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- cross-posted to:
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- news
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/10937558
This group of Americans is less likely to have a license than its older counterparts at the same age. McKinsey points out that in 1997, 43 percent of 16-year-olds and 62 percent of 17-year-olds held a license. But those numbers have dropped substantially, and by 2020, only 25 percent of 16-year-olds and 45 percent of 17-year-olds have a driver’s license, the consulting firm said citing data from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration.
Rare Gen Z W (as a Gen Z).
I thought this was mainly an European movement, but looking at this it appears that the USA too, despite being a mostly car oriented country, is following suit. Nice.
The article also mentions how having a car might have become too expensive for many, which isn’t something to party about, but I am mostly concerned with young people no longer rushing to grab a licence the second they turn 18 (or earlier, depending on local country laws). Hopefully this will help shaping urban planning in a more sensible and humane direction.
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It’s bullshit. “Gen z prefer not to own things” “gen z has no problem with living at home in adulthood”, “gen z isn’t interested in vacations”. Motherfucker we simply can’t afford it.
How much is a driver’s licence where you live? I had to pay around 400€ for mine, driving lessons included. Sure, it ain’t cheap, but unaffordable? I’m going to have to respectfully doubt that.
Does that 400 include the cost of the car insurance running costs and upkeep?
The car my wife drives (I never got a licence) is my largest monthly expense.
They ain’t called money pits for nothing.
Running costs and upkeep? Not sure I follow. This is just the cost of getting a driver’s licence through a driving school, so a small part of the money goes to the state (bureaucracy and whatnot), while a sizeable chunk goes to the school for teaching and letting me use their car to practice (strictly during driving lessons).
It doesn’t include the costs of having a personal vehicle, insurance, car tax or anything like that. I don’t own a car. This was just about the licence.
That’s kind of my point. The licence may be relatively cheap but if you can’t afford the varvits a very expensive piece of plastic.
I suspect with the financial climate of the last 15 or so years many have concluded they are unlikely to afford a car so there’s little point in getting a license.
But, you all can afford avocado toast and strapless boots?
Good, cars are one of the worst things humans have ever invented.
I feel like COVID probably had an impact on this somewhat, depending on when in 2020 the poll was conducted. Not being able to go outside would kinda hinder one’s ability to learn to drive and acquire a license
That is a fair point. I tried looking up some charts to check that flow over the years but as it turns out I’m not familiar enough with the bureaucratic jungle of the US Highway Administration, so I couldn’t find anything. The wording of the article does make it seem like a trend over the years, rather than an isolated drop in 2020, but without any further data I can only speculate about its magnitude.
Sad
