At a recent party over the holidays I asked a majority of the people in attendance if they had a driver’s license. I was surprised by how many folks who had yet to take the driving test. Some said, “I just don’t need one,” while others said, “I’m afraid of driving,” or “my partner drives so I don’t need a license.”
So the first poll of 2008 is: do you have a driver’s license?
photo by Rannie Turnigan
49 comments
I’ve got a G1, and one that is likely going to expire in 2009 without me advancing beyond it.
I have had one for like 10 years but rarely use it..not owning a vehicle tends to slow things.
I’ve also got a G1 that I renew for a convenient piece of ID
I let mine lapse in November. I can’t imagine needing it. I figured the hassle of borrowing a car, studying for the test, making the appointment, etc. was greater than that of having someone drive for me if the situation ever arises.
The one and only car I ever owned, I sold to Addison’s on Bay on Nov. 22 1968. Since it was
an American made Pontiac, it sold off the lot the
next day.
I stopped being a motorist around 1971. When my licence expired, I decided not to send in the $2. for the renewal.
Driving today is not nearly as civilized or courteous. Nowadays, everyone believes he owns the road. They forget that it’s shared by all of us–including pedestrians and cyclists.
My G1 expired the other day. Was used as piece of ID. I guess I should go and renew it, but no motivation whatsoever.
Absolute necessity in Windsor, and resulted in assuming everybody has one — which I realized is not the case when we were looking to hire some people to help us drive that T.Ode Airstream Trailer around the city (during the Humanitas festival). All these Toronto folks hadn’t ever got their license.
have one but havent driven in YEARRRRSSSS. i probably shouldnt have one.
Isn’t an OHIP Photo card good enough as ID?
I think private companies should be barred from using SINs and D/L nos as tracking data but that’s just me.
There should have been as well as a question on do you or your partner own a car, rent a car, or use only as id.
Another question is what type of license (G1, G2, motorcycle, school bus, etc.) and when did you get it.
Got my G2 this week at the ripe old age of 28. I’ve never been so proud in my life.
There should be a “Yes, but I don’t own a car and I haven’t driven in years” option 😉
The OHIP photo card hasn’t been accepted as ID anywhere I’ve seen, I think because it lacks certain security measures. The new OHIP photo card doesn’t even include your birthday, anyways.
Oh, and, except where required (banks, to give you interest, and for employment), you never have to give your SIN to anyone. They can ask, but you just say “no” to it, and they will continue on asking the rest of their questions.
Personally, I have a license because I need/want to drive every so often (via Zipcar). My wife owns a car, and she is the only one who’s permitted to drive it (insurance reasons), but we could probably get by without it easily. We’ve both got Metropasses too.
i went to high school in the deep suburbs of nepean (now amalgamted with ottawa). everyone got their “365” (the learner’s permit before graduated licensing was introduced) as soon as they could and i was no exception. i started driving as soon as i was 16 because the transit to get us out of our suburban island was terrible and unless you were biking to your friend’s house around the corner, driving was the thing to do.
15 years later i still drive occasionally and am glad i have my license, but i have never owned a car and don’t want to. i recently joined autoshare and am happy such a thing exists for occasional trips around the GTA or moving big musical gear between houses and jam spaces, as opposed to just using taxis.
There could be another category in this poll because, while I _do_ have a driver’s license, I didn’t get one until I was 23, and five years out of the city. Until then, I just didn’t need one. The TTC and my feet were sufficient to get me to all the places I wanted to go.
I was debating letting mine lapse since I moved to Toronto. Transit/walking is more convenient, and I find the road system a bit daunting.
But, yes, still have a licence, and still drive on occasion (just not in the GTA!).
I know that in trinity spadina a majority of citizens have a drivers license even if they dont drive.During the elections my scrutineers told me that almost every person that did present ID, the ID was a drivers license.Many arrived by bike to vote.
I was a little late in the game and I did not get my G2 until I was 22, and I got my G at the age of 25. I live in Toronto, but work in Mississauga so I drive everyday. Public transit just insn’t an option since it takes about 1.5-2 hours instead of 45 minutes.
I would the percentage of people in the suburbs who have a license would be much higher than people in the city. There is much more of a driving culture there.
The newish green photo OHIP card does have a birthdate on it, but I’ve been told on several occasions that non-medical places aren’t allowed to take it as ID because that would violate confidentiality of our medical records.
So I ended up getting a G1 just because it was easier than any of the photo ID alternatives. Have never driven in 416 though, and have no plans to do so.
Idea: MTO should issue ID-only “non-driver’s” licences. You go in, get your picture taken, and get photo ID that’s just as good as a driver’s licence but doesn’t entitle you to drive.
The LCBO offers something called a BYID card for a fee that’s usually accepted at their stores, Beer Stores and most restaurants/bars. I’ve never used one though.
I rent and borrow family cars occasionally, but like not having 15-25% of my earnings go to car depreciation or leasing, plus maintenance, insurance and gas. Though growing up in Brampton, I felt like I had to at least get the G1 when I was 16.
I still go on the weekend drive, getting me to interesting places like the Pickering Airport lands, and will allow me to post pictures for an upcoming series of posts of my hometown. And a late night drive on the DVP and Gardiner is a guilty pleasure.
Had my license since I was 16, didn’t own a car until about a month before my 23rd birthday (last November). I still remember the incredulity of an American fried of mine who lives in New Mexico. This is the state where 5 acres is a tiny property. Not only is driving a necessity, 4WD is a good idea.
“Americans are broad-minded people. They’ll accept the fact that a person can be an alcoholic, a dope fiend, a wife beater, and even a newspaperman, but if a man doesn’t drive, there is something wrong with him.” ~Art Buchwald
I am 31 and have never had a drivers license. I figure I should get one, in case of emergencies, but I don’t plan to ever have a car, so it isn’t a priority. I definitely agree that the lack of non-driver’s licence government ID sucks. In Alberta, where I’m from, we had government ID that was issues like a driver’s license, just that it didn’t entitle you to drive. I got one of those when I turned 18 but my wallet was stolen a while back.
I had one briefly in high school, and let it lapse when I moved downtown at about 20 or so. I’ve lived in neighbourhoods right on the subway line for almost six years now, and there’s just no need. I don’t think I’ve been behind the wheel of a car since I was 18, and am pretty happy that way.
I got my license one week after my 16th birthday. I couldn’t wait and I was really excited. Me and my buddies would drive around North York at night, going nowhere, just because we could. We were a teenage automobile parade, all single occupants.
I bought a car when I was 19, for about $300. A few years later Tooker Gomberg buried it.
Now I ride my bike, I have a metropass, and I occasionally use cars for out-of-town trips.
Funny you should post this topic. My G2 license is expiring this year and I’m debating whether to renew it!
I’ve had mine continuously since age 16. I think driving’s one of those things you should be able to do in case of emergencies, like starting a campfire or first aid. Whether or not you actually need it on a day-to-day basis is another thing.
An aunt of mine changed her mind about not getting her license, but only after getting stuck in a snowstorm in the middle of the night way up north after her driver (my uncle) got sick and was unable to continue driving.
Lucky for them, a policeman passed by and rescued them about an hour or so in. It would have been a really cold night.
At 27 I still haven’t bothered to get my driver’s license. (The OPSEU strike of ’96 had a role to play in that.) My personal philosophy to driving is that “Driving is a necessary evil. I will not embrace that evil until absolutely necessary.” I’ve managed to make it this long on foot, bike, public transit, the odd cab and getting rides from others when there were no other options. On top of that I live out in the suburbs, which always amazes people that I’ve managed for so long without driving. Personally, the convenience of having a license hasn’t outweighed the costs of having one, both financially and environmentally. Until the scales tip the other way, I’ll remain a passenger and not a driver.
You know, unless you absolutely know you’ll never need to drive, why not just get a license?
The biggest reason to have a license early is to avoid paying high insurance fees when/if you ever do own a car. The longer you’ve had it, the less your insurance is. And it makes a BIG difference.
I have a car but take the TTC to work, because I work downtown. My wife works in the suburbs though, and taking public transport means three times the travel time vs driving, so she drives. Another friend and his wife just had a baby and suddenly realized they REALLY needed a car. Taking the TTC with a newborn for a new mother can be pretty exhausting.
I think that sadly, our infrastructure is such that in a lot of circumstances, a car is just needed. You may or may not find yourself in one of those situations in life, but you might as well cover your ass and get a driver’s license just in case.
Have had it since I was 17. Was recently ugraded to CZ, courtesy of the TTC driver school. 🙂
Get it. The TTC needs more downtown denizens driving! Change the culture from the inside.
Mine lapsed quite awhile ago – but at times I do wish for that flexibility as the vehicles are useful to haul stuff and go longer distances with people, though one pays for both privileges. Or should, I suppose.
I’ve head a licence since I’m 18 although I do know more than a few people who do not, or who basically have constant G1s.
I do own a vehicle which I use for a long commute twice a week. It’s usually parked at other times.
One thing that DOES annoy me with friends who don’t have licences is the amount of driving favours they ask. If you don’t need one, you shouldn’t rely on me to drive around all the time and then sometimes not even offer to pay for parking!!!
Hi – I haven’t had a drivers license for all my 55 years. I recently went and took the LSM course at Humber and now own a scooter. This is my first real piece of ID (I have an old red health card) and, I hate to say it, life has become a lot easier (administratively). I also love the scooter and would love to have an automobile license so i could get out of the city easier. In town–its not really necessary except for grocery shopping (we use a cab). I have friends that use the Autoshare instead of owning a car. Could be an option? I am possibly the city’s oldest nondriver.
I don’t want to get a licence because I think having one would encourage me to use a car for transportation, more so than if I have to ask for rides from people when I’m in the suburbs or whatever. That is, it seems it would make one more likely to drive instead of finding other, less environmentally deleterious means of transportation. I want to force myself to never drive, I guess, just in case at some point in my life I want to for some reason, and this way it’ll be such a long hassle I won’t do it.
I’m 21 now and I don’t plan on getting a license unless I have to for a job, after I graduate. I also live in the suburbs (Richmond Hill) and have been commuting all over since I came to Canada when I was 15.
I don’t own a car or intend to buy one in the foreseeable future, but I have a full license and would advocate getting a driver’s license at an early age. The insurance argument put forth by Tom is certainly a good one, but on top of that you may find that you will need to drive a car for business purposes, have to act as a designated driver, or help ferry someone to the hospital in an emergency. There are also some marvelous parts of our continent that will remain inaccessible by public transit, so you would be missing out on the majesty of Pacific Rim national park or the Cabot Trail – to name just two examples – if you did not have the ability to drive there by car. Not getting a license is almost like not bothering to vote on election day. You can take issue with the impact that cars have had on the environment and the public realm, but a license does not make you complicit in advancing an automobile-dominated culture. It does, however, grant you greater freedom of mobility the day you turn sixteen, so why not seize it?
Tom’s comment raises a good point. I wonder how different the carless proportions are of those without kids, and of those with kids. Family-oriented car-reduction planning looks quite a bit different than single- and couple-oriented planning, I think.
In Canadian English (no matter what MS Word tells you), licence is the noun and license the verb.
I’m another one for the missing “I have a licence but I don’t (or shouldn’t) drive” answer.
I got one at 16 because that’s what you did in Ottawa. I haven’t driven in a very long time, and now consider myself a non-driver, but I keep renewing the licence because it’s useful for ID. And I would never want to have to re-take the test if the time came when I really did need to start driving again.
I don’t pretend my not driving is for ideological reasons, although people (e.g. skeptical dates) might be more receptive to that reason. I just never liked driving.
Bikers can go into DMVs? I thought they’d just burn up into a pile of ash!
As Shawn mentioned earlier, growing up near Windsor pretty much made a license a necessity – I never heard of any alternate forms of ID until I left for university. I counted down the days until I received my beginner license. I suspect I helped fuel global warming the first few years I drove, endlessly exploring the back roads of Essex County and southeast Michigan.
Yes, although I think I’ve only driven in Toronto once in the 7 years I’ve lived here. It feels like a useful thing to have in case of emergencies, though.
Have had my G1 for about 3.5 years, I’m yet to take a single lesson. There’s next to no incentive, not having the budget to buy a car even if I had the ability; plus I don’t think the carshare folks let you join with zero experience on your insurance (am I right?).
I’ll have to see where my plans take me.
I promptly got my G1 when I was 16… then let it expire. Then got it again. I am 25 now and plan on getting the G2 and G eventually just so the bloody thing will stop expiring, and because it’ll probably be handy occasionally if I really need to rent a car or something, but primarily I have it for ID purposes.
I have a driver’s licence and kept it updated for the last 10 years, although I probably haven’t been in the driver’s seat for that amount of time.
I’ve never driven in Toronto, and should I ever decide on getting behind the wheel again someday (it’ll be inevitable for me I think), I fully intend on taking some in-car lessons!
I love living in the city, having grown up in the suburbs I think the TTC is wonderful. When the rare occasion does pop up when a car is needed, I ask a friend or another family member for a lift.
Given the number of times I’d needed it for ID, I don’t mind keeping my license (not to mention I wouldn’t want to go through the process these days of getting a license should I let mine expire).
My Situation is similar to Kevin’s My G1 expired 2 years ago. I’ve lived in Toronto for 5 years and have never driven once! I live 5 minutes off the subway line and take the TTC to work everyday. There is just no incentive even if I had a licence I could never afford financing a car. So having a licence would be pointless. Toronto is an expensive city and having a car would be more of an inconvience then a luxary anyway.
Why do you need a license?
Because we’re told to? thats like when we were younger and our parents telling us to clean our rooms. the majority of us, did the opposite, i know i messed it up, so why do we just take orders from the government if we didnt take orders from our parents?
Fear? thatd hardly an excuse, im alot younger then any of you will ever expect and even i know the school system is not teaching kids, the truth. The government tells them what to teach so the farther down we go, there isn’t any resistance. But for me, as long as im under common law and not statutory i’m a free woman. So if you can, please tell me why, i need a license to drive on public highways built by..who? US, humans not the government, We built and they just take the credit. The same with Police officers, why do we let them enforce something when they are sworen to protect the crown of england. But were canadian, so every police officer is a trader.
I am 18 and I have a fear of driving for some weird reason.
I have had one practive session with my dad in a manual and I don’t like it.
I absolutley hate asking my dad to go practice.
I am planning on getting a license before I turn 19, but not because I necessarily want to but because I feel I have to.
I can’t imagine MY PARENTS DRIVING ME TO COLLEGE!
I have been driving since 1977 in Canada and held an Australian License for 6 years as well. I work in the “vehicle and insurance” industry and find the answers to this question quite intriguing. While driving is certainly a privilege in this country, there still seems to be such a large percentage of people who do not feel this is the case. The abuse of the licensing system is overwhelming and the LACK of resources and support to those out there trying to enforce the laws (for all our safety) is even more upsetting. The number of vehicles on the road is growing at an alarming rate every day and yet no one seems to realize this is putting a huge strain on our infastructure, insurance premiums, law enforcement and emergency personnel.
Basically, if you don’t want to drive and be responsible for over 2000 lbs of machinery, don’t get a license and don’t get behind the wheel of a car. If you chose to drive, respect the fact this is a privilege and one that can be taken away if it is not respected. Obtaining a driver’s license doesn’t mean you are the only driver on the road… there are millions of them out there and plenty who shouldn’t be. Don’t bash the government – we keep buying cars and driving them… if they didn’t put systems and rules in place I can’t imagine the mess we would have.
I’ll keep driving until I’m much older or I feel I’m not able to be a safe driver and then I’ll surrender my license. My only worry now is my young son and what awaits him and the millions of other young drivers on the roads when its their time to start driving.
I just got my G2 license today in Oshawa. Gosh, I was sweating like crazy during my 15 min exam. Initially, I thought I needed to redo everything from scratch since my G1 will expire next June 2009. I need at least a year before I can do my G2 road test. But it turns out I was able to renew my license IF I passed my G1 road test. I’m really glad I did pass now, phew.
For me, I need to complete my road test or else I won’t be able to get to places in my neighbourhood. I live in the uptown area of Toronto, so the streets are not as close to each other compared to downtown area.