Since arriving to my late teen years, a common question people ask me is "why don't you drive?" There are plenty of 18 year olds out there who don't drivel, but I'm purposely trying not to drive. I don't have my permit. I've never even attempted driving a car which is something most people do around age 15 or 16. Although I probably will need to get my license sometime in the future, I don't need it now, so it's not something I'm going to worry about. Here are some reasons to answer what is becoming one of my least favorite questions.
1. Public Transportation
I know public transportation isn't available to everyone, especially people from rural areas, but it is for me so I'm going to take advantage of it. I've lived all my life right outside of Boston and have access to the MBTA bus system in a five minute walk from my house. I could essentially go anywhere in the world without a car; I just have to take the bus to the Alewife train station, take the red line South Station, and switch to the FREE silver line to the airport. Easy. I can get home from my university in Worcester (about an hour drive from home) without a car. Just take the bus to Union Station, commuter rail to South Station, red line to Alewife, and bus from Alewife to home. Growing up where I have, I've been given the huge privilege of public transportation and I'm going to use it. If I lived in a more rural area or a suburb further away from Boston, maybe I would've thought about driving a few years ago. But where I am now, I simply don't need to drive.
2. Uber
When I mention that public transportation exists, people say "yeah but what about places that the bus doesn't go to". That's where Uber comes in. Uber and Lyft are both pretty cheap (I know it depends on the city, and I've only used it in Worcester but it's really cheap). I use Uber when I'm at school to go places where the Worcester bus system doesn't go, like the time I used Uber to go to a concert at the Worcester Palladium. Just little things around town are not that expensive, but I do understand that it can add up for people, so I am fortunate to have a job on campus for a little extra spending money for stuff like that.
3. Money
I haven't calculated the cost of all my bus and train trips so don't hold me to this, but using public transportation and not owning a car can save you a lot of money. Since I don't have a license, I'm not on my parents' car insurance which saves them lots of money. I don't pay for gas because I don't drive. I don't own a car so I don't have to pay for repairs. Every time my dad takes one of our cars to the shop and comes home with a huge bill, he says to me, "don't ever own a car". I had no plans to, Dad. Yeah, you can argue that bus and train fairs are rising, but if you think about all the places the MBTA can take you, $1.70 for the bus and $2.10 for the train is not bad if you know how to use it right.
4. I Have Friends That Drive
Okay I know this sounds selfish and I swear I don't use my friends to drive me places, but if a friend has a car and we're going somewhere that friend is automatically driving then I will take that opportunity. I promise I help pay for gas and stuff. Okay moving on cause now I feel bad...
5. Safety
Let's face it, driving is scary. Way more people die from car accidents than airplane crashes. I've never been in a car accident but my parents and I did get rear-ended once and it did have me shaken up for a few days. There are too many reckless drivers out there and I don't want to put myself in danger, and who knows how good of a driver I could be if I did drive. But then comes the argument "but aren't you in danger even if someone else is driving". Technically yes, but most times I'm in a car, one of my parents is driving and I trust them. And the friends I've been in a car with have also proved to be decent drivers. Either way, no matter who's driving, every time you get in a car you're potentially in danger but that's just the risk we have to face with cars, I just don't want me to be the one driving if something happens.
6. I Don't Need To Drive
I explained most of this in the public transportation section, but for my lifestyle, I simply don't need to drive. I live in a very urban environment both at home and school so I have public transport at my fingertips. Clark University is an extremely small campus (you can walk across the entire campus in probably five minutes) and I rarely leave campus anyways because there's so much going on. Clark also offers free buses every weekend to two nearby malls and a bus to Boston for FREE. Use your resources, kids. For where I am at in my life right now, I don't need to drive. I personally don't want to drive either, but at some point in my life, if it does become necessary, I will take up driving lessons; however, right now is not the time.
So there are some of my reasons for not driving. I know these reasons do not apply to everyone and I do feel very lucky to have things like public transportation so easily accessible to me. The MBTA may not be running on time sometimes, but I never take it for granted.
