowhere to go besides school. And if I haven't eaten in a while, it gets REALLY hard to focus. The little compartment under the dashboard will be filled with snacks. :yes:

All I had to do for my permit was take a little multiple-choice quiz...and it was all common sense! :o

Congrats on the permit!
Although I have a driver's license I don't plan on driving much. I see only a few advantages to it, but too many disadvantages.

1. All the paperwork, insurance, green card, fees/etc. Parking fees. Difficulty in finding parking. Gas/Petrol costs. Repair costs.
Have none of those when taking public transport. If a bus crashes you don't have to pay. Only thing you pay is a comparatively low transport fee. And you don't have to worry about parking or anything like that.

2. Instead of driving in your car, you can walk to a bus stop/train station/bay. A bit more exercise there.

3. When taking public transport you can listen to your ipod, to podcasts, listen to the news/learn something new, read a book, study, sleep, relax without the worries of having to pay attention to all the signs on the road and everything around you. Very relaxing.

4. Depending on when you travel, and where you travel to usually the major roads have bus-only lanes so during peak-hour they zoom through traffic. I love passing hundreds of cars on my way to the city each day because I catch a bus. :D

5. Helps the environment because public transport takes people off driving vehicles. I'm pretty sure the pollution a bus generates is far less than the 10-20+ cars that those on the bus would have used.

6. Public transport helps people in cars too by reducing traffic. :D

Ah yes, the fun of driving. I totally agree with you about the lameness of the manual.

"Nobody reads the manual!" Fairly Odd Parents

I spent an entire school quarter going over the blasted thing in a class, and I didn't even pass the first time! I think that I got the most drawing, eating, and sleeping done in that class that I ever did in my entire high school career.

As for the actual driving part, it is absolutely worth it! Don't lose heart going into the driver's training, or reading the manual, or the license test. Being able to drive is basically being able to command your own life. At first, I was absolutely dreading the public world of driving, but once you get about a month into it, you get into the hang of things, begin to understand your car, and begin to establish your own driving habits. It truly is a liberating experience that lets you plan your own events with friends, allows you to get a job and keep it, and lets you feel like your own person without your parents hanging over you and you depending on their schedules coinciding with yours to plan things.

So stick to it and don't lost hope! Freedom is sweet and it is just within your grasp.