New data from the Federal Highway Administration shows the number of 18 year old drivers has dropped by 20 percent since 1983. In 1997 over 40 percent of 16 year olds had a drivers license or learners permit. As of 2020 that number is down to 25 percent. For older generations getting a drivers license in high school was certainly a right of passage. That's just not the case any more. Many young people born after 1997 are choosing to wait until they really need a drivers license when they're over 20. They seem to be moving away from previous generations "car centric" culture and choosing Uber, Lyft or public transportation instead. I guess in a way this is good. Less worries for parents about their teenage driver on the roads. Expensive car insurance rates can be avoided for a while too. However, knowing how to drive is the freedom to go where you want when you want. Eventually it's something we all should be able to do. My son James was born in 1997. He couldn't wait to get his drivers license back in 2014.
Source: New York Post
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