More and more people these days are forgoing the old ‘rite of passage’ of learning to drive as soon as they are 17. Some do this because they can’t afford lessons or a car at that age, others because they simply live in an area where using public transport is the norm and they just don’t see the need for it, and yet others are too busy with studying and other activities, so they put off driving lessons until later. Often people get used to relying on other means of getting around, and not having the expense of running a car in their budgets, and put off taking their driving test indefinitely. However, once you have kids, being able to drive can become a far more important skill to have.
Learning to drive is probably easier than you think, and there are some great free tools like the mock theory tests at toptests.co.uk that can help you. Here are three reasons why learning to drive can be a good idea for mums:
Peace of Mind for Emergencies
Before you had kids, you probably didn’t really worry too much about potential emergencies that might require you to get to somewhere, like the hospital, as quickly as possible. However, most parents do worry a lot about these things, and knowing that if something happened at any time of the day or night you’d be able to drive to where you need to be immediately, rather than waiting for a taxi or trying to find some other mode of transport, can be very reassuring.
Easier Travel with Pushchairs
When your children are young and don’t walk everywhere, travelling on the bus or train can be a struggle if you have to carry and fold up things like buggies, prams or pushchairs. When you travel in your own car, you can pack things like this at your leisure and head straight out with far less stress. This alone can make learning to drive worth the effort.
Good for the Long Term
While your kids are very young, the main advantages might be being able to travel more easily with all of their stuff and knowing you have transport in emergency situations, but as they grow up you will find more and more situations where you’ll be glad you can drive, from having more options for getting them to school through to even being able to help them learn to drive themselves one day. Yes, you may end up being a parent taxi service when they are in their teens, but even then, you’ll know they are getting around safely
Now that you are a mum, these are just a few of the ways driving may be a more useful skill to have than it was for you before. If you can identify with these reasons and have the resources to start learning to drive, why not start looking into some lessons and working towards your licence today?
