Out Of Gas: Is It Worth Taking Your Car To University?

Learning to drive is the dream of every seventeen-year-old. The aspirations of independence, the lure of freedom – cue the turning of keys and starting of motors. What better way to add to that narrative than by jetting off to university?

However, as statistics show a recent drop in young people learning to drive, teenagers everywhere are favouring other means of transport. Consequently, with many heading off to university just a year or two later, one question is worth reviewing: is having a car worth it during the student years?

A rise in costs

Alongside studies and living on loans, many students choose to take a part-time job to help make ends meet. But while this may help you get by, it won’t support you zipping about on four wheels. After all, you are not at university to study roads… unless you are?

The cost of driving tuition can set you back a long way, so choosing the right time to learn is essential. If you start learning a few months before uni to impress your fellow freshers, your funds will leave you quicker than a standard 0-60. Students tend to also attract unreasonable rates and, unfortunately, the same can be said for student car insurance.

Put simply, some things you just can’t afford. As a student, this is practically everything, including a car.

No parking

Universities are equipped with parking facilities, but they come with a host of criterion that must be met without exception. Additionally, with a high student intake, local car storage can be a logistical nightmare!

Furthermore,as  many student properties do not come equipped with a garage or driveway, leaving your car sitting on a residential street is a risk without security or personalised storage. On top of the stress of exams, assignments and who is unjustly pinching your cheese from the fridge, the last thing you need is the headache of parking your vehicle a mile away from where you need to be.

Get on a bus and read for your course; it’s a better use of time!

Designated driver

The unsung hero of any night out, this person is taken advantage of far too often. It’s easy to overlook them once the drinks pack their punch. But what if you wanna have some fun?

Consider that as the driver in your friend group, you’ll find yourself becoming this taxi service very fast. Student nights will become primetime for your motor skills, and the opportunity for drinking and fun will be snatched out from under you. Friends fuel debts will stack up, dramas will ignite and you’ll drive your friends to lectures that you aren’t even enrolled for.

Save yourself the bother of even saying no; there’s more to you than your wheels!

A walking-friendly city?

First year accommodation is often city centric, with the shops, clubs and campuses all in walking distance. Consequently, this close proximity is a common goal for subsequent years, rendering cars as being pretty much redundant.

There are sights to see and places to explore – places where a car cannot take you and your chums. Stroll the street corners, meet the people of the area you’ll be staying and breathe in the independent air of university freedom. For all the mobility a car can bring, the main roads and what’s through your window are not fully representative of everything your city offers.

So wind up that window, get out the driver’s seat and get walking!

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