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Gosh what a depressing thread. So many of you are embracing getting old and giving up driving! "I can't wait to get too old and infirm so I too can give up driving"! Well guess what? With that kind of mindset you WILL arrive at that place soon! My FIL drove till he was 89 with no problem. In less than 10 years self driving cars will be the norm. I'll only be 77 at that point. Have no plans to stop driving any time soon
I've never driven, never owned a car. I learned to get around without one. That meant I had to live in a place where everything was convenient. Sure that put restrictions on me but I managed. If anyone wants to give up the car keys it can be done. You just have to plan for it.
I have a question for those who use Uber or Lyft. If you want to get to an appointment do you call ahead of time as with a cab? I usually call the day before to reserve one. Or do you call the same day when you want to leave?
I've never driven, never owned a car. I learned to get around without one. That meant I had to live in a place where everything was convenient. Sure that put restrictions on me but I managed. If anyone wants to give up the car keys it can be done. You just have to plan for it.
I have a question for those who use Uber or Lyft. If you want to get to an appointment do you call ahead of time as with a cab? I usually call the day before to reserve one. Or do you call the same day when you want to leave?
same here. never driven, never owned a car. I did drive my Dad's car from age 16 to 18, but never after that.
Without driving and without a car, I have lived in 8 different states as an adult - 3 eastern and 5 midwestern.
If and when that happens you'll have to learn new ways to get around, get stuff.. I live in a very good walking town but I'm on the "hard to walk list" now so forget that. Plus when there are big things like bottles of water etc, can't carry those. Giving up car(s) gives us a lot of extra money to shift our lives.
We have some good senior services too including rides to places and return home.
I still think about an accident years ago when an older man driving on a major street here, killed a young person...the sun was hitting his eyes and he lost vision of the young girl.
Then there was the accident when an older man lost control of his auto and drove thru a farmer's market and injured a lot of people and I recall killed some. He was 87 thinking back.
I know. I don't know if there is Uber around here but I can use the Association of the Blind. I have used them before I married Hubby. They have volunteers who drive people to appointments and such. Unfortunately, you don't know who you will get. Sometimes I have had good drivers, other times, not so good-or not so nice people. I am hoping that if the time comes, I will have friends who will take pity on me.
This idea has been in my mind for some yrs and at 79 I'm so much closer. With the recent knee infection mess and not walking great and perhaps a knee replacement coming up, I find I don't want to drive and own a car more and more.
Maybe it would be a good idea to keep the car around until after you have recovered from knee surgery. Make the decision when you are feeling better.
Right now you are dealing with pain, and that is not a good time to make a decision. Once you are physically better and more comfortable, you can decide if you still feel alert enough and mobile enough to drive safely.
I just wish that Escort Rider and I could join Don to help finish up his "high performance daily driver" and then 3 old dudes could come and turf the yards of all you sad sacks who can't seem to enjoy a car, whilst playing Rush's "Red Barschetta" good and loud...
Sure, driving a car well is hard to do. Anything in life that's worthwhile, is hard to do. I mean, if your vision is bad, if you have really limited mobility, well, yeah, you can't drive and you have to give it up. But so many here are so into the "sad sack" mentality, buying a good car and taking decent care of it is too hard, driving is too hard, doing my own maintenance and repairs is too hard. But these things are not really beyond what you can do, you have just convinced yourself that you can't do them. And as Henry Ford so aptly said, "Whether you think you can, or think you can't, either way, you are right!"
Doing hard things is what makes life worthwhile. Think about it.
same here. never driven, never owned a car. I did drive my Dad's car from age 16 to 18, but never after that.
Without driving and without a car, I have lived in 8 different states as an adult - 3 eastern and 5 midwestern.
That certainly shows it can be done in many places. I've only lived in three different cities and used public transportation which was good in all three. I never had a problem with this. I guess you don't miss what you've never had.
I hoped this encourages those who either choose or have to give up their cars. Yes, there is life after driving. You can do it.
That certainly shows it can be done in many places. I've only lived in three different cities and used public transportation which was good in all three. I never had a problem with this. I guess you don't miss what you've never had.
I hoped this encourages those who either choose or have to give up their cars. Yes, there is life after driving. You can do it.
As of right now I'm not that encouraged mainly because of the inconvenience of public transportation. Many years ago I had to take my car to the shop for some work. Instead of renting a car I decided to take the bus for all my destinations. One trip took the better part of a day. I thought I aged 10 years. Since then its been a rental car.
Sorry, but the above is simply not true. When you drive yourself, you can leave home whenever you want; there is no waiting and you can do it on a whim. Then at your destination you can also leave whenever you want; there is no waiting and you can do it on a whim.
Uber or Lyft may well be easier and more convenient than a taxi, and I concede that they are fairly easy and convenient. But the fact remains that driving yourself is more so.
One possible exception is if your destination has parking problems. With serious parking problems, driving yourself becomes less easy and less convenient. In my own case, I have very few destinations with parking problems. People who live in Manhattan or in San Francisco probably cannot say the same.
I've never waited longer than 10 min for Uber, and I like being dropped off right at the door because walking is difficult. So for me it definitely makes some destinations easier. I sure would find it hard to give up driving myself for short jaunts close by though!
Gosh what a depressing thread. So many of you are embracing getting old and giving up driving! "I can't wait to get too old and infirm so I too can give up driving"! Well guess what? With that kind of mindset you WILL arrive at that place soon! My FIL drove till he was 89 with no problem. In less than 10 years self driving cars will be the norm. I'll only be 77 at that point. Have no plans to stop driving any time soon
I agree. I am not ready to give up driving either. I expect though that I and DW are of an age that we will be able to have self-driving cars in our future. They are rapidly being tested and improved. Around us we see the elderly drivers crashing through walls and doors of restaurants and stores.
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