Not long ago, it seemed as if every teen started pining for their driver’s license as soon as they picked out their first set of classes in middle school.
Their parents operated under the assumption that they would need to spend time teaching their 15-year-olds to drive, face higher auto insurance premiums and worry as their teen was out either with the family car or one that they pulled funds together to buy themselves through part-time wages.
Teen-driving has an upside for parents too. As teens exercise more freedom by driving themselves around, parents often find themselves off the hook when it comes to carting the kids to wherever it is they need to go, making the teen license a source of freedom for both parents and teens.
Why Some Teens Wait to Drive
Waving around that driver’s license at 16 or 17 years old is not the given it once was.
Overall, teens are less anxious to get out there and drive for several reasons.
For one, our technology today allows us to get easy access to mobile applications such as Uber or Lyft. These apps are useful tools to find a ride almost instantly whenever they need it.
What’s more, it can easily be paid through credit cards. A lot of teens would rather get access to this easy and convenient way of traveling than go through the entire licensing process.
This leads us to the second reason why teens wait to drive. Let’s admit it, getting a driver’s license is a lot of work. Not to mention that it costs a bit, especially if their parents are unsupportive.
Getting a car and maintaining it using your own financial resources can mean hard work as well. For some teens, they see these as too much work than they can handle. Forget about independence and such, they just want to avoid the hassle of securing fifty or so hours of supervised driving before they can get their license. They get restricted anyway, so why bother?
Remember, not every high school student has a part-time job. And even if they do have one, school work and various extracurricular activities will most likely take most of their time. Yes, there is online driver’s ed that is easily accessible to them no matter how busy they are, but again, cars are expensive and many teens opt-out of getting licenses simply because they don’t want to go through the long process.
Most teens nowadays are also becoming more aware of the effects of car pollutants on our environment, so they are actively supporting a greener way of life. Besides, staying connected with friends is a lot easier today through various social media channels or online games platforms. Lesser teens see the need to leave their house to interact with their friends and opt to use social media.
Why Some Teens Wait to Drive
But waving around that driver’s license at 16 or 17 years old is not the given it once was. Overall, teens are less anxious to get out there and drive for a number of reasons.
Parents are Concerned About Road Dangers
Many parents are more wary of taking the time to teach younger teens to drive. In many ways, roads are more dangerous than they were years ago. Both teens and adults on the road are obsessed with multi-tasking, which often translates to talking or texting on their cell phones while driving, regardless of whatever laws are in place in their state.
These behaviors, which are lumped in with eating meals on the highway or even “jamming” to music, are all examples of distracted driving.
Parents know that teens do this even when they promise not to, and even those who do follow the rules need to contend with the many who do not. Many parents and their teens are realizing that waiting another couple years isn’t going to hurt anything.
Driving is Expensive
Not only is it a considerable expense for a teen to find a safe car to drive, but that car needs to be insured, which is more expensive for younger drivers. On top of that, gas needs add up quickly as do general maintenance costs. Getting a ride from a parent or a friend is often easier, even if they do need to pitch in a few dollars for gas from time to time.
The Alternative Options are Looking Better
Cities across America are making an effort to become “greener.” This means creating user-friendly bike trails and better sidewalks so that walking or biking from point A to point B is often a viable option. They realize that these are both good forms of exercise, and more teens and young adults are becoming health conscious as well.
Public transportation is more popular as well, which is readily available in most large and mid-sized cities. While on a bus or train, teens have the freedom to catch a nap, catch up on reading, or relax with their music with nothing more to worry about than watching for their stop.
Real Concern About the Environment
Not everyone agrees on exactly how much the behavior of humans affects the condition of the earth, but there are a good deal of teens and young adults that believe that the energy they use in their day-to-day life makes a real impact. They have heard “the children are the future” for much of their lives and want to do their part to take care of the world. Not driving unless they really need to is one step towards reducing their own carbon footprint and protect the world for future generations.
Changing Attitudes
When someone over 30 years old does not have their license or a car, many people are shocked and may even wonder if that person’s non-driving status is related to a past driving mistake, such as a DUI or other infraction. But it’s far less shocking when those in their teens or early 20s decide to let someone else take the wheel. This shift is a positive thing, because for many realistic alternatives are out there. Not everyone is destined to drive. Both passengers and drivers often encounter people driving on the road who shouldn’t be because they ignore basic safety rules or just don’t pay attention.
Some are mature enough and skilled enough to handle the responsibility of driving when they are 16. Others may wait until they are 20, 25, or even indefinitely to take that step. Driving a motor vehicle is too big of a responsibility to take lightly and no one should have to feel compelled to get behind the wheel unless they are comfortable and mature enough to approach the road the right way.