Teens at Sidwell - and their peers across the country - increasingly see getting a driver’s license as more of an expensive, time-consuming hassle than a ticket to freedom.
“D.C. is such an easy community to get around by public transportation, so I don’t really feel the need to learn how to drive,” Sidwell senior Jasmin Perrier said.
As a District resident, Perrier could have applied for a learner’s permit more than a year ago, when she turned 16, but she just doesn’t think getting a license is worth the trouble.
“Parking is a huge issue that I don’t want to worry about, and there are so many other options now, with Uber and other things, that you don’t really need to know how to drive,” Perrier said.
Data from the Federal Highway Administration, nationwide surveys, and interviews with Sidwell students show that Perrier is far from alone in putting off getting a license.
According to data from the Federal Highway Administration, the number of teenagers who are licensed to drive in the District has declined over the past twenty years. In 1996, 8,663 city residents under the age of 19 held a full license. In 2016, that number had decreased to 743, even as the city’s population grew by more than 19 percent during that period.
The District has become far less auto-dependent in recent years. According to the 2016 American Community Survey conducted by the Census Bureau, 37.9 percent of the city’s households had a car, and newcomers were even less likely to own cars, with only 12 percent of new households having an automobile.
The declining popularity of driving is a nationwide trend among young people. The University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future project, a national survey that tracks changes in behavior and attitudes across generations, found that the proportion of high school seniors holding a driver’s license hit a record low of 71.5 percent in 2015, down from 85.3 percent in 1996.
A separate University of Michigan study found that the top three reasons that Americans 18 to 39 cited for not having a driver’s license were: “too busy or not enough time to get a driver’s license” (37 percent), “owning and maintaining a vehicle is too expensive” (32 percent), and “able to get transportation from others” (31 percent).
Another factor in the declining popularity of driving among teenagers may be increasingly stringent licensing requirements.
“D.C. is such an easy community to get around by public transportation, so I don’t really feel the need to learn how to drive,” Sidwell senior Jasmin Perrier said.
As a District resident, Perrier could have applied for a learner’s permit more than a year ago, when she turned 16, but she just doesn’t think getting a license is worth the trouble.
“Parking is a huge issue that I don’t want to worry about, and there are so many other options now, with Uber and other things, that you don’t really need to know how to drive,” Perrier said.
Data from the Federal Highway Administration, nationwide surveys, and interviews with Sidwell students show that Perrier is far from alone in putting off getting a license.
According to data from the Federal Highway Administration, the number of teenagers who are licensed to drive in the District has declined over the past twenty years. In 1996, 8,663 city residents under the age of 19 held a full license. In 2016, that number had decreased to 743, even as the city’s population grew by more than 19 percent during that period.
The District has become far less auto-dependent in recent years. According to the 2016 American Community Survey conducted by the Census Bureau, 37.9 percent of the city’s households had a car, and newcomers were even less likely to own cars, with only 12 percent of new households having an automobile.
The declining popularity of driving is a nationwide trend among young people. The University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future project, a national survey that tracks changes in behavior and attitudes across generations, found that the proportion of high school seniors holding a driver’s license hit a record low of 71.5 percent in 2015, down from 85.3 percent in 1996.
A separate University of Michigan study found that the top three reasons that Americans 18 to 39 cited for not having a driver’s license were: “too busy or not enough time to get a driver’s license” (37 percent), “owning and maintaining a vehicle is too expensive” (32 percent), and “able to get transportation from others” (31 percent).
Another factor in the declining popularity of driving among teenagers may be increasingly stringent licensing requirements.
The District now requires teens to complete 40 hours of driving practice with a parent to be eligible for a full license.
In Maryland, new drivers are required to complete a driver’s education class with 30 hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours behind the wheel classes in addition to logging 60 hours of practice with a parent.
While most Sidwell students and their families may not be put off by the cost of private driver’s education classes, which can cost hundreds of dollars, the supervised driving requirements make it hard to find time to learn how to drive.
While most Sidwell students and their families may not be put off by the cost of private driver’s education classes, which can cost hundreds of dollars, the supervised driving requirements make it hard to find time to learn how to drive.
Many students say driving has taken a backseat to other commitments, such as school work, sports, and other activities.
“[Learning to] drive takes so much time,” Emily Ringel, a senior who is 17 and does not have a license, said. “And when you go to college, most schools don’t want you to bring a car anyway.”
Iman Hassen, another senior, got her learner’s permit - the first step in the District’s graduated licensing program - when she was 16, but her permit expired before she could schedule a Department of Motor Vehicles driving test, which is required to get a provisional license, the next-to-last step to an unrestricted license.
Hassen eventually got her provisional license but said she still uses public transportation to get places more often than driving, because it’s easier than trying to park and often quicker than sitting in traffic. “It’s not a necessity to drive,” she said.
John Townsend, the manager of public affairs for the mid-Atlantic office of the American Automobile Association (AAA), said today’s teenagers “are becoming the Peter Pan generation of drivers.
“[Learning to] drive takes so much time,” Emily Ringel, a senior who is 17 and does not have a license, said. “And when you go to college, most schools don’t want you to bring a car anyway.”
Iman Hassen, another senior, got her learner’s permit - the first step in the District’s graduated licensing program - when she was 16, but her permit expired before she could schedule a Department of Motor Vehicles driving test, which is required to get a provisional license, the next-to-last step to an unrestricted license.
Hassen eventually got her provisional license but said she still uses public transportation to get places more often than driving, because it’s easier than trying to park and often quicker than sitting in traffic. “It’s not a necessity to drive,” she said.
John Townsend, the manager of public affairs for the mid-Atlantic office of the American Automobile Association (AAA), said today’s teenagers “are becoming the Peter Pan generation of drivers.
Less than half of teens obtain a driver’s license within 12 months of the minimum age for licensure in their jurisdiction or state. Obtaining a driver’s license at 16 was once a rite of passage for teenagers of an earlier generation. Now one in three teens wait until age 18 to obtain full licensure.”
The trend may have safety benefits. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), even as the country’s teenage population has increased from 14.9 million in 1996 to 16.9 million in 2015, the number of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes fell by more than half, from 6,021 to 2,898.
The trend may have safety benefits. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), even as the country’s teenage population has increased from 14.9 million in 1996 to 16.9 million in 2015, the number of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes fell by more than half, from 6,021 to 2,898.
The IIHS attributed the reduction in part to the adoption of graduated driver licensing laws and said that if every state adopted all five of the toughest laws it identified, about 500 lives could be saved and 9,500 collisions prevented each year.
Michael Barry, vice president of media relations at the Insurance Information Institute, said costs associated with driving and graduated licensing systems have both contributed to the decline in teen driving.
Michael Barry, vice president of media relations at the Insurance Information Institute, said costs associated with driving and graduated licensing systems have both contributed to the decline in teen driving.
“Younger teenagers have consistently shown over time a greater likelihood of getting into more, and costlier, crashes,” he said, but noted that even though fewer teens are getting licenses highway fatalities have increased in recent years as the economic recovery has increased vehicle miles traveled by drivers of all ages.
By Kelly Anderson, Horizon News Editor, February 2018
By Kelly Anderson, Horizon News Editor, February 2018
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