American Teens Are Driving Less, and the Reasons Are More Than Economic
Financial, legal, and technological changes are all part of the equation. So is anxiety.
American teenagers today are getting their driver’s licenses at far lower rates than previous generations. Why?
As a parent of two teenage boys, I am witnessing the phenomenon firsthand. The factors involved include financial stress, changes to the way states issue and regulate licenses for teens, and the huge cultural shift in social habits because of the internet.
But I also see something else going on in the thinking of my sons and their friends: They not only have more difficulty getting a license, they have more difficulty getting behind the wheel.
They say they don’t want to drive.
Their sentiments reflect a broader generational trend that will have long-term negative consequences on millions of people.
Lower driving rates: “It’s the economy, stupid.”
Many teens and young adults have said they never intend to get a license. The reasons are complex, but as with every other significant social shift, economic factors play a dominant role.
