# how do people with suspended drivers license get food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2013, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545 "2013-06-21T07:33:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/62 "2013-06-22T05:41:41Z")
I had my licence suspended for a month when I lived in suburbia. Food was easy to get. I could walk about 2.5 kms to get to public transport, or to a store about 3 kms away (bike or walk). A bit of a pain compared to stopping in on your drive home, but no big deal really. Plus there’s always home delivered meals and groceries as an option too. It was other things that were tough. My employment was nowhere near any transport options. I was also a student at the time, and it was during my exam period, so I had a very long stroll to the exam centre and back. Was I tempted to drive unlicenced? Sure. Did I? Hell no. I was too scared of being involved in an accident even if not at fault; the costs would’ve wiped me out and killed lots of dreams I had. I wasn’t at all concerned about getting caught by the police, so I understand why people do drive unlicenced. I sucked it up and walked, got lifts and did without. Now I live rurally. The nearest store is 10km away and hideously expensive. No grocery deliveries out here. No cabs. No public transport. The nearest produce stalls are about a 15 km walk away. It would be tough if you lived alone. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/63 "2013-06-22T05:41:46Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > This. Why do you need a car to get food? When I lived in the USA, my home was over 7000’ above sea level and the grocery store was 6 miles away at 6000’ above sea level. It is not practical to walk, and certainly not practical to bring anything perishable home by foot. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/64 "2013-06-22T06:24:47Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > This. Why do you need a car to get food? Because I’m not up for an 18 mile walk, on roads without sidewalks or bike lanes, half of that walk carrying grocery bags? I live in a town that’s within 2 square miles of being the size of Boston, but we don’t have a grocery store, so you need to travel 9 miles in any of three different directions before you hit enough civilization for that. There’s no cab service, either. The brand new bus route would mean walking _only_ 5 miles each way, but still, no sidewalks. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/65 "2013-06-22T06:36:18Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > **chappachula** nailed it. > > What do you mean “why do you need a car to get food?” You need a car because you live four miles away from the nearest store, have no access to public transportation and using a bicycle would be hazardous because half of that distance is a county highway with no shoulder. It is called suburbia. It doesn’t even have to be suburbia. When I lived in South Miami, I was over a mile away from either the convenience store on campus or the Publix supermarket. The convenience store’s food section consisted of candy bars and chips-or-similar. For me (used to walking everywhere and an early waker), walking three miles to get food and coming back loaded with 2-4 bags was doable. For my landlady, whose list of medical troubles was as thick as a dictionary, impossible. Many people would ask me “you _walk_ to Publix? Don’t you roast?” “I go at 5 am” “5… _looks ready to faint_” And while there was something that was supposed to be sidewalks, they were, uh, substandard. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/66 "2013-06-22T06:44:07Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Come on down to Texas around mid-July and try it. Bonus points if you’re still presentable enough at the end of the walk to be fit to work in an office environment. Since you didn’t mention time of day, what do I win? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/67 "2013-06-22T07:26:30Z")
> [@Tamex](#): > > Are there really a lot of people who live out in the country all by themselves on a freeway with no bikeable frontage roads and are dumb enough to get their driving privileges suspended? Yep. Some people are real idiots. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/68 "2013-06-22T07:43:03Z")
My grandma got a golf cart for short distances and relatives drove her for appointments and groceries and outings. She said one of the worst things was not being able to drive herself just because the state deemed her too old and too disabled. She lost her independence at 89 yrs old. When she turned 90 she died shortly thereafter. She told me on her 90 birthday she would die before she’d let my uncle put her in a nursing home, she was fiercely independent and losing her license was unbearable. (She died from surgical complications so don’t go thinking the stubborn woman offed herself :p) ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/69 "2013-06-22T08:19:13Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > If you are European, and have never seen a typical American suburb, maybe you don’t realize just how difficult it is to survive there without a car. Many people live in neighborhoods of large houses built on half-acre plots of land, so that it may be a 2 or 3 mile walk to the nearest shop. Well I’m not european, I live in the suburbs in Oz, the US suburbs must be set up different because in my experience you’d be really unlucky to be that far from a shop. However, even if you were that far away, there’s options. When I was without a car a few years back, I walked the 3km to the major supermarket once a week, did a big shop and got a taxi home with the groceries. You could also ride a bike to a supermarket, do your shopping, arrange for it to be delivered and then ride the bike home. Worst case scenario if your shops won’t deliver, there’s no taxis or viable public transport options, you can’t walk there and carry back, you have no friends or family who can help, you can’t sell your car for enough money to buy a mobility scooter that requires no license and you’re absolutely fucked for options, then you either move house nearer to the shops or drive without a license. And I’ve seen some more comments about people who are no where near shops. Pay that, but to be fair, you guys are the exceptions not the usual. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/70 "2013-06-22T09:49:47Z")
If you can’t walk a couple of miles/a few kilometres on a regular basis, you _really_ need to get the fuck out of the car and get into shape. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/71 "2013-06-22T10:13:43Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > If you can’t walk a couple of miles/a few kilometres on a regular basis, you _really_ need to get the fuck out of the car and get into shape. Seriously. Some people have knee problems and cant walk that far, in shape or not. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/72 "2013-06-22T10:23:12Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > Some people have knee problems and cant walk that far, in shape or not. Yes, some people have disabilities, including me; I have a chronic debilitating illness, but I still walk as much as possible despite the fact that I get tired a lot more easily than normal folks. Because it’s important to exercise, even if you’re disabled. I’m clearly addressing the people who “can’t” walk a few km because they’d never even consider doing it, not the people who _literally_ can’t do it. But thanks for making me state the obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/73 "2013-06-22T11:26:58Z")
> [@Tamex](#): > > Are there really a lot of people who live out in the country all by themselves on a freeway with no bikeable frontage roads and are dumb enough to get their driving privileges suspended? In America, yes. Not sure about the rest of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/74 "2013-06-22T11:50:30Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > You do realize, do you, that it is only about 4 generations since no-one had a car? Some of them lived way out in the countryside back then too (and no, they did not all have horses). You do realize, do you, that in the four generations since, western civilization has come to build itself on an assumption that, outside of the city, most everybody owns a car? Such that not having a car now means something very different, in practical terms, than not having a car then? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/75 "2013-06-22T11:53:17Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > You could also ride a bike to a supermarket, do your shopping, **arrange for it to be delivered** and then ride the bike home. You listed several options but I wanted to remark that I am not sure there is any such thing as a supermarket that delivers in the US. > [@](#): > > And I’ve seen some more comments about people who are no where near shops. Pay that, but to be fair, you guys are the exceptions not the usual. They’re also the ones for whom the OP’s question is most relevant, so it seems reasonable to focus on their situation when thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/76 "2013-06-22T11:57:08Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > When I lived in the USA, my home was over 7000’ above sea level and the grocery store was 6 miles away at 6000’ above sea level. It is not practical to walk, and certainly not practical to bring anything perishable home by foot. Pretty much the same situation here. Except it’s from 11200 to 10500. It’s a mile of gravel road (which is fine) and then 5 miles of two lane highway. And that’s to a little local Ma and Pa convenience store. The grocery store would be an additional 1000 foot elevation drop and an additional 10 miles of two lane highway in each direction. Delivery? Hahahahaha. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/77 "2013-06-22T12:07:04Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > You listed several options but I wanted to remark that I am not sure there is any such thing as a supermarket that delivers in the US. That’s a huge generalization for a huge country! They certainly don’t all deliver, but I know one in my area that does. They have a website to order the groceries, so you don’t have to go anywhere. From what I understand, more stores offered delivery back when fewer people had cars. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/78 "2013-06-22T12:09:27Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > You listed several options but I wanted to remark that I am not sure there is any such thing as a supermarket that delivers in the US. Some stores in the Denver area tried offering it, iirc. When gas prices skyrocketed in about '07 or so, I noticed the stores I knew of doing it stopped. There was even a web based option in a certain OKC, OK store, but that too went the way of the fossil fuels. BTW, Oklahoma City is one of those places where having a car is almost essential. Taxis are expensive, bus service is unreliable (with extremely complicated routes) and doesn’t go to many of the satellite suburbia cities, sidewalks exist only inside certain high priced developments, and road and traffic conditions make biking a challenge. Weather comes into play, too. Summers with 100 degree highs for days on end, Winter ice storms, Spring and autumn severe storms… Someone upstream asked about time of day in Texas in mid July making a difference. Well, try Houston at night. You’ll sweat thru your clothes in a matter of minutes then as well, and the speeding pick ups won’t see you on the side of the unpainted shoulder. Seriously, urban sprawl makes cars a vital part of many American’s lives. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/79 "2013-06-22T12:17:34Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > You listed several options but I wanted to remark that I am not sure there is any such thing as a supermarket that delivers in the US. Yes there are. Some of them, however, restrict the service to senior citizens and the disabled. ETA: And many will charge you for the service, which represents and additional expense/burden. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/80 "2013-06-22T12:45:37Z")
In Chicago-ish I have used a service called Peapod for grocery delivery, and was quite pleased with the results. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545/81 "2013-06-22T13:21:37Z")
It’s quite possible for everyone to be right here: on one hand there are people whose living situations and health make a car mandatory for functioning. On the other hand, there are also a lot of people who probably could function quite well without a car, but the idea seems incomprehensible because they never have, and either they underestimate their own capacity or they are exceedingly reluctant to experience discomfort or inconvenience. I do think people that never walk their own neighborhoods are typically really bad at estimating how far things are. Since we had a baby 20 months ago, my husband and I have become pretty serious walkers. I have been shocked to discover how much stuff is less than two miles from the house and how walkable 2 miles each way is. Likewise, people that know my neighborhood always overestimate how far we walk: I stop and chat with people and mention I am going to the library or the park or whatever, and they will say “That’s about three miles, isn’t it?”, when it’s well under two. ETA: And I am in Texas. Heat is not fun. But there are very few times when it is dangerously hot at 8:00 AM. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-with-suspended-drivers-license-get-food/661545.md?page=5)