Once you turn 17 in the UK, you’re eligible to start learning to drive. For many would-be motorists, this is a priority. The sooner you start lessons, the sooner you’ll pass the test. The statistics would seem to bear this out: pass rates for seventeen-year-olds are 55.8%. With that said, three-quarters of young people aren’t learning to drive at all, for social, financial and environmental reasons.
A driving license is seen as an asset by many employers. But is it essential? In some cases, the benefits can be considerable; in others, they’re less so. Let’s take a look at a few good reasons to learn to drive.
More job opportunities
By learning to drive, you’ll give yourself access to workplaces that aren’t practically accessible via other means. This might mean rural logging sites, far from the nearest bus or train station. In practice, it will simply allow you to cast a wider net, and increase the number of positions available to you.
This, in turn, will allow you to choose the career options that appeal to you, for reasons other than practicality.
If you’re in the city centre, you might take your driving lessons in quieter areas. Practice sessions can be supervised by friends or family members, and they provide a valuable supplement to proper lessons. Specialised learner insurance will help you to make them happen.
Flexibility
It isn’t just the site of the job that we need to concern ourselves with. Sometimes, being able to drive is a prerequisite for the job you’ll be doing. Delivery and taxi drivers obviously need to be qualified. But so too does anyone who wants to travel to meet clients and suppliers.
Easier commute
Around two thirds of the UK’s workforce commute via car. This route offers practicality and convenience, particularly in areas where public transport links are not reliable or available.
New skills
In learning to drive, you’ll pick up a whole range of skills that will help you in the workplace. These include physical skills like hand-eye coordination, as well as patience, and the ability to make quick decisions under pressure. The experience of driving, in other words, will improve you as a person. Very few drivers consider the effort of learning wasted, even if they’ve stopped driving later on in life. If you’re applying for jobs in your late teens, your CV might not yet be particularly fleshed out. But if you’re able to tell employers that you can drive, then you’ll demonstrate that you’re a person of character, who is able to pursue long-term objectives, work toward a skill, and deal with adversity. Learning to drive isn’t the hardest thing in the world – but it’s hard enough to impress would-be employers.
