Lots of people put off learning to drive because they live in a city with good public transport or they have a partner who drives, so feel as though they don’t need to learn themselves. However, what happens when you’re offered your dream job which can’t be reached by train or you don’t have anyone else who can drive you around? There are lots of reasons learning to drive can make your life easier, and you will wonder how you ever got by before you had the extra freedom.
These days, lots of jobs require a driving license. Whether it’s journalism, sales or personal training, a lot of the time you will find that you need to leave the office for some reason or other. With flexible working becoming more important than ever, lots of employers like to know that their employees are able to get around easily to visit clients. Or it may be that your new office is nowhere near a train station or bus stop. Driving can open up many more job opportunities as it allows you more flexibility in terms of your workplace and the nature of the work you do.
There are times in life we want to travel outside peak hours. Maybe it’s a middle of the night journey back from a friend’s in some far flung destination or an early morning airport trip. Taxis are expensive, but often your only option. If you drive, you will save money by not paying inflated taxi prices, and will be able to leave at a time that suits you and make any other stops without constantly watching the meter.
It also allows you to set your own schedule if you drive. This is especially important if you live somewhere relatively rural, when buses can be infrequent. This means always arriving very early or very late for any appointments or meetings you may have elsewhere. If you drive, you can time the journey to arrive exactly when you need to without long waits for unreliable, busy buses and trains to turn up. This makes it far easier to make arrangements with friends as you can arrive at any time.
Even for practical tasks, driving can be incredibly useful. You won’t need to struggle back from the supermarket on the bus anymore, arms laden with heavy shopping bags. Instead, you can just sling them all in the boot and be on your way without any pulled muscles. The same applies for sports equipment, luggage… driving means you can organize your life on your terms so you can reduce the stress caused by public transport and living by other people’s schedules.
Make sure you select a driving school near you to avoid the inconvenience of having to travel elsewhere to learn. For example, if you live in Guildford, find a nearby Surrey driving instructor so you can familiarize yourself with the local roads and get to your lessons with ease.
Penny Grant learned to drive at 25 and has never looked back
