The results of a recent survey indicate the primary reasons for the steady decline in the number of young Americans getting drivers' licenses. Hint: the top reason isn't that it costs too much to own a car.
A new survey [PDF] published by Brandon Schoettle and Michael Sivak of the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, "found that about 15.3 percent of the U.S. population aged 18 to 39 now gets by without a license, a big increase from past years," reports Brad Plumer. "And, within that group, [the researchers] asked 619 people their primary reason for not owning one." The top three reason given were:
- 37 percent said they were either too busy or didn’t have the time to get a license.
- 32 percent said that owning and maintaining a vehicle was just too expensive.
- 31 percent said they could hitch a ride with someone else if needed.
Though the percentage of young Americans without a drivers’ license is still relatively small (15%), "the number of young non-drivers in the United States has been rising steadily, a trend that has implications for everything from transportation policy to future auto sales," notes Plumer. "And this survey offers some clues as to why — owning a car seems to be more of a hassle, while alternatives (from biking to public transit to telecommuting) are becoming more popular."
Read the full story: Why aren’t young people getting drivers’ licenses? Too much hassle!
Blaming Millennials for Decaying Road Infrastructure
If you thought inflation and fuel efficiency, along with politicians unwillingness to raise gas taxes were the main causes of America's decaying road and bridges, S&P adds another contributing factor—millennial transportation preferences.
Study Finds More Age Groups Ditching the Driver's License
It's not just millennials anymore. A new study finds more people are going without driver's licenses than in previous decades.
Demographic Changes Spell Trouble Ahead for Auto Industry
It's not only young adults who are delaying in getting drivers licenses, but a drop in licenses among all age groups according to a new analysis of license data from 1983-2014 by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
HUD modernizes 50-year-old manufactured housing framework
The Next Generation Manufactured Housing Action Plan establishes new energy-efficiency standards for manufactured homes, and new guidelines for anchoring them.
New CA housing laws tear down development red tape
Recently-signed legislation makes building starter homes and ADUs cheaper and faster in California.
Metrolink finishes first expansion in 20 years
The transit agency is now one of very few in the United States to connect two major airports.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority