Young Americans turn away from driving

Financial Times ^ | 04.19.12 | Shannon Bond and Jason Abbruzzese

[EVO X]

2. The statistics include the dissabled and college students that often don’t drive until they graduate if at all.

I live in a college town. Before the economy tanked, the side streets were packed with cars in my neighborhood. Not anymore...

[BobL]

It’s STUDENT LOANS. These psych majors have to live at home now, since they otherwise don’t have a prayer in paying back their loans. It’s also gentrification of the cities - now young singles and couples can live in at least some of the cities and not get rolled every month. So they do...and they don’t need cars there.

[BobL]

“Fast Eddie Rendell’s plan to slap toll booths on I-80 and make all the rest of you pay for them blew up in his face, and they have no other plan.”

I will ALWAYS be indebted to the Obama Administration for stopping that crap. PA still could have had its tolls on I-80, BUT NOT TO PAY FOR BIG-CITY JERKS.

[Smokin' Joe]

But in the age of Facebook and iPhones, young adults are getting fewer drivers’ licences, driving less frequently and moving to cities where cars are more luxury than necessity.

In other words, Agenda 21 is going according to plan...

[Chickensoup]

Tried to get a hardship license for one of my children a couple of years ago and was asked by the DMV answering the phone, What kind of parent was I to do such a thing?

It is on the books but it is unavailable in our state.

[Smokin' Joe]

Seems to me using a data set that extends to 14 to make a point of license decline is a bit misleading.

North Dakota sitll has restricted licenses for those under the age of 16 (learner's permit at 14).

Look at the price of a new car, or even a good used car, upkeep (tougher to do yourself than in the past), and fuel, and small wonder.

[Varsity Flight]

Let’s have a study on the 15 trillion dollar Federalites, and show us how many cars/vehicles they drive, and how many cars and SUVs are in their garages.

And how many of their bureaucrat teenage kids have a vehicle to drive.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Yep, you can get a license at 14 here for farm work (not on public roads). However, the fraction of a percent of 14 - 16 year olds with a license still makes this a tremendously skewed age group.

A bigger problem - by far - is the complacency of many teens today in terms of getting a job and/or money. Besides the fact that jobs are hard to come by in many places and those that are for this age range don't easily pay for a car and insurance.

Finally, after ‘Cash for Clunkers’ the range of suitable cars for kids has gone down and the price has gone up.

In all, driving today is probably a lot more difficult and expensive than is was when I was a teenager - during the reign of Amenhotep.