Do you need to include "started to" in a sentence?

Using started to or began to before a verb is redundant in most cases.

If you started to drive down the driveway, you are, in fact, driving. It's inherent that when you're doing something, you started doing it.

Consider the following two sentences:

She began to complain loudly about her seating partner.

She complained loudly about her seating partner.

Using began to here doesn't add any meaning; it just slows down the pace of the sentence.