Bobbie Bobster Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 via Slashdot and National Geographic Interesting article about the significant drop in driving/use of cars by young people - driving licences amongst teens is down 30% from its peak in 1983 (in the US, similar patters intenationally) and the possible consequences for energy usage, vehicle manufacture and transport policy. 4 possible reasons given in the article: Teh interwebs - why drive when you can skype/instagram/appchat etc. It's become too expensive to own and use a car. "Shifts in young people's priorities and preferences" - choosing alternative transport modes or lifestyles that don't require lots of car use. Too many other things to do My gut feel is it's probably down to a combination of 1,2 and 4. 3 seems a bit wooly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jefferson Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 I think they (and their parents) just can't afford driving lessons never mind cars because we're in the middle of an economic recession with record unemployment and with no end to it in sight. Millions of people in America are surviving on food stamps. Perhaps there's more car sharing going on as a result, since we also know the age at which they're living with their parents is rising into the 30s. Or maybe it's because of the record numbers who are being locked up in prison or youth prisons to serve as cheap forced labourers for mega-corporations. Why employ people at minimum wage when you can hire prison inmates to do it for nothing or next to nothing? I read an article last year about a judge who was being investigated for being in the pocket of a corporation which ran for-profit youth prisons and he was basically using his position to put youths away for the most absurd reasons because these for-profit prisons profit from the higher occupancy. It's big business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojomonkey Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Do American kids get driving lessons at school, or is that just a thing invented in some movies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 At one time driving was as much a pleasure as a necessity, a lot of the pleasure has gone from car ownership for the young. It used to be easy to pick up a cheap car, find someone to help you rebuild it and get it insured cheaply etc. Now driving is a hassle, expensive and beyond anyone on minimum wage. Motorcycle sales have plummeted worldwide also for similar reasons. In Japan, the major manufacturers are reporting a fall of 60% over the past five years, young people there are not jumping on to small bikes and scooters and citing gaming and internet as being the major distractions. Public transport seems to be the winner, for good or bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amadeus Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Agree, it's not as easy or cheap to run a car as it used to be, although you can probably just about still get an old banger that doesn't require an electronics degree to fix and a stockbroker salary to insure. Not sure how things are in Americaland, but certainly UK wouldn't be a place where I would want to drive due to police and clowncils treating motorists as cash cows. IOM probably not as bad yet and I've always only had cars to drive for fun there, as my commute was five minutes on foot. It's a great place to drive for fun, but how much is a driving license there now, all costs included? Can't be cheap, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I believe that this trend is mirrored in the UK. But it isn't just driving. Buying a house is put off longer or even indefinitely among the young today. Common factor: Shortage of readies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Agree, it's not as easy or cheap to run a car as it used to be, although you can probably just about still get an old banger that doesn't require an electronics degree to fix and a stockbroker salary to insure. Not sure how things are in Americaland, but certainly UK wouldn't be a place where I would want to drive due to police and clowncils treating motorists as cash cows. IOM probably not as bad yet and I've always only had cars to drive for fun there, as my commute was five minutes on foot. It's a great place to drive for fun, but how much is a driving license there now, all costs included? Can't be cheap, right? A 40 year old told me recently that he had just passed his UK motorcycle test in the new format. He said the total cost of tuition and tests was £1,750! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbie Bobster Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 @Max Ouch! Has the sunday morning Star Riders thing at the test centre gone away, that was incredibly good vfm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Pretty sure that has gone Bobbie, maybe the CBT created a more lucrative thing for training schools? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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