My nephew T got his driver's permit recently. I didn't find that at all surprising—until I read that the percentage of young people becoming licensed drivers has dropped radically since at least 1983. In that year, 46% of 16-year-old had their licenses; by 2010 that had plummeted to 28%.
Why? Reasons suggested range from reasonable to ridiculous, from encourging to frightening. Some of them (in no particular order):
- Too busy
- Too expensive
- Driving interferes with texting
- Online resources make travel less necessary
- Preference for public transit/biking/walking
- Changes in licensing requirements
#1 I haven't figured out yet. Most DMV lines are long, but not that long.
#2 I understand as a reason to put off buying a car, but not a reason for not getting a license. A 16-year-old should be happy enough using the family car, and an older, "boomerang kid" still living at home should welcome the opportunity to assist the parents who are still supporting him. Owning a car isn't a prerequisite for acquiring a license!
#3 Okay, once I got over the ridiculousness of being so addicted to your phone that you refuse to drive because most states don't allow texting while driving, I acknowledge that being able to do something else while travelling is one of the great advantages of public transit. My father was a book lover with not a lot of spare time; taking the train to work was like being handed an extra hour to read.
#4 Very true. Since I hate to shop, I really appreciate being able to do much of it online. And watching movies at home is much nicer than getting my feet sticky in a movie theater. But even here in Switzerland, which has the best public transit I've seen anywhere, most people find they have need for a car—if not actually owning one, at least subscribing to a car-sharing service.
#5 The best reason of all. I'm thrilled that it's becoming "cool" to use public transit. I've said for a long time that public transit, along with walking and biking for transport (as opposed to exercise or sport), will never make it in the U.S. until it shakes its image of being just for the poor and for drunks who have had their driver's licenses taken way. But see my comment on #4.
#6 There needs to be more said about this than I've heard so far. Getting a license used to be straightforward and relatively easy, even when it became more restrictive than it was for our parents: "This is my daughter. She can drive; give her a license." "Okay, ma'am; here it is." Many states have become increasingly restrictive when it comes to licensing young people, with more rules than I've been able to keep track of, rules that take away much of the immediate incentive for learning to drive. If they can't drive themselves home after a football game (too late at night) and can't provide transportation for their friends (passenger limits), who can blame many young people for finding the whole process too much hassle to bother with, since they can get fully licensed with ease in just a few more years?
"There's a segment of this generation missing opportunities to learn under the safeguards that [graduated licensing] provides," said Peter Kissinger, the president of the AAA Foundation for Traffic safety.
All I can say to that is that they brought it on themselves by in effect telling young people they are irresponsible idiots. Who can blame those who decide to chuck the whole system?
