Question of the Day, Saturday, March 9

[Winchester]

Happy Weekend!

How old were you when you got your drivers' license? Who taught you how to drive?

I was 17 when I got my license. Rick's sister taught me how to drive; Rick couldn't do it. (I taught our son because Rick was too nervous to do it. I also taught him how to drive a manual tranny.)

What about you?

 

[NY cat man]

I was 23 when I got mine. Previously, I had no need for one, as I had no car to drive and, while in the service, there was no place on the base to store a car while away at sea for months at a time. I had taken Driver's Ed. while in high school, and got some practice driving with my father on the side.

 

[Mia6]

16 at school

 

[Gunther4ever]

This back in the day I had a car before a license for about 2 years got my license at 18.

 

[artiemom]

I think it was 16 for learners permit, and 16.5 for license. My dad tried once... after I begged him... Never again, he said, so I had to go to driving school!!

 

[neely]

My dad taught me but I flunked my first driving test at 16 trying to do a 3-point turn. So while in college he suggested going to a driving school which is what I did and passed.

 

[Lari]

I got my permit at 15 and license at 16. I went to a driving school because I wasn't able to get in my sophomore year at school (earlier birthdays got priority - summer birthdays never got in) and I also worked with my dad.

 

[denice]

I am pretty sure the age has been raised in Kansas. I got my restricted license when I was 14 and my unrestricted license when I was 16. I know that seems insane but Kansas is a very agricultural state and kids worked on the farm. They did things like drive to the grain elevator as part of working on a farm.

 

[betsygee]

I went to some kind of driver training class in high school, got my driver's permit at 15-1/2 and license at 16. I remember my dad giving me some lessons, too, in my sister's horrible beat up stick shift Corvair.

 

[sivyaleah]

Much later than most people - not really even sure my age. Maybe 19-20? My dad tried to teach me but that didn't go very well. Parents really aren't the best choice IMO.

Finally had some friends help out. Took my drivers test 3 times because I kept failing parallel parking (I still can't do it) and one other item each time (once, "attention" because I had a bad head cold and couldn't hear the tester telling me what to do LOL). Passed on the 3rd try only because they skipped over the parallel parking LOL. I can't say I was overly interested in driving in general (still prefer not to) and was much happier being a passenger but eventually it became a necessity.

 

[susanm9006]

I think I was just turning 19. I really never wanted to drive but with a baby it was a necessity. So most of my savings went to pay for lessons from Safeway Driving school and I cried after every lesson. But I eventually did well enough to take my drivers test and pass. About five months later a friend of my mom sold me a car for $500. Didn’t drive anywhere except babysitter and grocery story for first year.

 

[vansX2]

I was 18yrs. I took drivers Ed in high school at 16yrs. But my father refused to pay my insurance because I wasn't on the honor roll. So I waited until I was a Senior. I never did get on the honor roll. I guess he (Dad) relented a little. I ended up paying for my insurance myself , plus my first car a 1962 Corvair Monza, 4spd, 2 dr Coupe and every car since.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

16 but I did fail the driving portion if drivers ed several times before passing. Back then my mom and stepdad had a stick shift sedan and this giant extended size van that was older than I was. You needed muscle to steer that thing. It had 2 bench rows that could fit 3 people each easily and still enough room in the back that they brought home their riding mower in the back. It was truly HUGE. So yeah; I didn’t really have anything but the riding mower to learn on. I still can’t drive a stick either. I’m the kind of person who is musically coordinated; but physically… well I kicked a couple people trying to learn to country line dance back then too sooo…

My mom had a co-worker who was just out of college and had just gotten her first new car. She lived around the block from us and she volunteered to teach me in her car. It was such a difference my driving instructor told me it was night and day. She was also way calmer than my mom or stepdad. I pulled over once with them and refused to drive any further.

I still introduce her as “the person who taught me to drive.” She and my mom ended up working together again at another job and the 3 of us have a mutual love of seafood; so we’ve stayed in touch. She was also moms old dogs preferred sitter. (One had come from some abusive situation as a little pup but it stuck. She didn’t like people who resembled those kids; except this woman.).

Now I’m not so far off from teaching my own kid. I need to find where to get her into drivers ed too. I dread that more than actually teaching her.

 

[lizzie]

Back in my teens,I had a rather active period of epilepsy and couldn't get my license even if I tried.By the time it had settled down,the hoops one had to jump thru to get it were more than it was worth so I just never did.Moving out here when I was 25,and there were almost no rules to speak of is when I decided to go for it.Plus we live rather rurally and it was pretty necessary to drive,so I passed first time out.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

Both of my parents taught me how to drive. I didn't get my permit until 3 months before my 16th birthday, so I couldn't take the driver's test until I had the permit for 6 months. I failed the first time I did the test because I was super nervous. I hit a curb and then hit the marker poles when doing parallel parking. I passed the second time (around late September 2002) and did as much of the parallel parking as I could (which was barely any) and said that was all I was going to do. As long as I didn't hit the poles, I'd be fine and would pass. I'm really good at parallel parking now and got my sister's minivan in a space that had only a few inches clearance on both sides.

 

[DeesCats]

I took the driver's education course my senior year of high school and got my driver's license when I was 18. I learned how to drive in my old BF's VW stick shift (manual) and it was very helpful as my 1st new vehicle was a Honda Civic stick shift.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

57. I was taught by a driving instructor. I never needed or wanted to drive before then - I lived all my life in Melbourne, a city with rotten traffic and lots of public transport. Moving to a country town in Queensland forced the issue. Now I'm back in a Victorian city but glad I do drive, because the public transport here isn't great and I'd hate to rely on it.

 

[Kat0121]

19. Driving instructor.

 

[Tobermory]

I got my license when I was 16. I took Driver’s Ed in high school because it was required, but I already knew how to drive. My dad started me out when I was really young, letting me sit on his lap and steer. When my legs grew long enough to reach the pedals, he’d let me drive on long trips as long as the roads weren’t twisty or busy. Our cars were automatics, but my boyfriend in college taught me to drive a stick in his orange Chevy Vega.

 

[cassiopea]

17 - Class G1 License (Eye exam test, written test) Started having a driving instructor at a formal school.
19 - Level 2 Class G2 License (1st Driving Road Test)
21 - Full Class G License (2nd Driving Road Test)

I did learn to drive a little bit younger via my mom and dad, around 12, on account of being an equestrian family. Just on back roads or quiet parking lots kind of thing.