Driving has lost its cool for young Americans
12-27-11, 05:13 PM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Driving has lost its cool for young Americans
http://www.grist.org/transportation/...oung-americans
Interesting article and its scary to think they will make the laws of the future. There are some issues here in a nutshell, cars are expensive to own, run, buy, gadgets are cheaper to obtain and seen as "cooler" and public transit sucks in most places. Seems increasing public transit is a good b/c we need to drive less and type more.
Interesting.. I admit I get a lot more done taking public transit riding then driving but it seems cars are trying to incorporate more text and other communication into the car. This is the future.
What is scary is cars as we have discussed in the past don't seem to be "cool" to younger people? Sad b/c IMO cars have never been cooler. Mom & Dads hand down is much better today then in the past. I hope we as adults take it upon ourselves to continue to show the youth how cool cars are.
Amidst all the hand-wringing over distracted driving, a critical point is getting lost. The problem isn't the texting -- it's the driving.
Clive Thompson made this argument in Wired last year:
When we worry about driving and texting, we assume that the most important thing the person is doing is piloting the car. But what if the most important thing they're doing is texting? How do we free them up so they can text without needing to worry about driving?
The answer, of course, is public transit. In many parts of the world where texting has become ingrained in daily life -- like Japan and Europe -- public transit is so plentiful that there hasn't been a major texting-while-driving crisis. You don't endanger anyone's life while quietly tapping out messages during your train ride to work in Tokyo or Berlin.
... Dramatically increasing public transit would also decrease our carbon footprint, improve local economies, and curtail drunk driving. (Plus, we'd waste less time in spiritually draining bumper-to-bumper traffic.)
Thompson cites Rich Ling, an American sociologist and expert on the culture of texting, who has moved with his family to Copenhagen. "[Ling] told me that Denmark has so many buses and streetcars that teenagers often don't bother getting their driver's license until later in life. 'My daughter is 18, and she's only sort of starting to think about driving,' he says."
But even though the U.S. lags way behind other developed countries on public transit, American teenagers are increasingly losing interest in driving too. Long gone are the days when a car symbolized ultimate freedom and cruising Main St. was a preferred teen pastime.
In 2008, just 31 percent of American 16-year-olds had their driver's licenses, down from 46 percent in 1983, according to a new study in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention. The numbers were down for 18-year-olds too, from 80 percent in 1983 to 65 percent in 2008, and the percentage of twenty- and thirtysomethings with driver's licenses fell as well. And even those with driver's licenses are trying to drive less; a new survey by car-sharing company Zipcar found that more than half of drivers under the age of 44 are making efforts to reduce the time they spend packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes.
The decline in driving by younger Americans is fed by many factors: the high cost of gas and insurance at a time of economic insecurity; tighter restrictions on teen drivers in many states; and roads that are more congested than ever, making driving less fun than ever.
But the impact of the internet is big too. "It is possible that the availability of virtual contact through electronic means reduces the need for actual contact among young people," says Michael Sivak, research professor at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and coauthor of the study on driver's licenses. "Furthermore, some young people feel that driving interferes with texting and other electronic communication."
"American youth have fallen out of love with automobiles" because of the rising cost of driving and the fact that they are "living their lives online," says Wall Street Journal auto columnist Dan Neil. No longer do teenagers need to drive to each others' houses or the mall to stay in touch with friends; they do it online.
"I don't think the car symbolizes freedom to Gen Y to the extent it did baby boomers, or to a lesser extent, Gen X-ers," says Sheryl Connelly, Ford Motor Co.'s global trends and futuring manager. "Part of it is that there are a lot more toys out there competing for the hard-earned dollars of older teens and young adults."
With younger Americans disproportionately unemployed and burdened by student and personal debt, those dollars are ever harder to come by. You can buy a lot of gadgets for just a fraction of the $8,500 the average American spends each year to maintain a car, not to mention the average cost of buying the car in the first place -- more than $29,000 for a new car, or more than $18,000 for a used one.
Plus, Millennials want to live in walkable urban cores instead of suburbs and exurbs that require residents to drive everywhere. And if they do have to drive occasionally, they're more likely than older Americans to consider car-sharing.
In short, younger Americans are craving an existence with little or no time behind the wheel -- and thus little or no opportunity for distracted driving. Unfortunately, our infrastructure and social systems are way behind the times.
Back to Clive Thompson:
Texting while driving is, in essence, a wake-up call to America. It illustrates our real, and bigger, predicament: The country is currently better suited to cars than to communication. This is completely bonkers.
By all means, we should ban texting while driving, or at least try. But we need to work urgently on making driving less necessary in the first place. Let's get our hands off the wheel and onto the keypad -- where they belong.
Amen.
Interesting article and its scary to think they will make the laws of the future. There are some issues here in a nutshell, cars are expensive to own, run, buy, gadgets are cheaper to obtain and seen as "cooler" and public transit sucks in most places. Seems increasing public transit is a good b/c we need to drive less and type more.
Interesting.. I admit I get a lot more done taking public transit riding then driving but it seems cars are trying to incorporate more text and other communication into the car. This is the future.
What is scary is cars as we have discussed in the past don't seem to be "cool" to younger people? Sad b/c IMO cars have never been cooler. Mom & Dads hand down is much better today then in the past. I hope we as adults take it upon ourselves to continue to show the youth how cool cars are.
Amidst all the hand-wringing over distracted driving, a critical point is getting lost. The problem isn't the texting -- it's the driving.
Clive Thompson made this argument in Wired last year:
When we worry about driving and texting, we assume that the most important thing the person is doing is piloting the car. But what if the most important thing they're doing is texting? How do we free them up so they can text without needing to worry about driving?
The answer, of course, is public transit. In many parts of the world where texting has become ingrained in daily life -- like Japan and Europe -- public transit is so plentiful that there hasn't been a major texting-while-driving crisis. You don't endanger anyone's life while quietly tapping out messages during your train ride to work in Tokyo or Berlin.
... Dramatically increasing public transit would also decrease our carbon footprint, improve local economies, and curtail drunk driving. (Plus, we'd waste less time in spiritually draining bumper-to-bumper traffic.)
Thompson cites Rich Ling, an American sociologist and expert on the culture of texting, who has moved with his family to Copenhagen. "[Ling] told me that Denmark has so many buses and streetcars that teenagers often don't bother getting their driver's license until later in life. 'My daughter is 18, and she's only sort of starting to think about driving,' he says."
But even though the U.S. lags way behind other developed countries on public transit, American teenagers are increasingly losing interest in driving too. Long gone are the days when a car symbolized ultimate freedom and cruising Main St. was a preferred teen pastime.
In 2008, just 31 percent of American 16-year-olds had their driver's licenses, down from 46 percent in 1983, according to a new study in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention. The numbers were down for 18-year-olds too, from 80 percent in 1983 to 65 percent in 2008, and the percentage of twenty- and thirtysomethings with driver's licenses fell as well. And even those with driver's licenses are trying to drive less; a new survey by car-sharing company Zipcar found that more than half of drivers under the age of 44 are making efforts to reduce the time they spend packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes.
The decline in driving by younger Americans is fed by many factors: the high cost of gas and insurance at a time of economic insecurity; tighter restrictions on teen drivers in many states; and roads that are more congested than ever, making driving less fun than ever.
But the impact of the internet is big too. "It is possible that the availability of virtual contact through electronic means reduces the need for actual contact among young people," says Michael Sivak, research professor at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and coauthor of the study on driver's licenses. "Furthermore, some young people feel that driving interferes with texting and other electronic communication."
"American youth have fallen out of love with automobiles" because of the rising cost of driving and the fact that they are "living their lives online," says Wall Street Journal auto columnist Dan Neil. No longer do teenagers need to drive to each others' houses or the mall to stay in touch with friends; they do it online.
"I don't think the car symbolizes freedom to Gen Y to the extent it did baby boomers, or to a lesser extent, Gen X-ers," says Sheryl Connelly, Ford Motor Co.'s global trends and futuring manager. "Part of it is that there are a lot more toys out there competing for the hard-earned dollars of older teens and young adults."
With younger Americans disproportionately unemployed and burdened by student and personal debt, those dollars are ever harder to come by. You can buy a lot of gadgets for just a fraction of the $8,500 the average American spends each year to maintain a car, not to mention the average cost of buying the car in the first place -- more than $29,000 for a new car, or more than $18,000 for a used one.
Plus, Millennials want to live in walkable urban cores instead of suburbs and exurbs that require residents to drive everywhere. And if they do have to drive occasionally, they're more likely than older Americans to consider car-sharing.
In short, younger Americans are craving an existence with little or no time behind the wheel -- and thus little or no opportunity for distracted driving. Unfortunately, our infrastructure and social systems are way behind the times.
Back to Clive Thompson:
Texting while driving is, in essence, a wake-up call to America. It illustrates our real, and bigger, predicament: The country is currently better suited to cars than to communication. This is completely bonkers.
By all means, we should ban texting while driving, or at least try. But we need to work urgently on making driving less necessary in the first place. Let's get our hands off the wheel and onto the keypad -- where they belong.
Amen.
12-27-11, 08:26 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
Thompson cites Rich Ling, an American sociologist and expert on the culture of texting, who has moved with his family to Copenhagen. "[Ling] told me that Denmark has so many buses and streetcars that teenagers often don't bother getting their driver's license until later in life. 'My daughter is 18, and she's only sort of starting to think about driving,' he says."
But even though the U.S. lags way behind other developed countries on public transit,
"American youth have fallen out of love with automobiles" because of the rising cost of driving and the fact that they are "living their lives online," says Wall Street Journal auto columnist Dan Neil. No longer do teenagers need to drive to each others' houses or the mall to stay in touch with friends; they do it online.
"I don't think the car symbolizes freedom to Gen Y to the extent it did baby boomers, or to a lesser extent, Gen X-ers," says Sheryl Connelly, Ford Motor Co.'s global trends and futuring manager. "Part of it is that there are a lot more toys out there competing for the hard-earned dollars of older teens and young adults."
"I don't think the car symbolizes freedom to Gen Y to the extent it did baby boomers, or to a lesser extent, Gen X-ers," says Sheryl Connelly, Ford Motor Co.'s global trends and futuring manager. "Part of it is that there are a lot more toys out there competing for the hard-earned dollars of older teens and young adults."
Last edited by mmarshall; 12-27-11 at 08:33 PM.
12-27-11, 09:57 PM
#3
Lexus Test Driver
I believe there are two things contributing to this.
What's mainly going on here is demographics and a wave of immagration into the U.S.. Thirty years ago, there were masses of high school kids who valued cars, apple pie, and good 'ol Americana traditions their parents lived out. The young kids today are from other countries where cars are not a part of culture. This has shifted what we see in high school parking lots across the country and changed the way how auto manufacturers point their focus.
The second factor is simply price and the high cost of living today compared to decades ago. The tanked economy and lack of widespread work has brought everyone's spending a notch down.
What's mainly going on here is demographics and a wave of immagration into the U.S.. Thirty years ago, there were masses of high school kids who valued cars, apple pie, and good 'ol Americana traditions their parents lived out. The young kids today are from other countries where cars are not a part of culture. This has shifted what we see in high school parking lots across the country and changed the way how auto manufacturers point their focus.
The second factor is simply price and the high cost of living today compared to decades ago. The tanked economy and lack of widespread work has brought everyone's spending a notch down.
12-27-11, 10:36 PM
#5
Lexus Fanatic
I believe there are two things contributing to this.
What's mainly going on here is demographics and a wave of immagration into the U.S.. Thirty years ago, there were masses of high school kids who valued cars, apple pie, and good 'ol Americana traditions their parents lived out. The young kids today are from other countries where cars are not a part of culture. This has shifted what we see in high school parking lots across the country and changed the way how auto manufacturers point their focus.
The second factor is simply price and the high cost of living today compared to decades ago. The tanked economy and lack of widespread work has brought everyone's spending a notch down.
What's mainly going on here is demographics and a wave of immagration into the U.S.. Thirty years ago, there were masses of high school kids who valued cars, apple pie, and good 'ol Americana traditions their parents lived out. The young kids today are from other countries where cars are not a part of culture. This has shifted what we see in high school parking lots across the country and changed the way how auto manufacturers point their focus.
The second factor is simply price and the high cost of living today compared to decades ago. The tanked economy and lack of widespread work has brought everyone's spending a notch down.
I hadn't really considered it from that point of view, although, of course, China and India, today, are themselves two of the world's fastest-growing car-cultures. Also, as the article suggests, kids today are just so wrapped up in their electronic gadgets that the traditional interest in cars is now on the back burner. As long as they have their texting and video-games, they don't care if they're riding along in the back of a minivan. 
Last edited by mmarshall; 12-27-11 at 10:41 PM.
12-27-11, 10:40 PM
#6
Lead Lap
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ohio
Posts: 470
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Things were different before the technology age. If a commute is 30 minutes each way, totaling an hour a day, 50 weeks a year, that is 250 hours per year. It can be spent driving, as if there was nothing else to do, or it can be spent being productive. 250 hours a year is a lot of time when things move as fast as they do today. People that live close to work or use their transit time productively are at a significant advantage compared to those spending that time driving.
Think of just one week, with 5 hours spent driving. That 5 hours could be spent designing and hosting a website, working on a side project helping your community, getting ahead at work, continuing your education, or myriad other productive activities. Now that those things are so easy and accessible, the time spent in the car is more of a waste than anything else.
Add in the cost, and it is no wonder that people don't want to drive. If the cost of driving for one year is 5k all said and done with insurance, gas, car payments, depreciation, whatever, think of the ways that money could be spent.
That's a lot of money to go along with all that time. The result of that time and money can be fairly extreme. Think of just one scenario where a person invests the money that would otherwise be spent commuting and spends the commute monitoring positions and making trades. That can be a heck of a lot of money by the end of the year while your buddies are spending the time and money driving around.
Think of just one week, with 5 hours spent driving. That 5 hours could be spent designing and hosting a website, working on a side project helping your community, getting ahead at work, continuing your education, or myriad other productive activities. Now that those things are so easy and accessible, the time spent in the car is more of a waste than anything else.
Add in the cost, and it is no wonder that people don't want to drive. If the cost of driving for one year is 5k all said and done with insurance, gas, car payments, depreciation, whatever, think of the ways that money could be spent.
That's a lot of money to go along with all that time. The result of that time and money can be fairly extreme. Think of just one scenario where a person invests the money that would otherwise be spent commuting and spends the commute monitoring positions and making trades. That can be a heck of a lot of money by the end of the year while your buddies are spending the time and money driving around.
12-28-11, 12:16 AM
#7
Lexus Test Driver
Damn hipsters, they must be stopped! I think most of us look back with nostalgia those days when we were on the verge of turning 16 and getting our licenses. I think I annoyed the hell out of my folks, wanting to drive every time we got in the car. Especially living out here in a rural area, getting your driver's license is a rite of passage in life. It is freedom, it is power, it is independence. I HATE having to bum a ride off of somebody, i absolutely hate it. Driving is more than just a way for me to get somewhere, it's an experience in and of itself....even moreso back when when I drove a standard(Oh how I miss that). Nothing like roaring around curves while working the gear shift, sometimes listening to classic rock, sometimes just listening to the beautiful tone of the engine. Dragging main was still a huge pastime here when I was in high school(2005-2008). I don't get out and do it much anymore, because of the price of gas. But I still love having an excuse to get in the car and go somewhere. If I need to travel, given the choice between a bus and a car, I'l take the car, regardless of traffic. Long time spent in the car is a blessing to me. It's time to think, to relax, and to be alone. I've also enjoyed many a roadtrip with my family. Lot's of good memories, lots of fun(and not so fun) stories.
Having spent the last 2 years in a country where I had no car and used public transportation on a daily basis, I don't miss riding the bus. May the day never come where we are damned to ride a bus, train, cab every day like mindless sheep.
Having spent the last 2 years in a country where I had no car and used public transportation on a daily basis, I don't miss riding the bus. May the day never come where we are damned to ride a bus, train, cab every day like mindless sheep.
Trending Topics
12-28-11, 01:34 AM
#8
A dream job opened up, but I half-heartedly applied for it because it is 70 miles away. I told them that I wish it was closer and that I could take public transportation to it.
Don't get me wrong, I love to drive, but with gas prices and the thought of 1.5 hour commute each way is not very appealing.
Don't get me wrong, I love to drive, but with gas prices and the thought of 1.5 hour commute each way is not very appealing.
12-28-11, 02:21 AM
#9
Lexus Champion
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: NYC/ATL
Posts: 2,618
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have encountered the individuals that live their life online, simply put they are sad and pathetic, and fat, most of these teenagers might not even see 40 with their diet of fast food, energy drinks and prescription meds, its a gift we do not have to deal with them on the roads
12-28-11, 03:52 AM
#10
I have a nephew who was given a car over a year ago.
He has not driven the car yet.
I can't believe this. A perfectly good car just sitting there.
His answer to why: this family has a lot of rules. If I'm gonna have a curfew and told where I can't go, I might as well not drive.
When I lived with my parents, I had house rules to follow. I'd have them now if I lived with my mom. What's that have to do with driving? If all I could do is drive around the block, I'd drive around all day long.
Something is definitely amiss with today's young people.
He has not driven the car yet.
I can't believe this. A perfectly good car just sitting there.
His answer to why: this family has a lot of rules. If I'm gonna have a curfew and told where I can't go, I might as well not drive.
When I lived with my parents, I had house rules to follow. I'd have them now if I lived with my mom. What's that have to do with driving? If all I could do is drive around the block, I'd drive around all day long.
Something is definitely amiss with today's young people.
12-28-11, 06:15 AM
#11
Car insurance for young kids is high and the sportier the car,the higher the insurance is.
When I bought my son a new '08 Civic,he was 21 and the insurance he pays was $2400 per.
At this time it's $1800 for a Civic.
At 18 with a newer Cobalt his full coverage insurance was over $3K.
He's on our policy and because he covered on the vehicles,my rates are higher.I have no choice because he lives in the house and has to be covered on all vehicle even if the civic is his vehicle.
Yes,he would love a sportier,fancy car but the insurance would be high for him to pay.This August he turns 25 and that the magic number for lower rates if the driving record is good.
When I bought my son a new '08 Civic,he was 21 and the insurance he pays was $2400 per.
At this time it's $1800 for a Civic.
At 18 with a newer Cobalt his full coverage insurance was over $3K.
He's on our policy and because he covered on the vehicles,my rates are higher.I have no choice because he lives in the house and has to be covered on all vehicle even if the civic is his vehicle.
Yes,he would love a sportier,fancy car but the insurance would be high for him to pay.This August he turns 25 and that the magic number for lower rates if the driving record is good.
12-28-11, 06:31 AM
#12
Lead Lap
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ga
Posts: 512
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car insurance for young kids is high and the sportier the car,the higher the insurance is.
When I bought my son a new '08 Civic,he was 21 and the insurance he pays was $2400 per.
At this time it's $1800 for a Civic.
At 18 with a newer Cobalt his full coverage insurance was over $3K.
He's on our policy and because he covered on the vehicles,my rates are higher.I have no choice because he lives in the house and has to be covered on all vehicle even if the civic is his vehicle.
Yes,he would love a sportier,fancy car but the insurance would be high for him to pay.This August he turns 25 and that the magic number for lower rates if the driving record is good.
When I bought my son a new '08 Civic,he was 21 and the insurance he pays was $2400 per.
At this time it's $1800 for a Civic.
At 18 with a newer Cobalt his full coverage insurance was over $3K.
He's on our policy and because he covered on the vehicles,my rates are higher.I have no choice because he lives in the house and has to be covered on all vehicle even if the civic is his vehicle.
Yes,he would love a sportier,fancy car but the insurance would be high for him to pay.This August he turns 25 and that the magic number for lower rates if the driving record is good.
12-28-11, 07:54 AM
#13
Recovering Lexus Addict
My oldest son is 31 and has never had any interest in getting a driver's license. He lives in a university town and walks, bikes, and takes public transportation everywhere he needs to go for work and school. If he needs a ride somewhere that public transportation doesn't serve, he bums a ride from a friend or his brother who lives about 10 minutes away.
12-28-11, 08:12 AM
#14
I guess I'm part of a dying breed, then. I got my license as soon as I could, and used (still use) every excuse that I've got to go out and drive around. I even bought a sporty car (a Supra) as fast as possible. I don't have an iPhone, and I only text when it's necessary.
12-28-11, 08:19 AM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
My oldest son is 31 and has never had any interest in getting a driver's license. He lives in a university town and walks, bikes, and takes public transportation everywhere he needs to go for work and school. If he needs a ride somewhere that public transportation doesn't serve, he bums a ride from a friend or his brother who lives about 10 minutes away.
Last edited by mmarshall; 12-28-11 at 09:24 AM.