When Driving Becomes a Full-Time Job
You love driving, and you pride yourself on being a great driver. But when you're the only person with a car among your friends, you're always the one behind the wheel, shuttling them (and your family) to and from places. After a while, it can get annoying. Here are 20 struggles of being the only friend with a car.
1. You're Always the Designated Driver
When your friends want to hit the bar, club, or a house party that's sort of out of the way, you, being the only person in the group with a car, are unanimously picked to be the designated driver. That means you can't even have fun at the function—you're just expected to chaperone.
2. You're Basically an Uber Driver
It gets worse. You're not just your friends' designated driver, you're also their Uber driver. When they ask if you want to go grab lunch or head downtown, what they really mean is: "I'm hungry and bored—come pick me up and drive me there."
3. You Have to Awkwardly Bring Up Splitting Gas & Parking Tickets
After a while, the costs start piling up, and you have to awkwardly bring up that fact. Obviously, if you have good friends, this shouldn't be something you feel guilty for bringing up (and they should have already offered to split), but it can still feel uncomfortable.
4. Your Friends Assume You Want to Drive
Because you're the only friend with a car and you're used to driving everyone around, everyone just assumes you not only want to drive, but that you also like doing it. They couldn't be more wrong; it's not that you hate it, but you do wish you had some days off.
5. You Sometimes Have to Clean Up After Them
You might have a strict no-eating rule in your car, and if you don't, seeing the aftermath will make you wish you did. Never mind the crumbs and accidental spills, there's also the wrappers, receipts, and napkins everyone collectively forgot (or were too lazy to) dump.
6. You Have to Listen to Them Give You Driving Advice
You're a great driver, but that isn't going to stop your friends from yelling out unsolicited advice and complaints. Whether it's them telling you to speed up or slow down, merge now or wait longer, there's never a calm moment in your car. (The cherry on top? When they give you bad directions and blame it on you for turning too early.)
7. You Have to Keep Your Car Regularly Maintained
Your friends don't need to worry about how expensive it is to regularly maintain a car because they don't have one, but you? Your bills are practically piled up to your chin. Every weird noise or smell makes you nervous, not to mention every speck of dirt on your car's paint.
8. Road Trips Are Only Kind of Fun
Sure, road trips are fun... when you're not the one driving, that is. But because you're the only one with a car and your friends aren't insured, you have to drive. Which also means you can't sleep, and you're the planner and navigator.
9. You're Often Expected to Handle Navigation As Well
Speaking of handling navigation on road trips, those aren't the only times you're given that responsibility. Heck, you're always expected to know where to go and where you're going, even if you have a friend helping you from the passenger seat. That means double the workload.
10. You Help Run Your Friend's Errands
Friend has a dentist appointment? Friend needs to go grocery shopping? Sure, you're not obligated to help run their errands, but if you're going to be hanging out with them anyway, you're expected to carry through.
11. You Can't Just Go Home
Not only do you have to pick everyone up, you also have to drop them all off before you get to go home yourself. It could be a long day being out and about and you just want to get some shut-eye, but nope—you have to play chauffeur first.
12. You Need to Wake Up Early for Airport Drop-Offs & Pick-Ups
Roommate coming back from a trip? Friend leaving for vacation? Again, you technically aren't obligated to drive them, but whether it's for convenience's sake or you're just acting out of the kindness of your heart, you sometimes have to wake up at ungodly hours to taxi them around.
13. You Have to Struggle with Finding Parking
While your friends get to sit back and scroll on their phones, you have to struggle with finding a parking spot every place you go. Street parking? Now you have to parallel park in front of 50 billion cars waiting behind you. A tight spot (and the only one)? You need to make sure you get in perfectly.
14. You Need to Help Your Friends When Moving Out
When your friends are moving places, you're often enlisted to help them transfer the small things—which means you might have a dozen boxes in your trunk and a couple of disassembled IKEA tables in your backseat. Thankfully, it doesn't happen that often.
15. You're Nervous When People Eat in Your Car
You can't even focus on your own food when other people are eating in your car; you're just watching all of them with hawk eyes, making sure they don't rub their ketchup-stained hands on your seats or spill their Coke everywhere. Most of the time, you insist they finish their food outside before piling into your car.
16. You Can't Rest
As mentioned before, you're always alert and never able to just lie down, close your eyes, and not care about the road. As the driver, if you're not busy getting you and your friends to places and keeping them safe, you're updating GPS routes, adjusting the controls, and doing pretty much everything else.
17. You Sometimes Have to Drive Strangers
Sometimes, you have to drive your friends' friends, partners, parents, or relatives. If it's once in a while, it's not a huge deal, but it does make you feel even more like an Uber driver. Not only are you shuttling your friends around, but also strangers.
18. You Have to Think Strategically to Save Gas
Because you're the only one with a car and you have to pick up everybody, you get into the habit of coming up with the best, most convenient routes so that you don't waste gas. Who should you pick up first and drop off last? Which destination should come first and what's the shortest way there? You're like a walking GPS.
19. You Have to Deal with the Aftermath If an Accident Happens
Hopefully it doesn't happen, but when you're stopped by the police or you get involved in an accident, you're the one who has to face consequences and go through the troubles. Sure, your friends might be there to help (they wouldn't be good pals if they didn't), but it's still annoying.
20. You Feel Guilty for Saying "No"
Of course, you have the right to say "no" if you don't want to drive, but still... you feel guilty sometimes if you do. You're sure your friends would do the same for you if they were the ones with a car, so, because you're a good friend, you do it for them.
