Because I keep failing these theory exams and I’m about to throw the towel. These laws, rules and stuff are so stupid and complicated to remember. Also this shit isn’t cheap to do and I don’t have a car anyways.
What country are you in? If you’re in the US and you plan to drive, you should have a license.
Source: thousands of $$$$ paid for a child who chose to drive without one.
I’m not. Prefer to not say it for now
I don’t think anyone can answer this question unless you at least provide basic info on your location - are you a city dweller who easily relies on walking / public transportation? Or are others driving you around places?
See the public transport is very limited and stops working after midnight. I’m unemployed and some jobs are outside the town.
Then I guess it’s really up to you to decide if those jobs are worth the trouble of getting a license and owning a car or finding other means of transport to them.
You should get a license. Even though you don’t need to work now, every adult needs a reliable way to get where they need to go. And if there’s unreliable public transportation near you, you need to have a backup plan.
Many jobs require a valid driver’s license even if not driving related or adjacent. Not having one is very restrictive and often precludes you from any kind of job where you may be expected to operate any kind of equipment or material handlers, even light lawn equipment, since if the government doesn’t trust you to operate a motor vehicle, why should the employer? From this perspective it is absolutely worth it.
I’m assuming if the theory exam is that difficult you are NOT based in the US, as I’ve not known anyone to ever actually fail a knowledge test in the US (they are far too easy), its usually the practical. So maybe the customary requirements for jobs wanting a valid license are much different in wherever you are.
The exceptions you list make sense. However in the general sense if someone requires a drivers license and you are not operating equipment you likely have a law suite against them for unreasonable requirements.
Maybe in other locales, but lacking a drivers license is not a protected employment class in the US unless it is specifically due to a disability.
- if you are somewhere with decent public transit options (bonus if it’s bike and pedestrian friendly), then there’s probably no need
- if you’re aiming for a job that requires a license (ex. delivery driver, freight trucker), then you don’t need to ask
- if you’re someplace as car-centric as the US, then it’s pretty much mandatory regardless of economic class
If you keep failing the written test, you have no hope of passing the drivers test.
Get a state issued ID, Passport, or Passport Card instead.
I don’t know about where you live, but in my experience, the driving test is much easier than the written test. The only “hard” part of the driving test is being sure you know how to parallel park.
Depends on where you live and what you do. A car is definitely nice to have in (minor) emergencies.
But if you live in a region where everything is in a walkable distance and/or you have good public transportation you don’t really need a car.
But it’s also very practical to have when you need to transport big and heavy stuff.
Also, some jobs require you to have a driver’s licence.
I totally agree. Yet I know plenty of people who don’t have a licence and don’t miss it. they usually can ask a friend, if they need car transportation. But you are dependent on someone else. Some make use of others very frequently, in which case it would be nice to recompense a little, for fuel now and then. Because having a licence and a car is very expensive. Which on the other side is a plus point again for them selves. Because you live cheaper.
It entierly depends on why you are getting your license.
I only got mine back in 2022 when I was 35.
I had lived alone for eight years using only public transport to get around.
But the pendemic made me wat to get it and a car.
I hated the isolation and not wanting to risk doing stuff, this is in Sweden with probably the lowest restrictions in the western world.
I wanted to get out and take photos of cool places that are difficult to get to with public transport.
It took me a year of near constabt lessons before I was ready and passed the test.
This was while at the same time working a full time job and taking days off when I had driving lessons.
I passed my second practice test, but both theory tests went well.
Then after having passed my dad helped me immensley and took me out every weekend and we just drove and drove and drove so I would get used to it, half a year later I bought my first car, and it was fantastic, being able to get to abandoned castle ruins, odd museums, distilleries, the airport runway viewing spot, self service farm shops and more has been fantastic!
But if you are living in a city then there is very little need for a car, I live in the suburbs and would never consider commuting to work with my car.
I did take some lessons when I was 18-19, but I never got it then, I could not deal with driving a car at the time, sometimes you just need to wait and find the right time and do it for the right reasons.
If you’re continually having issues passing a written exam, I would respectfully request that you just stop now. These “laws and rules and stuff”, generally, are not complicated and are far from stupid. This is the bare minimum you should know in order to operate a motor vehicle safely in the presence of other vehicles and children. If you’re unable to grasp the seriousness of this, how it can literally impact your very existence, you may not be responsible enough to operate a vehicle. Granted, probably half the people on the road shouldn’t be on the road either.
OP scares me, really.
“I want a gun but there are so many silly rules and things to know.”
Your logic makes no sense. A Handgun can be used for one thing only. A small vehicle don’t
Tbf, there are a gun laws/classifications that are silly. Short barrel rifles were banned solely to fill in a loophole in the National Firearms Act because Congress was originally going to ban handguns. Then Congress realized that a handgun ban probably would be shot down by SCOTUS, so they took out the handgun ban and forgot to remove the SBR ban.
Preaching to the choir. Gun owners wouldn’t be so opposed to legislation if they weren’t already a slew of dumb laws and loopholes.
There was a great meme or post where someone is explaining gun laws to another person who’s completely ignorant.
“You can do this but not that?! What about this or that?” It really put the absurdity on display.
Well, yeah, if you’re going to drive, it’s worth the hassle. If you aren’t, then it isn’t. Since you don’t have a car, you can’t drive on any regular basis. Kinda pointless to do the work for a piece of plastic to sit in your wallet/purse. And it is definitely not the best way to spend money if you aren’t going to drive.
Those “stupid” laws aren’t stupid. They’re there for a reason even though some of them are arbitrary. Those laws are what keeps everyone on the same page. If we meet up at a 4way stop intersection, it doesn’t really matter what the rule is for who goes first, it only matters that there is a rule that we all know and follow. If we are all aware of a standard for who goes first, nobody crashes.
Same with road signs, speed limits (though speed limits are also a safety factor, and aren’t as arbitrary), passing, etc.
If you can’t learn those rules, you can’t drive with the thousands of other people on the road without causing problems. So you don’t get a license, and there are consequences for trying todrive without one.
I hated the boredom of driving classes. Most people do. And the tests can be pretty empty, depending on where you are. But anyone unable or unwilling to put in the time and effort to learn the rules/laws and pass those tests would be dangerous on the roads.
But, yeah, other than it being a tiny bit easier to do the younger you are, if you don’t plan on driving any time soon it would be a waste of resources to do it now instead of later. If you live somewhere with decent public transit, you can go your whole life without driving and that can be a great thing.
I will also warn you that driving takes practice to do safely and well. Doesn’t matter how old you are, it still takes a year or so to get to the point where everything is second nature. I’m glad I got that period done when I was a kid and had people around that were experienced drivers to give me advice before I needed it. If I’d waited until my thirties, that advice wouldn’t have been as easy to get. So that is an advantage if you specifically are still in your teen years (which is when most people deal with all the tests and such) to doing it now rather than later.
Unfortunately I’m not. I’m my mid 30s
Ouch.
Well, that does mean that you’ll lack some of the living resources a teenager would get whether they wanted them or not.
But, if you’ve managed to handle getting around without a car this long, chances are that driving isn’t going to be important in your life unless you move somewhere that it isn’t possible to handle daily tasks without driving.
So it’s optional, at least based on what info you’ve provided. Don’t do it if you don’t want to :)
I’d argue that in some cases it’s worth it even if you don’t plan on driving. Half of the hassle is standing in line and presenting documents at the DMV, which you have to do even for a non-driver’s license. Presenting an “alternate ID” is something some places/systems have a difficult time with.
If all you want is the ID, you can get a government ID that can be used for travel (flights), alcohol, and anything else you need an ID for without having to get a license. You only need a license of you plan on driving, ever.
It sounds like maybe you shouldn’t be driving, but a license is a good thing to have just in case you might need it at some point. Maybe you will want to rent a car for something, maybe you’ll need to drive for work. But if you get by without a car now, I wouldn’t be stressing too much about getting a driver’s license.
I wouldn’t be able to do my job if I didn’t have a license and a car so yeah I’d say it’s worth it in my case. Not everybody should be driving though and based on the little information you gave it sounds like you may well be one of them.
Yes. You’re best getting your licence over and done with before you need a car. Once you have a licence, it generally doesn’t matter if you use it or not. All you have to do when you need to drive is to buy a car.
Also, what country are you in, may I ask? Germany?
Italy
I had some trouble learning the theoretical part. My driving instructor did this thing once a week where you could go and do mock tests. That’s how i learned it, i passes with 0 mistakes at the end.
The other thing that helps but i also realised late was to look for real life examples. Like if the question involves a roundabout, think about a roundabout that you know or use and think about what you would do there. Somehow the pictures didn’t do it for me. I helped a friend passing his test by driving him around and showing him real life examples of his book.
But to answer the real question, having a licence is probably always good, but if you never drive, you just never get a routine and you are suddenly the danerous guy on the road.
Is it worth it, I say yes you should at least be comfortable enough operate a vehicle in an emergency. I’m not sure your age or circumstances or where you live, so I’ll go off my experience. Getting a car allowed me to get a well-paying job farther from hone. Having reliable transportation to work is super helpful. The monthly cost of a car bill, insunace and gas Is cheaper than a $15 one-way uber ride 5 days a week + any other trips for grocery, food delivery, appointments, social/family, etc. If you’re somewhere with good, reliable public transit, then the benefit may not be as extreme.
As for actually driving;
- The most important thing to understand is cars are death boxes on wheels. Every time some one gets behind the wheel they become responsible for the death box.
If you’re struggling with theory, then please do not get behind a wheel.
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I’m curious about what kind of theory exams you are taking. If they they are online, could you share the link? It’s a completely guess, but I wonder if you’re taking ones that are more for someone who’s been driving for a little while on a permit.
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Are you able to take drivers education courses? Having an instructor (or family member) take you to an empty parking lot is the way to start. Do not practice alone. You will only reinforce bad habbits. Theory becomes a lot easier when you practice it. It takes time, that’s why the whole permit system exists, it gives us time to learn with someone guiding us through new situations.
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The “laws, rules and stuff” are written in blood. Without them the roads would be chaos. It is impossible to know every rule, however there are universal rules that need to be learned. Just as we learn how to behave at a restaurant, store or library, drivers need learn the rule of road - If we don’t follow them - someone could die.
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The second most important thing to understand, after learning to respect the car for the death-box that is, is to assume everyone around you is a complete moron. Keep your distance and do not engage - be on the look out for them to cut you off, run the red, roll through the stop, make a U turn over the curb, kids jumping out, insurance scamers, parked cars doors opening etc. This is called “defensive driving”, you get better through practice and expirence. You should always be aware of your surrounding and be prepared to stop with zero notice.
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The third most important thing to learn, is acceptance. Accept you are just another moron on the road going from point A to B, and sometimes you will fuck up. You will miss an exit, or take the wrong turn, or end up in the wrong lane. The best thing to do is to drive predictably and keep going foward. If your stuck in a left only lane, go left. If you miss the exit, get off at the next one and turn around. Stopping abrutly or cutting across 3 lanes is good way to get somebody hurt. There will always be a way to turn around and go back.
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The fourth and final thing I’m going to type out is to find the balance between being too nice and being an ass. Don’t do things like stop randomly to wave a car out of a parking lot, or letting a car go when you have the right away. Take your turn and assume they have no idea you’re there, so proccede with cation.
Depends on your job and where you live. In the big city you generally don’t need a car. Same if you have an office job. But I wouldn’t want my colleagues to drive me around every day if I were a craftsman or sth like that…
Theory examn takes quite some practice. You got to repeat those questions over and over again for weeks. You’ve probably not put enough effort in. Get that computer program and simulate examns until you’re able to comfortably do it. If you can’t do it, maybe those summer camp driving schools are more your thing. You’ll practice together with other people for like 2 weeks straight. It ain’t cheap, though.
If you’re from a different country, maybe my advice doesn’t apply. Ultimately I think not everyone needs a drivers license.
If you consider the rules stupid, please do everyone a favor and stay off the road.
Imagine if a prospective bridge engineer talked about bridge construction having “stupid” rules. I’d want to avoid their bridges.
