How old were you when you first drove?

[1995hoo]

I did all of my driving stuff the earliest that I legally could: I got my permit on my 16th birthday, my provisional license on my 17th, and my regular license on my 18th (actually, I might've waited a day or two after my 18th birthday because of the lines at the f***ing DMV. I waited for a midweek midday time to go...luckily, my birthday is in the middle of the month).

....

I got my driver's license on my 16th birthday. The next day at school I put my left hand through a window, needed 35 stitches as part of the reconstructive surgery, and wasn't able to drive for about three weeks or so until the cast came off. What made it worse was that my father was away the following week on business and would have let me drive his car (the 1982 Accord on which I learned to drive a manual shift) while he was gone.

[Special K]

Restricted license at 14.

[vdeane]

I did all of my driving stuff the earliest that I legally could: I got my permit on my 16th birthday, my provisional license on my 17th, and my regular license on my 18th (actually, I might've waited a day or two after my 18th birthday because of the lines at the f***ing DMV. I waited for a midweek midday time to go...luckily, my birthday is in the middle of the month).

When I was 16, I drove around with my dad a fairly decent amount, more than anyone I know, probably accruing 1000 miles that way. My age 17 year I probably drove 10,000 miles, certainly a lot for a teenager, mostly as a result of commuting into the city 3 days a week during the summer before senior year (well, not all the way into NYC, but the train station I drove to was a good 35 minutes away).

That's one thing I like about being in St. Lawrence county.  There's no line at the DMV here!

[the49erfan15]

I'd say 10 or 11, my feet barely touched the pedals - I drove/raced go-karts since age 5-6 and drove golf carts along a campground my family vacationed at, so I knew how everything worked. My dad would take me to a large cemetery in Charlotte and let me drive there. He always said it was important for me to learn how to drive at an early age (obviously not letting me drive on "real roads" yet) just in case there was an emergency. Thankfully there never was, but when it became permit time at 15, the driving part was no sweat - but I failed because I didn't stop at a non-controlled railroad crossing. Whoops!

Also got my first "ticket" at age 13, driving a golf cart in said campground. Apparently they had changed the rules and only licensed drivers could drive the golf carts (I'd been driving them since age 6 or 7 with no issues!) and wrote me a warning that was only applicable to the campground. Wish I'd have kept that!

[corco]

11 in my Grandpa's S-10 with 4-speed. He had 40 acres so let me drive around his field, eventually letting me drive from his house to South Salem, Ohio (about a mile east).

I started really driving at 14 and a half when you could get a learner's permit in Idaho in a 1997 Jeep Wrangler with 5-speed. Got my license at 15 and started driving by myself shortly thereafter. That year I was pretty much just allowed to drive around McCall, with the occasional venture to New Meadows or Cascade. Once I turned 16 I was allowed to go to Boise.

My parents intentionally had me drive whenever there was a snowstorm so I'd get experience in bad weather and would take me out to unplowed parking lots to spin donuts so I'd learn car control- in hindsight this was very valuable and I plan on doing the same with my kids.

I didn't drive an automatic for well over a year after I got my license. My Dad's car was a company car I wasn't insured on, and my Mom had a brand new car that she wasn't particularly inclined to let some 15 year old drive, so I only drove the Wrangler and our plow truck (a lot of people in the snowy part of rural Idaho have an uninsured, unregistered beater truck with a snowplow on it just for plowing the driveway), a 1976 Ford F-150, both of which have manuals (the Ford having a three on the tree).

My Mom finally let me drive her car to my junior prom, which was the first time I drove an automatic.

[vdeane]

I'd say 10 or 11, my feet barely touched the pedals - I drove/raced go-karts since age 5-6 and drove golf carts along a campground my family vacationed at, so I knew how everything worked. My dad would take me to a large cemetery in Charlotte and let me drive there. He always said it was important for me to learn how to drive at an early age (obviously not letting me drive on "real roads" yet) just in case there was an emergency. Thankfully there never was, but when it became permit time at 15, the driving part was no sweat - but I failed because I didn't stop at a non-controlled railroad crossing. Whoops!

Also got my first "ticket" at age 13, driving a golf cart in said campground. Apparently they had changed the rules and only licensed drivers could drive the golf carts (I'd been driving them since age 6 or 7 with no issues!) and wrote me a warning that was only applicable to the campground. Wish I'd have kept that!

Some states require that people stop at railroad crossings?  In NY we just blow on through them.

[corco]

Thankfully there never was, but when it became permit time at 15, the driving part was no sweat - but I failed because I didn't stop at a non-controlled railroad crossing. Whoops!

My sister nearly failed for driving three under the speed limit- the tester said she wasn't moving with the flow of traffic. She was going 22 in a 25 in downtown New Meadows, Idaho, hardly obstructing the flow of traffic.

I got marked down for driving down the middle of a very rural, snow packed road. The tester told me that if a plow came by the other direction I would have hit it. I told him that if a plow or another car came by I would have moved to the right and (as my parents taught me) I'd rather be towards the middle of the road with no other cars visible because the edges can have random snow chunks/piles from wind drifts or plowing.

[vdeane]

Was the traffic going 30 or 35?  Sometimes there are situations where you'll get marked down no matter what because the road conditions don't match textbook conditions.

[Duke87]

I failed my road test the first time around for failing to yield to a pedestrian about two minutes in. I was ridiculously nervous and just not mentally "there". The fact that my inspector was a grouchy old man didn't help matters.

Passed the second time, six months later. Yeah, the local DMV had that long of a wait time for being able to schedule a road test.

[the49erfan15]

I'd say 10 or 11, my feet barely touched the pedals - I drove/raced go-karts since age 5-6 and drove golf carts along a campground my family vacationed at, so I knew how everything worked. My dad would take me to a large cemetery in Charlotte and let me drive there. He always said it was important for me to learn how to drive at an early age (obviously not letting me drive on "real roads" yet) just in case there was an emergency. Thankfully there never was, but when it became permit time at 15, the driving part was no sweat - but I failed because I didn't stop at a non-controlled railroad crossing. Whoops!

Also got my first "ticket" at age 13, driving a golf cart in said campground. Apparently they had changed the rules and only licensed drivers could drive the golf carts (I'd been driving them since age 6 or 7 with no issues!) and wrote me a warning that was only applicable to the campground. Wish I'd have kept that!

Some states require that people stop at railroad crossings?  In NY we just blow on through them.

It was a rural crossing with no lights, crossing arm, etc. Pretty sure in SC (not sure about anywhere else) that you're supposed to stop at those.

[hbelkins]

I got marked down for driving down the middle of a very rural, snow packed road. The tester told me that if a plow came by the other direction I would have hit it. I told him that if a plow or another car came by I would have moved to the right and (as my parents taught me) I'd rather be towards the middle of the road with no other cars visible because the edges can have random snow chunks/piles from wind drifts or plowing.

Don't know how Kentucky is now, but back when I took my driving test, they didn't give them if there were inclement weather conditions. That included rainy weather or wet roads. No way a road test would have been given if the roads were snow-covered.

[Duke87]

Connecticut will give road tests in any weather condition so long as it is not severe enough to make roads impassible. They expect you to know how to drive in those conditions in order to deserve a license.

[corco]

Was the traffic going 30 or 35?  Sometimes there are situations where you'll get marked down no matter what because the road conditions don't match textbook conditions.

There was maybe one other car on the road, ostenibly wanting to go faster than 22 in the 25. This road test giver was notorious for getting mad at people for driving under the speed limit and failing people for questionable reasons- I took my driving test in Cascade to avoid her, but my sister was unable to do so.

Don't know how Kentucky is now, but back when I took my driving test, they didn't give them if there were inclement weather conditions. That included rainy weather or wet roads. No way a road test would have been given if the roads were snow-covered.

As a practical matter, it was impossible in the part of Idaho I'm from, as aside from the main highway most roads are snow-packed from December to March or so. They wouldn't give a test if it was currently precipitating though.

[Scott5114]

I auto-failed my test the first time for "obstructing traffic" because I slowed down to avoid a bird in the road.

[PurdueBill]

I auto-failed my test the first time for "obstructing traffic" because I slowed down to avoid a bird in the road.

Amazing that the authorities can do nothing about left lane blockers who really are obstructing traffic but will fail people on a driver's test for slowing to avoid hitting something.  Actually not surprising, just disappointing.

As I recall, I got my permit very soon after I was eligible to and passed the road test not too long after I was old enough--but I actually can't remember the exact ages those were now.  This was in Mass--I think 16 and 16.5 were the ages.  I wound up taking the road test from a state trooper, and the test began and ended at the Topsfield police station.  Drove around a lot of back roads in the road test.

[Jordanah1]

if you count helping my dad deliver papers when i was 5 and 6 years old, and having to put my foot on the brake to keep our truck from rolling when he would get out, then 5years old....

[relaxok]

Depends on if you mean intentionally or not!

When I was 5, I accidentally undid the parking brake in the car and it went out of the garage and down our long hill of a driveway, across the road and into a ditch.  Thankfully I was not really hurt but I was just lucky nobody was coming.  Car was totaled though (an early 80s Mazda 929 I believe).  My parents almost had a heart attack.

For some reason as a teen I wasn't all that anxious to get a license.  My friends drove me when we did stuff and I was a bit anxious about it I guess.  I eventually went to a Sears Driving School in Danbury, CT when I was 17 going on 18 and got my license at 18.  A bit before I did the school, I drove a standard transmission car a bit - my dad's old Saab 900 - in parking lots and such.  My first time really driving on roads was around the time I had lessons at the school.  One of the first lessons, the driver actually had me drive home about 20 miles on I-84 - he was kind of a drunk I think.   I was terrified but it was a good experience looking back.

[bugo]

The first time I legally drove was in a 1966 Ford Mustang on AR 8 east of Mena.  55 seemed a lot faster back then than it does now.

[Jordanah1]

on saterday, i watched a young kid (probably like 8 years old) at a soccer tournament playing around on a golf cart, he first was tapping the break, and then he tapped the gas, and ran over someones bag!

[F350]

My grandpa ordered me to drive for him in his truck, a '77 F150 whenever I was staying with my grandparents. This started when I was 11.

I found a copied set of keys to my father's Chevette, so I began driving around town at 13 without my parents knowing.

When I turned 15 and half, I passed on my first try. That summer my father gave his Chevette to me, and I used it to take my first long trip from Alexandria, VA to Rochester, NY via U.S. 15 to pick up a few friends going home for the summer. We drank two dirty-thirties on the way down.

[jeffandnicole]

I got my permit as early as possible after I passed Drivers Ed in High School (before I was 16.5...I never did find out at the time if the actual age limitation was 16 or 16.5).

Got my license on my 17th Birthday, easily passing the test.  My mom, who was nervous as hell about letting me drive anyway, wanted to go home and make dinner.  I was livid (to put it nicely), and eventually succeeded in going straight to the DMV to get my actual license.

First time I 'drove' before getting my permit was on the AC Expressway, when my dad allowed me to touch the steering wheel while he grabbed something out of his wallet (his other hand was probably on the wheel the whole time anyway).  I remember being all excited about this, until my mom and grandmother tried telling me how dangerous it was, deflating any excitement I had.  The only time I actually drove the car under my own power was moving it about 10 feet in the driveway, again with a nervous mother telling me to adjust all the mirrors, seats, no radio, etc.  And yes, I literally went 10 feet.

[Jordanah1]

Depends on if you mean intentionally or not!

When I was 5, I accidentally undid the parking brake in the car and it went out of the garage and down our long hill of a driveway, across the road and into a ditch.  Thankfully I was not really hurt but I was just lucky nobody was coming.  Car was totaled though (an early 80s Mazda 929 I believe).  My parents almost had a heart attack.

For some reason as a teen I wasn't all that anxious to get a license.  My friends drove me when we did stuff and I was a bit anxious about it I guess.  I eventually went to a Sears Driving School in Danbury, CT when I was 17 going on 18 and got my license at 18.  A bit before I did the school, I drove a standard transmission car a bit - my dad's old Saab 900 - in parking lots and such.  My first time really driving on roads was around the time I had lessons at the school.  One of the first lessons, the driver actually had me drive home about 20 miles on I-84 - he was kind of a drunk I think.   I was terrified but it was a good experience looking back.

i did that in my dads truck too, at my 4th birthday party, everyone started fliping out as the truck began rolling backwards toward a busy street. they pushed it
back to were it was lol.

[Scrooloose]

I was 14. My dad taught me on his old 1961 Dodge Longbed with push button automatic transmission. My parents payed for a 2 week driving school for me. I had my permit and when the school was finished I had my license. Ah the year 1977. The day everyone in Fresno learned to stay off the sidewalks. 

[Quillz]

Didn't drive or get my license until I was 21, only a few years back.

[formulanone]

Parking lots at fourteen, and around a retirement community's residential streets at fifteen (my grandfather figured I couldn't do any worse than some of the local geriatrics.) Got a learner's permit the following year, that I almost never used, and fully licensed at seventeen.

Passed the driving and written test with no marks, although I recall being extra nervous at first starting up the car (I think it took me 30-60 seconds to start up a fairly-new vehicle that was trouble-free, so I had no excuses).