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Rite of Passage Changing for New Generation
Mar 31 2008 by Sara Lacey
3/31/08
Teens Not So Eager to Get License
I remember the day I got my driver's license. I felt so empowered, so strong, so in control of my destiny. At least, I did until that night, when my foot slipped off the clutch and I backed my truck into the car parked behind me. There's nothing worse than proving to the world you're not as ready for that symbolic piece of plastic as you'd assumed. Except calling your parents and telling them what you've done.
I bring this up not to revel in more embarrassment than I suffered that night (and in subsequent months — and years). I bring it up because of an article I read in the New York Times that said that in the past decade, the number of 16-year-olds with driver's licenses has dropped from nearly half to less than a third.
Now, why might that be? Are today's teens not as insanely gleeful about the notion of vehicular freedom as I was? Don't they long to roll down the windows, feel the wind in their hair and go where their own free will dictates, even if it's to mercilessly ram their vehicles into cars parked behind them? In a word, no.
There are several reasons why this has happened, including new state laws with stricter regulations about when kids can drive. There's also the lack of formal driver's education offered as part of school curriculum, as well as higher insurance costs (80-100 percent more than your rate) for teen drivers.
Well, those are enough reasons for me. If you want more, though, there's also the idea that parents are more willing to act as chauffeurs for longer periods, as well as the number of activities today that keep kids indoors, like computer games and the internet.
One more key factor mentioned in the article was parents' concern for their kids' safety. Many parents understand the dangers of driving and want to keep their kids in a safe environment for a longer period of time so they can get more experience behind the wheel. If that means carting them around longer or not allowing them to get their license until they're more prepared, so be it.
In addition to the safety issues, I would love to spare any young driver the humiliation I felt when I wrecked my truck the first night I had my license. I guess parents now aren't just hoping to avoid those scenarios, they're doing something to ensure they will.
User Comments
The article mentioned that too, t driver. Many kids don’t see driving as a big deal. And some of them are just too nervous or freaked out about it.
Also, there is a rising percentage of young drivers who drive illeagally. No licence, no insurance, they just steal a car.
Actually, plenty of kids just don’t care. The few friends who do have licenses and cars act as chauffeurs for everyone else.