Mom would let us drive around Fackler, with her in the car, when we would visit my grandma- started that around 8-10. Starting about age 6 or 7 I remember sitting in her lap steering.

When we moved to Dutton, Dad would let us drive his little POS work car to the store to get him Copenhagen- we started that around 13 or so. Store never even questioned us or second guessed it. Either they knew the deal or knew a couple of 13 year olds driving around alone were crazy enough to handle a can of Copenhagen

I’ve been driving golf carts, 4 wheelers, dirt bikes, and boats by myself since I was 10 or so. I thought we were talking about cars.

Around 9 on my grandpas 504 international dragging a disc. Grandma was pissed. About 13 on my dads VW

My dad was strict - for me it was 15

Went to stay w my best friend when I was 9 - he lived in a small country town - was my hunting buddy. He got in the car and drive everywhere - he was 9 - I was blown away. He left me in the driveway w car running - I got over in drivers side and started backing up vehicle - he came flying out of house - I almost backed it off a bluff

Yea - that was pretty stupid. Good times

Started with a 21/2 ton dump bed truck hauling hay at 14 when I gave out putting it on the truck. Drove my grandmother around with my permit. Started driving myself to ball practice in Decatur at 15

That’s how you build character.
Awesome story, reminds me of some of my childhood adventures with my grandpa and uncles.
I’m the same age as you and I tell people all the time that I grew up in the last of the good old days.
My mother was the youngest of 9 kids, about 30 years difference between her and her oldest sibling, so I got to grow up old school. Also, my great grandpa on my dad’s side was a WW2 POW. I was the oldest grandchild and spent a lot of time with him and he let me do pretty much everything he did.

I drove to the store about 3 miles down the road all the time when I was 13. Left the house many a morning before daylight on a Big Red and drove 2 miles down the county road to some other land we had permission to hunt. No comms and they didn’t know if I was alive or dead until I walked back in the house. Life was a helluva lot different back then.

I think a lot of us started early in the rural areas and as farm kids. It sounds like a lot of us have stories about all this.

I leaned to drive in an old Ford truck, 302 manual with 3 on the tree. Drove all over backroads with my dad when I was 12. By the time I was 14 I was driving myself to baseball practice in the same truck.

Times have changed.

I think I was 13 before I was trusted to drive the 51 Chevy pickup by myself. Our farm was 5 miles from the house and I made that trip by myself many times. I almost turned it over when I was 14 and had nearly a bale of cotton in the back.

One of my scariest driving incidents occurred when I was 15. I had a learner permit by then, but wasn't supposed to drive alone. I had carried a load of watermelons to a curb market in downtown Selma one morning before school. I was hurrying to get back home, and was driving in the left lane. There was a slow vehicle in front so I passed him on the right. Truck didn't have all the mirrors it was supposed to have and I didn't see the motorcycle. The guy yelled out and I snatched it back and didn't force him into the parked cars, but it was close. We both kept going, but my nerves were shot all day.

I was about 12 or 13 when I started driving my Daddy around while he drank his beer.I reckon he thought it was better for him to get a ticket for an underage driver than for him to get one for drunk driving.

13yo. scared $hitless driving my drunk granddaddy through the nectar covered bridge.

my one (and only, so far!) major accident was when i was 13 y.o. driving my dad's 1971 long-wheel base Ford truck - flipped the dang thing on a dirt road ... i was driving long before that, but was going too fast that day & before i knew it, the *ss kicked around & i slammed it into a dirt embankment & the truck flipped right over LOL walked away with bumps & bruises & thought a hurt butt (from the whipping i knew for certain was coming), but ... i reckon my dad got talked out of the whippin' by my mom - don't know, didn't ask ...

I was plowing corn 12