How old did you get your driver's license? Did you learn driving from a driving school or from parents? (or some friend or relative?)

14, rural communities have different rules I guess. My grandpa at 6 put me behind the wheel of his F350 while pulling a 20’ trailer so he could stand in the trailer and buck hay for all the livestock.

So by the time I got my license I already knew how to control a car and just had to learn the rules of the road.

I’m 30 and have never learned. I live in a city with adequate public transit.

Never. I've always been poor and it's just not that necessary living in German cities. It would help a lot to be able to rent a car once in a while e.g. for moving apartments, but it seems like a bad idea to get a license and then only drive every couple of months, you'll never build the skills to drive safely. It's moot, though, I couldn't afford the license itself anyway (pretty expensive in Germany).

13, special license in some US states for kids who live out in the middle of nowhere so they can get to school.

Learned from parents, grandparents, siblings, being around trucks and tractors and motorcycles since I was a toddler. I knew how to drive long before I got a license.

18 from a school. Letting 16 year olds drive is insanity.

::: spoiler

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Late 30s ~ early 40s. From a school as it is mandatory here with twelve hours of theory and 16 hours of practice classes, followed by two years of probation with zero tolerance ABV and maximum of four demerit points.

I had probably close to 100,000km of experience on the road as a cyclist before that.

In my 30s and never learnt, didn't have the money so just continued to walk or cycle around. Plus I could cycle anywhere I wanted to go anyway, why spend multiple £1000s to cut 5 minutes off the time it takes to get to Tesco?

I grew up in a small town (15k people) so everything was fairly close. Could probably walk across the whole town in 15-20 mins. Now live in a large town (80k) so cycling is more necessary as walking across town can take almost an hour.

Looking at all the stress cars cause other people I am actually happy as I am. Listening to people complain extensively about problems caused by cars and I just nod along. That car stole your space again, tight fitting in that space, your car is too big but apparently that is someone else's fault, everyone else is driving too slow or too dangerously. Driving looks so fucking boring too, looking at the car in front of you as no one is moving and you are surrounded by a sea of concrete. Fuck that, walking or cycling down the old railway surrounded by trees and bushes is so much better.

I didn’t get mine until 24. Lived in a city with public transport from 18-26.

I was late to riding a bike, too, though. I didn’t pick that up until 18.

Never. I live in a city with proper public transport, and I live close enough to the city center that I can easily walk there, or go by bike if I prefer.

I am considering getting my driving license, though. It’s useful for certain jobs, but it’s really expensive.

I got mine at 24.

My parents flat refused to allow me to get a driver's license, I assume because it would have given me the freedom to leave their house under my own power. I didn't end up getting one until after I went to and came back from college.

I learned from a driving school, since my parents seemed uninterested in teaching me.

The experience of trying to hold a job or get to and from class between the ages of 18-24 is one of the primary experiences driving me to the idea that American public transportation sucks absolute asshole and desperately needs improvement. It used to take me two and a half hours to get to work. My work was a 15 minute drive from my house, but since my wonderful father refused to drive me to and from work, I would have to take a bus all the way across town to the central station and then hop another bus to take me all the way back across town to damn near the same place I got picked up at.

I don't have a license, because I live in a country with great public transport and never really saw the need to driving, especially in regards to outweighting the damage it does and the danger it poses.

18. Mom was busy with school when I was 16, so I had to wait. I'm really lucky I had her to teach me at all!

I got my licence 2 years ago at 35! I initially tried at 16 but my mother was just horrible to drive with and scared me off learning for a long time. When I actually got it I did lessons with an instructor for a long time and that was much better for building my confidence.

Like 14. Was driving at probably 11 ish? Just cane natural. Played a shit ton of racing games as a kid ha

Don't worry, i know a kid who's 23 and has mever driven. Id recommend you learn though, its a good skill to know.

In Germany, I got training at 17 during my commutes to school (i was living in the countryside and my driving instructor was my neighbor) and then made my license once I reached 18.

Got mine at 18 in the USA. I took a driver's ed course though my high school that included a few after school driving lessons, and my state also requires 20 hrs of driving with a licensed driver.

I didn't get mine till 18, even though I went through my schools driving program at 16.

Its nothing to be embarrassed about! I literally didn't know that vehicles would slowly move themselves when in drive until the first time I got behind the wheel in the driving school lol.

I never did. I got a learners permit at 16 or so, practiced with my parents for a number of years and renewed the learning permit at least once without testing for a full license, but eventually stopped and let it expire.

I have pretty bad anxiety issues, which driving has proven one of the triggers for, and unlike everything else that triggers it, for driving it got worse with exposure instead of better. I actually wasn't even that nervous at first, but every time I'd make a mistake, or witness someone else make one, it'd come to mind every time I'd practice driving, because I didn't want to accidentally kill someone from a lapse in judgment, and eventually every little thing built up so much that one day, my father handed me the keys and asked me to try taking us to a store, and I had a full-on fight-or-flight panic response just sitting in the drivers seat. At that point I finally deicided that it just wasn't responsible of me to be on the road if after several years I still couldn't even think straight while driving, and Ive never done it since, and ended up moving states a couple years in order to live somewhere that going with out a car is at least somewhat viable.

To be honest, Ive actually been happier since, its a huge expense that I don't have, and Ivr found I can get a decent amount of exercise without having to go an intentionally make myself do it, just from walking a lot. But of course, it's only comfortable in the kind of dense urban area with decent (by US standards) public transit that in the US seems to exist only in a handful of places, the cost of living for which eat a lot of the savings from not having a car in the first place.

I got my license in 2014 at the age of 19. Driving just didn't interest me before cause only place I went was school and I had a bus to go there which didn't charge me like the school did for people wanting to park there. Once I graduated and needed a job, that's when I started learning to drive. My dad taught me everything by taking me to a local state park and occasionally letting me drive through town or on the interstate.

Edit: throwing this in that my gf is 33 and still never had a license. She tried in the past, but nobody took her driving and I couldn't cause I live 600 miles away. She's trying again since her family has more free time now to do it.

I had drivers ed in high school (over 2 decades ago, in PA) and my parents took me out to drive in addition to that. I learned on an automatic first, but my parents also taught me to drive manual. My daily driver for the last 2 decades had been a manual, until this new car we bought last year. We have 2 kids now and my wife can’t drive manual, well she could but doesn’t like it, and it’s more important we can both drive the vehicle, but I digress. I haven’t looked into it, but I’ve heard that there is no drivers ed classes in the school district we’re in now, that learning is done through driving schools, not sure how I feel about that

When I took the written exam for the permit, it was pretty easy. Most things make sense. You’ll still want to read up to know symbol and sign meanings, and to understand more niche rules.

For the actual driving, the more practice you get in the better you’ll be. You’ll get used to the car your driving, start understanding usual patterns of other drivers, and different driving conditions. It’s funny looking back and whenever I drove by a semi on an undivided highway I would be so far over on the shoulder because I was nervous.

I also have ADHD which is often cited as a risk factor for driving but it mostly works out well for me. It’s a lot of stimuli coming at you requiring a lot of small focus switching and I find it really engaging. Generally the thing that gets me is if the passenger tries to have a serious conversation with me, that is when my driving ability diminishes.

Personally I feel the US needs more density, with walkable neighborhoods, and better mass transit. Cars shouldn’t be a necessity, instead of being freeing, they are a yoke on the working class

I took driving school at 14, parents also tutored me. Got my learner's and six months later my limited operator's license (IDK if other states do this, but SD used to let 14- and 15-year-olds drive alone but only during daylight hours). Got my full license at 16.

I don't use it. I rarely drive. I grew up getting around by bicycle, and I still do at 40. You can go places with a bike you can't in a car, and you'll have more fun getting there, and be in a better mood when you get there.

My high school offered a class called Behind the Wheel, and almost everyone took it. It was classroom knowledge (no practicals), but it definitely gave us a lot of ground knowledge. After that, it was mostly our parents who taught us - most of our older siblings were too young to have younger kids in the car.

We did a bunch of stuff in the local high school parking lot, during times when it was empty. Stuff like learning to accurately judge where the corners of the car are, changing gears smoothly, backing up, etc. After that, it was time on small local roads, eventually graduating to bigger ones. Probably took about a year and a half, all totalled; had to fit things into everyone else's schedule and when we had a car free. My parents were kind of motivated, though - I was the last one and, once I had my license, they didn't need to drag any of our asses around anymore, lol.

Learner's at 15, license at 16... Crucial skill for an adult. Def go finish getting it. I learned through my school.

18, but I started lessons around 16. Did a bit of driving with parents, but mostly through an instructor.

Got mine at 22, drove twice before taking the test and barely passing

I'm 40 and I got my licence in 2021. I pid 50$ to make sure(not USA), but never caused an accident with anyone.

I learned to drive when i was fourth grade, nice thing about knowing people who had farms. Got my license the day I turn 16.

Back in the 70s, we had Driving Class in high school. My Dad also took me out to practice. I was about 16 1/2 before I got my license.

OTOH, I had a buddy who wanted to start driving as soon as he turned 16. So he saved his money from his paper route, and the moment he turned 16, he signed up for a private driving school, and he had his license within a couple of weeks after turning 16.

Shhhh, he'd also been secretly borrowing his sister's car for a couple of years.

Was driving my dad home from the bar at 13. School permit at 14 that let me drive to school and work. Drivers license at 16. Drivers education course was offered in our middle school/high school (grades 7-12 in the building).

Driving school in Germany. You had to be at least 18 for a driving license. Paid around 1200 €, 24 years ago.

Two weeks before 18.

The earliest possible age in my country.

1. I did a mix of driving with my parents and taking driving classes.

I didn't hurry up to take it because it's not mandatory to drive where I've lived so far, and where I live now it's completely optional. These days I drive very rarely, most commonly when visiting family.

I was 18 and drove twice with my dad before taking my test, we had a buggy on the farm that I drove, but that's about it, 22 and haven't had an accident or even close, and my job has me driving 3+ hours each day

A driving school. Anything else is illegal here.

I was lucky that my parents paid for it. And prices have gone even more through the roof since then.

I learned to drive in high school, but never bothered getting a license until after I graduated college and got a job, so maybe 22? I’ve commuted via train for over 20 years now though, rarely drive.

Was 19. Needed it for a job and got it in 2 weeks. Took the permit test after a few nights of studying. Took a driving course online while I was sick and then scheduled a driving exam. Lots of practice with my dad doing the exact stuff that was on the test. I had an expired permit from when I was also 16.. never had the courage to get a license. I also felt trapped despite biking places. Many places were just outside my reach, including jobs. I was terrified of driving because it felt too complicated. I eventually got accustomed after a summer of driving to work.

Tips: drive around the area you’re testing in. Never hit the curb when parallel parking. Always Be Signaling (ABS). Come to a complete (0m/s) stop before a stop sign. Make sure to make it obvious you’re checking your mirrors, etc. because the grader is looking at your eyes.

Years before I got my license, I took some lessons with a driving instructor. They’d take you on some rides, some on the highway, some doing simple stuff. It was helpful. When I got my license, I kind of already knew how to drive, just wasn’t that familiar with the rules.

My cousin and his wife are 57 and neither of them have a driving license. They cycle, take public transport or take a taxi when absolutely necessary. I myself was 30 when I got mine, and I still cycle or take public transport unless it's not possible (sadly the buses are garbage where I live nowadays, but I do take the train a lot).

I got mine when I was 26 after doing on and off lessons and other practice for nearly 10 years. I learned most of it from lessons so neither.

1. I find it insane that you're allowed to drive full sized cars at highway speeds at 16 without adult supervision.

Practiced with my dad mostly. Drove from and to skiing practice. Had 6 lessons with an instructor, which is very low apparently.

I was 17, and my parents taught me.

My oldest is 22, she still doesn't drive.

Her little brother is 18. He's gone driving with his mom and I a few times, but hasn't taken the test.

A little bit of each. Technically drivers Ed in high school. I think 16 or 17, whatever I was the summer I took it. However my dad taught me to drive stick, plus driving a car was easier since I already drove tractors and ATVs

18

Started when I was like 14 but I just didn’t care enough to get the license until 18.

Had my learner's permit at 15, and regular license at 16, which is pretty standard in the US. The driving school for me was literally the high school. Like, the driving class was one of the classes you take in your regular school. That is also pretty common in the US.

License at 16, drove for the first time at 11 (on private property).

Road my bike to take the written test. Borrowed a car for the road test.

Didn't study for the written test. I did practice with my temps before the road test.

Got my license at 26, given that i live in the middle of no where that pretty much my life began.

I was my mom's oldest kid, she let me drive without a license to learn, as she was not familiar with the rules. Then I took a written test and driving test.

Drivers ed here was in the summers and my friend and I traveled in the summer instead, worked in the school year to make $ so that we could.

My kids, insurance cost is so high here now, they have to wait until they can pay that, I couldn't handle a $1,000 increase in the monthly budget for two teen drivers at that time. The older ones learned after college, my younger ones got the learner permits and learned earlier, one at 15 (she is the only one who likes to drive my stick shift car) and the other at 17 (that one still has only learner permit, can drive well, but usually takes bus or bike to get around town).

I think the reason kids usually learn early here is because the bus system has been systematically underfunded for so long. It's really hard to have a job without a car unless you are lucky and able to arrange everything close to your house. Which isn't gonna happen if your parents live in the exurbs.

16 - parents

I taught a friend how to drive and he was in his mid 20's when I taught him.

I was 20 and learned from an instructor. To be fair, I'm from the Netherlands and cars don't play such a big role here. I had a moped from when i was 17, so i was motorized. Although I bicycled for most of my trips under 10 kilometer (five miles).

Grew up on a farm was driving tractors, ATVs pickups by 13. By 15 I was driving full load grain box trucks some with no power steering and sometimes barely functioning brakes.

Dad taught me but also did drivers Ed.

Do drivers Ed. Ask someone to teach you. Learn on gravel as well, learn how weight shifts and how to feel for it. Driving isn't scary. learn

Learned at 18. I loved biking everywhere and was against cars for environmental reasons. Also I didn't have a car. Eventually I wanted to learn because taking 3 hours on transit for a 30 min drive was starting to get annoying.

My dad mostly taught me, but he was not always a patient teacher tbh. But it worked. I had to go to drivers ed class where they teach you stuff you already probably know. I had to take some in-car drives with an instructor, and I don't think they were that interesting either. The instructor found out I liked to ride bikes, so he took me to a road where I would have to learn how to pass cyclists, so that was cool I guess.

I failed the test the first time. I was nervous and the instructor was ornery and stressed me out more. I was trying to parallel park a van and I couldn't do it within the time limit.

The second time I got a really chill instructor, and when I was having trouble parking he was like, its OK, you got this, and I was able to do it within the time limit. Also I had practiced a bit more too.

18 is not too old to learn how to drive. I recommend you take your time and get a lot of practice.

21, both my grandmother, and an instructor.

Before then I feasibly had no way to drive, so it was just an extra cost for no benefit. Family didn't have a car at all when I was 16, and I didn't get my first car until shortly before I got my license. I also just hate driving, it wigs my anxiety out. It's still the only car I've ever owned, and I sold it about a year ago.

I work from home, and only even borrow someone's car or get a ride if I can't get to a store on foot, which is one I only go to monthly. I'd still be borrowing a car if I could, though, I'm not sure I could carry 40 pounds of compressed sawdust home on foot. Even with that I likely won't let the license expire, since it's the same cost as an ID anyway.

19 I think? I went to some random driving school. No sit-down class, just went straight behind the wheel. I already knew how to theoretically drive (manual transmission) because of observing other drivers, so I just needed a legal way to practice. I still learned a lot of course. The instructor basically used our driving sessions to run his personal errands. lol

Driver's ed in high school. Either 15 or 16. It was mandatory where I grew up.

They didn't teach stick though. My dad "taught" me that. I.E. yelled at me until I learned it myself.

Driver's Ed was a mandatory course in my high school. I got my liscense at 16 a year before they raised the minimum age from 16 to 18 in my state.

Then, like 8 years ago I got a Class A and drove a school bus for about a month, but I didn't like the responsibility of or dealing with all the kids. I'd rather take that and drive trucks all by myself, but trucking companies are bullshit these days. I can legally drive pretty much anything on 4+ wheels as long as I ain't hauling hazardous chemicals (need a special thing/cert for that).

I was 27. Had an instructor and a friend who let me drive him around a bunch for practice. My mum got hers at 30. Just get it when you can afford it or you want/need it. There's no rush.

My wife got hers at 14 1/2. That was the legal age in Maine until the late 1980s.

@DeathByBigSad at 18... with family, started with tractors at 10 probably, then when I reached 18 my grandpa let me drive him arround while I was in driving school

Most people now a day don't drive, not because they can't, but because most choose not to. Especially if they have access to viable and accessible alternatives like trains, subways, trams, buses or a bike.

I do agree with your statement "feeling trapped" and not able to go anywhere.

This TBH comes down to how our cities and towns are designed, somehow only assuming everyone no matter their age or background or income can drive. Hopefully this changes in the future someday to allow people to get around more enjoyably, independently, comfortably.

Now that being said driving schools exist. You can do a in class session for the written test, and then you can get a driving instructor that takes you around for 5 hours or more if you want to practice things like parking, parallel parking, left and right turns. You can also schedule longer sessions and multiple sessions as needed.

Well over 18. Paid for Driving instructor(cuz by then I was able to afford it at that age) . Seriously best money I have ever spent.

do not have a relative teach you. All a relative will teach you is all their bad habits. An Instructor will reprogram you the correct way and teach you how to actually pass the test.

If I had the option, I would have never bothered learning how to drive. I never felt the need to drive, when I could just cycle everywhere. However, because I moved to my aunts place, she forced me go to a driving school to learn how to drive. I passed the dmv and am getting my license at 24.

I overheard my coworker talk about how a lot of her college classmates choose not to learn how to drive. This article from Vox, is from 2015, talks about young people are driving less.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150503002553/https://www.vox.com/2015/5/1/8524147/driving-young-people-millennials

Plenty of other articles out there discussing a more shift of the young people not learning to driving because they are choosing not to. So don’t worry about not having a driver license, you’re not the only one.

I felt like the upfront cost of a used/new car as well as insurance plus yearly maintenance, car ownership is not worth it. It’s cheaper to just use public transport and uber if you’re willing to spend more time waiting. Maybe consider getting a e-bike if your city is pedestrian friendly. Don’t need to get a license as well as you can park anywhere given you lock it up properly. It’s much cheaper than a car, and you’ll be working out somewhat.