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Once upon a time, teenagers burned with impatience before finally coming of age — 15-1/2 years old in Hawaii — for getting their learner’s permit and getting behind the wheel. Greater vehicular independence would come after the 16th birthday when, after driving with the permit for at least 180 days, the student driver gets his or her provisional license.
For several years, nationally as well as locally, the thrill appears to be, if not gone, at least on the wane. City officials say that the numbers of teens seeking permits here has dropped in recent years; nationally statistics show the same pattern, at least since the recession.
The reasons for the decline, and what it says about the younger generation’s future habits, are less clear. Some reasons cited by the automotive organization AAA in a study about the drop in licensed teenage drivers include not having a car, having other means of transport and worries about the expense of gas and driving.
The AAA survey of teens in 2013 found that only 44 percent of them got their licenses within a year of when they became eligible. That percentage only rose by 10 points for those who had turned 18.
The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute released a 2016 study showing a decline in all age groups over decades. For 20- to 24-year-olds, 91.8 percent had a license in 1983, dropping to 76.7 percent in 2014.
Of course, things could change once they join the work force. Some of that may be already happening, too. A 2107 study from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration showed lower-income millennials driving more, although those with higher income in their age cohort were driving less.
