why i don’t drive

~ Madison Kennedy

The “Nobody walks in Los Angeles” Myth
why i don't drive© Photography by Madison Kennedy

Whenever I’m in Los Angeles especially, people will ask me “how come you don’t drive ?” — true, the age you can get your driver’s license there is 16′ so I should have gotten mine long ago… true also, getting a car is super easy in a place like that, since it’s totally dominated by the car industry with like, big-ass highways cutting the city all over.

So, I definitively don’t have any excuses for not driving in L.A. I guess ?

Thing is, I’m not into driving. At all. I never actually wanted a driver’s license, I didn’t see the point to it in my life because most of the time I either take public transportation, or have someone driving me where I need to be. Never once I felt the need for having a car of my own, or a day where I said to myself “oh man, if only I could drive myself” because I’m used to the way I currently, and always have, travelled.

But, there’s like actual 3 reasons why I did not go through it;

  1. I’m kind of a rebellious person. Seeing almost everyone driving in L.A. didn’t make me want to do the same; just because everyone does it, doesn’t mean I will, and that it’s good to follow society’s pre-constructed ideals.
  2. It’s so not eco-friendly ! Public transportation is not as practical for sure, but even an Uber pool is better than driving your car around with all the gas that’s emitted in the atmosphere & whatever.
  3. I’m the laziest human being on the planet, taking the time to study and then pass the test is one thing, but having to drive knowing how clumsy I am ? No thanks, I feel more secure sleeping in the backseat while someone else is in charge of that.

That’s it, now you know why I don’t care about driving on my own. & Does L.A. really need another car on the street (aka. mine, abstractly speaking) being already overcrowded with them ? Heck, no. Also, a monthly tap card compared to all the expenses around owning a car is a total joke. I just find that annoying, bills and stuff, it’s unnecessary responsibilities and I avoid that as much as possible. Having a car is a great comfort, but I’d rather live my eco-friendly lifestyle.