A common topic heard over coffee these days seems to revolve around driving. It seems that in today’s society, car ownership have become the norm. And this can’t ring more true. Seriously, everyone around me have taken, is taking or planning to take driving lessons. But in my opinion, what’s the hurry? Many reason that they are making effective use of time by learning today rather than tomorrow. However, understand that the difference between me and you is that my family don’t own a auto-vehicle.

Now, what’s the point of holding a driver’s license when you can’t put your newly-acquired skills to use on a daily basis? Honestly speaking, driving isn’t a must-know, but a could-know. On the other hand, if my family did own a car, I would have been the first in line at driving school because I know that there would be a viable avenue for me to hone my proficiency after I obtain my license. Now, the reality is that I don’t. So, even if I acquire my license, and I do get a four-wheeler in the future, would I still be a confident driver on the road there and then?

The obvious answer: absolutely not! But of course, there’s always a refresher course which enables rusty minds to brush up on old techniques. And no doubt that that’s the key motivation behind introducing such a programme. Nonetheless, I would definitely wait till I’m financially stable before I would considering taking lessons. And even then, there’s an astronomical impossibility that I would ever purchase a motor vehicle in Singapore, bearing in mind the high upkeep costs of vehicle ownership.

Furthermore, with an island-wide public transportation network here, travelling from point A to B is as easy as hopping on a bus or train service that could take you right to the doorsteps of your destination. Therefore, from a personal point-of-view, I have no intentions of owning a car here as the circumstance doesn’t justify the purchase. Hence, driving will take a back-seat for me in today’s context. Nonetheless, if your family do own a car in the first place, I say why not?