How old were you when you learned to drive?

[XxSharkxX]

Learned to drive manual around 9 or 10, while working on my grandparents farm. Most of my time in my younger years were spent driving a John Deere 520. Currently drive a manual 93 ford festiva, small old car, but yet gets some GREAT Gas mileage!

[Porcell]

Also, out of curiosity - to the people who started at 13-14 years old, did you get your licenses soon after that, or did you just practice for a long time? I would be scared to death if I knew there were a load of 15-year olds out in traffic with me.

The people who are saying 13-14 and younger fall into one or more of these catagories:

"May parents let me drive around in a parking lot a little bit."
"We live out in the country where my closest neighbor is 2 miles away."
"By 'Learn to Drive' I meant on farm equipment."

None of these 13-14 year olds are out driving on the freeway during rush hour with you...

[Dirgon]

Got my learner's permit on my 15th birthday, got my license on my 16th.

So between August 24th 2001-2002 I learned to drive.

Edit: Missouri law is at 15 you can get a permit, which requires an over 18 driver in the vehicle with you at all times. at 16 you get an intermediate license which grants you full driving privileges except during the hours of 1:00AM to 5:00AM unless for documented work purposes or personal emergencies. At 18 you get a full license with zero restrictions, at 21 you get a different looking license to quickly identify if you are over 21 (for alcohol purposes)

I don't think anyone should be allowed to drive under the age of 18. Both accidents I've been involved in that weren't my fault were with 16 year olds, (one that was mine @ 19. sun was in my eyes and my visor blocked the stop light from my vision and I didn't even know I was moving into a lighted intersection. ran a red light and hit someone on their passenger side rear quarter panel. I wasn't speeding, and no one was hurt) and I know when I was 16 I really wasn't a very defensive nor aware driver, having several close calls.

[Jagerr]

14 when I started learning, Stick and auto but I prefer stick.

[Deathsentry]

13 manual
driving cars around the shops lot my dad worked at.

[slime]

fifteen. automatic.

[Nemesiz]

I'm baffled that so many people "learned" how to drive in an car with an automatic gearbox....

I myself got schooled for it a while after my 18th birthday, where it becomes legal to drive a car. I live in Denmark and here you HAVE to drive a car with a manual gearbox when getting schooled.

I'm 50/50 when it comes to the gearbox, automatic is nice for when you're driving in a queue, not much strain on the left foot since there's no clutch and all you do is really just step on the speeder or break, the car can't "die" no matter what. Stick is just nicer as, atleast I feel like that, accelerate faster and swap to reverse faster. I work as a plumber and I drive in a van with a manual gearbox, so I'm pretty much used to it aswell.

[randomone05]

19. automatic. nothing like taking a drivers test in an automatic mustang...

[Nigeldruid]

19, stick, since if you learn it with automatic here, you're not allowed to drive a stick.

[TJ]

19, stick, since if you learn it with automatic here, you're not allowed to drive a stick.

I though that was everywhere? not going to have a clue about clutch control if you learn in an automatic.

[Kadil]

Grew up out in the country so 12-13 for me. Bought an old wreck of a mini with some friends and had a laugh. Got my licence at 17.

Started riding motorbikes way before that though. Had my first bike at 5, little automatic twist and go thing. Have had lots of bikes since then. Passed my A1 test (restricted to 125cc) at 16 and A (everything above 125) at 18, law back then required 2 years of holding an A1 licence to be eligible for the A permit. Stupid really, could carry my girlfriend on my 125 but once I bought a 250 I couldn't legally carry her with the permit, had to wait a few weeks till I passed the test.

Don't see why the big debate about automatic or manual. Some people prefer one over the other and both have advantages and disadvantages. Myself I prefer manual but then the vast majority of cars over here are manual, the only thing I can see that gives as an advantage is that once you learn to drive manual you can easily drive automatic, it doesn't work the other way round though.

[Xevan]

Is there any practical benefit to using manual?

[Yuuki Asuna]

17 automatic

[Kadil]

Is there any practical benefit to using manual?

Cheaper to buy, cheaper and easier to service. If they break a manual transmissions is usually much cheaper to fix. Depending on transmission type automatics use 5-10% more fuel although this is less with the semi automatic. Manual is more fun and usually produce more power so accelerate quicker, just check drag racers, they use quick shifters to change gear but the gearbox is still manual.

[Pancakes1122]

17, automatic.

[Lemons]

I was 15 learning on a stick. Got my real license at like 16. Pretty standard. Getting my own car was the hard part O.o

Is there any practical benefit to using manual?

They generally get better gas mileage.

Manual is more fun

Yea, no. And this is coming from someone who has driven a manual for like 4 years before I got my automatic.

[Nigeldruid]

I though that was everywhere? not going to have a clue about clutch control if you learn in an automatic.

I wouldn't know, but I can only hope so. A difference is wether the traditions of a country requires you to drive a stick I guess. Automatics are rare here.

[omglazor]

I'm baffled that so many people "learned" how to drive in an car with an automatic gearbox....

Majority of the cars on the US roads are auto. Manual gearboxes actually require you to go out of your way to get. So in the US, there is no real reason to learn a manual gearbox unless you want to.
Passing the driving test is also much easier on an auto, especially for an inexperienced driver, so for example I learned to drive on a manual, but took the driving exam in my friend's '00 Civic because that thing used to drive like a toy.

---------- Post added 2012-04-12 at 02:08 PM ----------

Yea, no. And this is coming from someone who has driven a manual for like 4 years before I got my automatic.

"Fun" is entirely subjective. I find manual to be way more fun. Most consumer automatics in my experience are simply not responsive enough.

They generally get better gas mileage.

Can you cite any sources for this?

[Santti]

If my memory serves me correctly, I was 18 at the time when I trained driving a little with my father. Some very basic stuff away from the people in the middle of nowhere. I was 19 (legal age is 18 in Finland) when I got my driving license.

I don't know anyone who has automatic, nor have I ever seen one, so stick it is.

[Nacly]

18, automatic. Got my license in a manual, never touched a manual car since.