Getting a driver’s license is a huge milestone in one’s life. Most people, you would think, would want the freedom of having a license, having freedom. But in 2013, a Michigan study showed that the percentage of 19-year-olds with a driver’s license had fallen from 87 percent in 1983 to 70 percent in 2010—and that the percentage of 17-year-old drivers fell from 69 to 43 percent during the same time period.

Why are Teens Not Wanting to Drive?

In 2013, the Michigan Study found, when surveying young adults, that there is a large variation of reasons, going from not having enough time to being too expensive to simply preferring different sources of transportation. Part of the reason is economic: there were fewer jobs, which meant teens didn’t need to get to work and had less money to bankroll their rides. But even as the economy improved, the share of high school seniors with a license has generally been on the decline. Apparently teens just don’t have a need for a license anymore, and part of that might just be technology as a whole. Why would you need to drive to someone when you can just text them? According to aacap.org, surveys show that ninety percent of teens ages 13–17 have used social media. Seventy-five percent report having at least one active social media profile, and 51% report visiting a social media site at least daily. Two-thirds of teens have their own mobile devices with internet capabilities. On average, teens are online almost nine hours a day, not including time for homework.

Is it Just Too Risky?

In the United States, teenagers drive less than all ages with the exception of older people, but their numbers of crashes and crash deaths are disproportionately high. The fatal crash rate per mile driven for 16–19-year-olds is nearly three times the rate for drivers ages 20 and over, according to iihs.org. Why would you want to drive your friends around if you run the risk of harming them? Is it just overall safer to not get a license at all?