I let my folks know that I’m getting rid of my drivers licence, because I don’t plan on driving for at least the next 5 years.
My parents then said things like, “you’re moving backwards in life”, or “what will you do if you need to transport someone in an emergency?”, to which I responded, “Taxi, or ambulance”.
Am I a fool? Should I retain my licence for emergencies? I’m broke ATM, but should start working again soon, and my licence is expiring in a few weeks (and my wallet fell in a river a week ago, so I don’t have the card anyways, not even kidding), so I’d rather not pay the $90 to keep it, if I don’t have to.
What about you? Do you still keep a license handy for situations, or no? Is living car and license free possible in Canada?
They aren’t wrong, ik this is fuckcars, but you could still have a car you drive once a week for groceries and ocasionally long distance, its nice not to take an extra whatever hours on a bus/train to certain destinstions, you can still bike 95% of the time lol
My (now dead, hit by a truck) hs english teacher was a biker, rode a different bike to school like an hour anothe town away daily in california in the central valley (not built for bikes farm roads, hella cars), he still had a car and drove it sometimes like across the city to get food lol
I mean your paying $49 dollars for your provincial id card or $90 for the license. You are going to need photo ID so it’s one or the other. I’d just pay the extra $50 bucks and keep the license.
I think it is wiser to keep the legal right to drive even if you do not end up using it.
In an emergency, a taxi or car share ride could take a while to get to you and also might refuse your ride (if going to the hospital for an emergency, for example). Or you might find yourself in a position where someone who drove becomes unable to do so to get you or themselves home (sick, drunk, whatever) and you could help out. You also might decide to rent a car for some specific purpose at some point, such as for traveling somewhere with poor public transit or if you need a truck for hauling stuff.
I like to err on the side of preparedness.
thanks for the perspective. I think I will keep it. I just hate all the costs associated with driving, and I don’t even drive, and have to pay this and that.
And yeah, I have been in situations where I needed to drive, like helping a buddy drive a uhaul, or when another buddy passed out, I drove him to the hospital just in case he dropped behind the wheel.
I think aspiring to a car free lifestyle is great, but there’s nothing wrong with renting every once in a while. For the few times in your life that you need to move, renting a Uhaul will save you a ton of money over using a moving company. And there’s a few times where renting a truck when purchasing a large appliance will save you over having things delivered.
im curious do all of yall live in very urban environments and have good car free infrastructure? I could not imagine relying on trains, busses, etc. that would add hours of travel time to my day
I use my bike to get around and recently upgraded to an ebike to help with hills and so that I’m not sweating when I get to where I’m going. I find I can get most places about as fast as a car since I can avoid traffic. For longer trips, I’m thinking of getting an escooter to get me to the train station and then the rest of the way.
In an emergency, you don’t need a license to drive. Poor people don’t really rent a car for a weekend jaunt.
Oh, I didn’t know that. That’s not the case here in the US, as far as I’m aware.
It’s not the case in Canada either. Driving without a licence is illegal whether it’s an emergency or not
Maybe don’t tell the police that you don’t have a license.
If there is an emergency and they only thing preventing you from preventing human harm is that you don’t have a license, then fucking drive anyway. It doesn’t matter if it is legal or not.
Of course I would–I was just talking about legality.
I do think that if a family member were to drop unconscious, I would drive regardless, but not having the potential legal trouble afterwards is a nice thing to have, in case the cops got involved or something.
Tell your parents that if it’s that important to them, then they can pay for the renewal.
Do you have to retake the exams and tests? Think about the logistics involved in that as you won’t have a car to take them in.
You’ll need an alternate ID card. The ubiquity of a drivers license as proof of residence and photo ID is highly convenient.
Save a penny, spend a dollar is what this sounds like. Give it 5 years and see how often you use it. There’s a lot of Canada you can’t get to on public transit.
I don’t know how it works in Canada, but I’d renew it just as identification. Doesn’t matter if you have it or not for driving, but at least in the states a drivers license is ubiquitous as photo id.
You don’t need a license. Many people don’t have one and don’t want one.
It’s really just that simple.Driving is expensive and sucks. Going without it in Canada depends on how easy it is to access stuff for the most part. If you can walk/bike/transit more or less comfortably, go for it.
A provincial/territorial ID card is an option if you need ID.
Logistically, it’s quite easily doable if you’re in an urban area, but be prepared for a little less convenience and a LOT of unearned judgment from others (unless you’re the social butterfly type who has people lining up to drive you everywhere).
Probably best to get a route map for your local transit systems and go over routes you would hypothetically use. Might help you decide.
excuse my curiosity but why do you have to pay to “keep your license”?
Renewal, it expires after a certain time, I think 5 years where I live, Ontario.
Don’t be my brother and not bother to keep his license and up taking the test multiple times as a 40 something adult.
He is also the worst driver…
