What You Miss Without a License
Sure, you might think it's great to be driven around and never have to get behind the wheel yourself, but there's a lot you'll miss out on if you never get your license. For one, you'll always have to rely on public transit or your friends and family, which can limit your freedom. If you're wondering whether you should finally learn how to drive, this article might just convince you. Here are 20 things you'll never experience if you never drive.
1. Therapeutic Solo Drives
For many, driving is therapeutic, and some might even take to the road when they need space to clear their mind. If you never learn how to drive, you'll never experience what it's like to be surrounded by your own thoughts (and music) while you circle the neighborhood.
2. Getting Food at Ungodly Hours
Feeling peckish late at night when the buses have stopped running? If you can't drive, you'll only have the option of raiding your house for snacks, since you won't be able to satisfy immediate cravings if you don't have any mode of transportation to get there.
3. Being the Designated Driver
You might think this is a good thing, because then you don't have to be the person your friends and family call up whenever they need to be picked up or need a ride. But there's a sense of trust and responsibility that comes with being the designated driver, and without knowing how to drive, you'll never experience that.
4. Customizing Your Car
Car owners love decorating their rides and customizing them to how they like. They may even give them a name, making sure to pamper them and keep them well-maintained. Of course, if you don't own a car, you'll end up saving more money, but then you lose the experience of something that's yours to personalize.
5. Going on Spontaneous Road Trips
It's not only the late-night food runs you'll be missing out on if you don't drive—it's the spontaneous road trips, too. If you suddenly feel like exploring a different city or driving across the state, you'll only be able to rely on friends and family who can drive, or other modes of transportation.
6. Blasting Your Music Like It's a Concert
Other than your own home, where else can you blast your music and belt out lyrics like nobody's watching? Your car, of course. But if you don't drive, you'll only be able to do it in your room at home; if you live with others, you'll need to turn the volume down to a respectable level, too.
7. Parking Like a Boss
Truth be told, no one likes parking unless they're good at it, and if you don't drive, at least you won't be subjected to this. However, if you do have a natural knack for it, you'll be doing yourself (and your friends) a disservice if you never test out your abilities.
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8. Understanding Road Signs
Technically, you can always study up on road signs even without knowing how to drive, as long as you have the patience for it. But nobody really takes the time to memorize what these symbols mean if they don't have to, and that's one skill you're missing out on if you're never behind the wheel.
9. Road Rage
Road rage and aggressive drivers are probably things you'd like to avoid regardless of whether you know how to drive or not, so maybe it's a good thing. What you might miss out on is understanding the rules of the road and why some drivers are wrong when they're called out.
10. Confidence in Navigating Unfamiliar Roads
As you drive more, you build up confidence navigating even in unfamiliar places. There's a feeling of safety being behind the wheel, after all, knowing that you're in complete control. If you never drive, however, unfamiliar areas will always be strange and out-of-place to you.
11. Visiting Remote Places
If you want to visit remote places that transit can't take you to, you'll only be able to rely on friends and family to take you there if you never learn how to drive. Say goodbye to camping and secluded hiking trails, or hidden sightseeing spots where the city looks its best at night.
12. Taking Care of Loved Ones
If a friend or family member needs to catch a flight or rush to the hospital, you won't be able to help them if you can't drive. The only thing you can do is call a taxi or ask someone else, deferring the responsibility to someone else.
13. Making Memories on the Road
Even a short drive around the neighborhood can become a core memory. While these moments can still be created when you're on the road with friends and family, without you being behind the wheel, there are more opportunities (and different perspectives) when you're the one in control.
14. Jobs That Require a License
Thinking of relocating for a job or taking on a role that's a little ways from your home? Without knowing how to drive, you won't be able to accept these opportunities even if they were offered to you, which inevitably narrows your choices and job search.
15. Mastering a New Skill
Knowing how to drive is a valuable skill, and in some places, a required one. Without having your license and this skill under your belt, you limit your options and miss out on experiences that build confidence and responsibility.
16. Learning to Stay Calm Under Pressure
Building off the previous point, two of the things driving teaches you is the ability to stay calm under pressure and how to problem-solve on the fly. You may encounter all types of situations on the road, and knowing how to react—and how to do so quickly—when you're behind the wheel is something you non-drivers won't experience.
17. Discovering Things You Never Would've Otherwise
That hole-in-the-wall restaurant on the outskirts of town? That secret beach you can only get to by car? That antique shop that's hidden from traffic in a remote area of the city? These types of gems would never be discovered if you only rely on public transit.
18. Camping in Your Car
Whether you're on a road trip or just deciding to camp overnight in your car, this is a kind of experience you won't get if you don't know how to drive. For some, their car is almost like a second home, one they can decorate with blankets, pillows, and accessories, which is part of why owning a vehicle can be so fun.
19. Feeling Like a Real Adult
Remember those skills we mentioned earlier? Knowing how to problem-solve on the fly and how to stay calm under pressure? Knowing how to drive can make you feel like a real adult, instilling a sense of confidence and responsibility in you. Plus, getting your license is often considered a rite of passage.
20. True Independence
If you're always relying on public transit or your friends and family to take you to places, you'll never experience true independence. You'll never know the feeling of being able to hop in your car and just go, taking yourself to wherever you need, whenever you want.
