Millennials Spurn Driver's Licenses

[UliJonHoth]

This is something I've noticed over the several years as admin on a music forum, 3/4ths of the younger members there do not have cars or drive. It kind of struck me as odd because growing up when I did, kids couldn't wait to get their driver's license and if they were lucky, their own car.

Young adults are ditching driver's licenses at a quickening pace, according to a new study, raising a red flag for automakers as they grapple with the emergence of ride-sharing services and an indifferent attitude about cars.

Just over three in four people ages 20 to 24 in 2014 possessed a driver's license, according to the report released Tuesday by the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute.

The exact figure — 76.7% — represented a sharp decline from 79.7% in 2011, 82% in 2008 and 91.8% in 1983, according to the report by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle.

Quite simply, cars are becoming less important or less accessible to Millennials.

The emergence of ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft provides a reasonable alternative for many college students and young professionals — particularly in dense urban areas where such apps are most popular.

Automakers also fear that Millennials have less incentive to meet their friends in person because they can communicate constantly through social media and smartphones.

What's more, new vehicles are becoming less affordable for debt-strapped college students and recent grads. The average transaction price of a new vehicle was $33,188 in 2015, up 20% since 2005, according to Edmunds.com analysts.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/01/19/drivers-licenses-uber-lyft/78994526/

[Lethn]

I'd like to point out I'm 25 and I know how to drive, do it all the time too, but then again I'm clearly the exception to the rule, one thing I will say though is, in the UK at least, young people my age are being priced off the road, drastically. So this means it's going to be harder for them to get work or do anything in general so they'll likely have just given up after seeing the prices, I was very lucky and could get on my dad's car insurance without using any sneaky tricks like fronting.

The UK car insurance in particular is utterly discriminatory against young men, I've calculated mathematically it's cheaper for me to learn a second language and leave the country than it is to stay here and it's going to start getting worse for other countries too if they're not careful, then again the U.S is so big and large there are ways to live cheaply but with smaller countries it's not so easy.

[panju1]

In developing countries, the horrible traffic conditions and bad roads can make driving a horrible experience.
Not many people can afford to hire a full time driver.
It is cheaper and faster to take public transportation like the metro (if you are lucky enough to have a metro where you live).

[gentlemand]

I got my licence at 17. When I was a youngling the nearest bus stop was 15 miles away and there was one bus a day. I know a few folks who don't drive. Their lives are rather stunted as a result. Fine in a city. Elsewhere getting around is still a useful thing.

[shiryu]

Too many people on the road, road rages, sinkholes, expenses and high rents, The wages have not going up as many of us believe.

[xht]

Being an adult is fundamentally about being mature and taking responsibility for yourself.You can be an adult without getting married, having children or owning a car. There are plenty of stupid, dysfunctional, infantile people who do those things.

[hack_]

DO they need it ?

[Lethn]

It's simple mathematics guys, it's just not worth it for most young people to own cars with how high the costs are for them, sometimes life's problems aren't that complicated, we've got a big problem here in the UK and elsewhere about being in denial about this sort of thing though.

[criptix]

I think/hope our egoistic society is developing into a sharing society soon.

Effiency-wise it is terrible for a single person to own a car just for himself.

I hope in a timeframe of 20 years that majority of people will use carsharing services and so on.

[gentlemand]

I think/hope our egoistic society is developing into a sharing society soon.

Effiency-wise it is terrible for a single person to own a car just for himself.

I hope in a timeframe of 20 years that majority of people will use carsharing services and so on.

I think plenty are ready for car sharing and car clubs right now. I'd certainly do it if it was available and possible for one way journeys.

The article is about obtaining licences and it's in the US. All you need to get a licence there is turn up for the test and not die during it. Lord knows what it's like in certain European countries now. I think the Norwegian test is 2-3 hours and must cost a fortune.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

I think this is great.  I'm nowhere near being a millenial in age, but I don't own a car either.  I did for years, but I can't stand driving or paying all the expenses associated with having an automobile.  I walk to work and everywhere else, or ride my bike and have been doing so for just over a year now.  Glad you made this thread because it's actually a very good thing.

[Lethn]

You guys don't understand, it's inflation and artificially high prices that has caused things to get so out of control with the cost of owning a car, there are cars out there for £500 - £2000 etc. which are completely functioning and work great, but nobody my age will be able to by them because it costs several thousand just to insure it and that's because the insurance companies are forcing us to pay that amount not because it's expensive to run them.

The old cars at least are not expensive, companies have just forced people to pay far more money on them than they're actually worth, much like with housing, because there is no real free market nobody can do anything about it.