Study: Teens Are Opting Out of Driving
Today, 20 percent fewer teenagers have their driving licenses, compared with 30 years ago.
By Claire_Martin Jul 24, 2012 2:04PM
Millennials' much-reported aversion to driving has been of increasing concern to automakers over the past couple of years. There now appears to be a trickle-down effect among teens: A new University of Michigan study found that just 60 percent of American teens ages 17 to 19 have driver's licenses -- a decrease of 20 percent from three decades ago.
The reason for teen apathy toward getting behind the wheel dovetails with what we've written regarding Millennials' aversion to cars: a more prevalent preference for virtual contact with friends, via social media and texting, rather than hanging out face-to-face.
As Michael Sivak, a researcher at the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute, which conducted the study, put it in an interview with Automotive News: "Virtual contact, through electronic means, reduces the need for actual contact."
The study showed that drivership has declined not just among teens, but across the board, with decreases in licensing in every age category except 25-29 and over 70 years old. The slowdown among teens, however, is the most pronounced, having led to a new moniker for the under-20 set: Generation N, for "neutral" -- as in, "neutral about driving."
[Source: Automotive News]
42Comments
Jul 25, 2012 6:10AM
Jul 25, 2012 1:11AM
You Idiots. Teens "apathetic" to cars and driving???? Teens aren't OPTING OUT of driving! They can't afford to drive these days. You used to be able to go to the DMV and take a test.....now you have to spend a ton of money on driving lessons. Once upon a time, you could buy a gallon of gas without taking out a loan. Cars used to be affordable, Auto insurance used to be reasonable. All the dummies on the roads these days, Liability and lawsuits--forget about it! And how much did all these stupid university studies cost the taxpayers? What a waste of time!
Jul 29, 2012 7:53AM
Insurance!!! What job can a boy get at 16 to cover insurance and then still have enough left for gas and maintenance on said car. Beside, texting!!!!!!!! Oh, my. We don't go anywhere that someone isn't texting my son. Walking down the mall, driving out of state, morning, noon, and night, and the problem is, a text doesn't go unread. My fear of putting this teen boy behind the wheel of a car is more for the safety of all the other drivers on the road. I have followed young people on a highway going 65 mph and pulled up beside them because of their erradic speed only to find them texting. I want to honk and shake my finger at them but am afraid I will take their attention off driving and traffic more than it already is. Insurance and texting will keep this teen boy from getting his license. He doesn't seem to be in a hurry for it anyway.
Jul 25, 2012 4:56AM
I have a daughter in that age range and she's going to college this month without a drivers license. She has no interest in driving and thinks it's a waste of money. Since she wil live on campus she can take the bus pretty much anywhere she wants for a lot cheaper. She also has many friends that do the same thing so maybe this will be a wake up call to update and increase our public transportation? I know if it was increased and they ran buses to out lying areas I would take them to and from work instead of sitting in traffic for 3 hours a day. Makes sense to me!
Jul 26, 2012 12:05PM
This is an interesting article but the author has it wrong. I did not get my permit/license at 15. I got my permit at 20 and my license at 21. The fact that I chose not to drive had nothing to do with social norms, computers, or laziness. I was just not ready to drive. The thought of me driving a car was terrifying.
Millennial's like face to face contact, we like being around friends and family. To blame social media instead of the society we find ourselves in is as a reason not to drive is ridiculous. Cars are not affordable, gas is not affordable, and college educated drivers can not afford a car. The problem with Millennial's not driving has more to do with the economy than anything else.
Jul 29, 2012 3:43AM
Yea that is all these dopey teens do is text all day and night long! They can be at a party with friends sitting next to one another, and guess what everyone is texting someone else. In fact I am ordering a bumper sticker with the following, Saw BigFoot, Big Deal, I once saw someone under 40 not texting!
Jul 29, 2012 2:27PM
Jul 27, 2012 12:32AM
I'm 17 years old, and although I was first hesitant to get my license (more out of pure laziness and lack of motivation), I learned that if you want convenience and freedom, a license is the only way. I feel like my parents are the only ones who actually PUSHED me to drive out of all of my peers. In retrospect, I'm glad my parents pushed me to get my license; I drive to and from work, school, stores, you name it, and it's so much easier than having to bum rides off my parents or a friend. It seems as though that other parents these days just give in to their child's every wish, no matter how petty, and that's just a terrible shame.
Jul 25, 2012 5:07AM
Jul 26, 2012 12:04PM
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