I got my license about a month after I turned 18. Failed the test twice before passing, but feel I was extremely hard done by on the first one. The tests are far more difficult (and the testers far more inclined to fail you for silly things) here in the UK than they are in the States. From what I can tell, the driving tests over there are an absolute joke.
I was fairly sure a licence would be useless, but parents paid for me to get a licence and it ended up being really really useful. I used (and still do) public transport and a bike to get everywhere. I even did the maths and worked out it would be far cheaper to use taxis for the bits that public transport couldn't do rather than have a car. But then a parent broken an ankle. One call to the insurance company and I could drive their car and ferry people around simply because I had that licence.
Sometimes being able to drive is really really useful.
Being able to drive certainly is very useful. To those who are saying to themselves "Oh I don't need it now, so I'll get it when I need it later", you should probably go and get it now, because then when you do need it, you will already have it.
I wouldn't be able to get to work if I couldn't drive. I currently drive about 30 miles to work, so the car is a necessity.