I’m an educated and successful woman, the mother of a healthy and well-adjusted preschooler, and for the most part a relatively normal person. But there’s one thing about me that sets me apart from my peers: I still, as I round the bend toward the big three-O, don’t have my driver’s license. 

I’d like to say that not having my license is somehow a part of a larger commitment to reduce my carbon footprint and live a healthier and more wholesome life, but that would be a lie. The reason I don’t have my licence is that I haven’t managed to get my act together to acquire it. Getting my learners (again, I’ve had it and allowed it to expire three times now) is always on my list of things to do, but is always passed over in favour of more pressing responsibilities. 

Not driving does benefits me in some important ways. From a financial perspective,  I don’t have to pay to own and maintain a car. I’m healthier because I get a lot of exercise that I wouldn’t if I were driving. And I get to have more fun because I never have to be the designated driver. But overall, I’d say that the benefits are largely outweighed by the challenges. It’s these challenges that have enlightened me to the fact that the world is not particularly friendly to those who don’t drive.

To begin with, grocery shopping is way more difficult when you don’t have a car. Occasionally, I bug a friend to drive me to the store, but since I don’t want to make my problem someone else’s, for the most part I find other ways to get my groceries home. Taking a cab is an overpriced hassle, but it’s necessary when I’m doing a big shop. When I do a smaller shop, I’ll take the “granny cart”, but as a young, hip woman, this really cramps my style. I do it anyway, but I’m not going to say I don’t feel a little silly.

Secondly, I have a three year old who goes to daycare every day. The daycare is located in the same neighbourhood as our home, but it’s still at least a 20 minute walk at a fast, adult pace. If I were to let my son walk, I’d be late for school every day, so I still have a stroller for him. I’ve had a few questions from people asking whether I don’t think he’s just a little too old for a stroller, and comments suggesting that I’m risking encouraging laziness in my child. Each time I have to ask them if it would be less lazy if I drove there each day. It shuts them up, but it leaves me feeling as if I have to defend the fact that I don’t drive.

Perhaps the worst part of not driving is being dependent on other people for certain things. Any time I take a trip, I need to find a ride to the airport, and have a ride arranged at the other end. Every time I move, I need to beg a friend with a license to drive a giant truck for me, which really ends up in them helping me with the entire move. When I need to get to a part of town where public transit won’t take me, I need to ask a friend for a lift. Thankfully, I have great friends, and these things aren’t really the end of the word, but always needing to ask other people gets old for them as well as for me.

Not having a car has opened my eyes to an attitude that exists in our society which considers owning and driving a car a token of success. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that people who choose not to drive are treated less well than people who do, it’s obvious to me why most people feel they can’t live without their vehicles: not driving is hard.

The problem of too many people driving cars isn’t a testament to human laziness, but more the effect of a society that is car-centric. This is why I have a deep admiration for people who make that choice to give up their cars; they really are up against a lot, especially if they have kids. As for me, getting my licence will remain on my list, and one day, hopefully sooner than later I will actually follow through with doing it.