What's keeping today's teens from getting their driver's license?

SALT LAKE CITY — Getting your driver's license has become more of a burden and less of a rite of passage for many 16-year-olds. Only 25.3% of 16-year-olds had their license in 2021 versus 46% in 1983, according to a report by Next Gen Personal Finance.

Only one out of 25 driver's licenses in the United States belongs to someone 19 years old or younger, per Department of Transportation data.

Here are two factors that could play a role in why teens are less stoked than previous generations about getting behind the wheel:

Affordability

In the last couple of years, electric bikes have grown in popularity, giving teenagers their independence sooner than 16. The average cost for an e-bike is in the $1,500-$2500 range, and there is not nearly the required maintenance for a car.

"Many parents see e-bikes as alternatives to shepherding their kids between school and sports practices, particularly as the number of teens with driver's licenses has fallen," per the Wall Street Journal. Without having to deal with insurance, registration fees and gas, teenagers potentially save a lot more when settling for an e-bike. Hopping on a bike that many learn to ride as children seems much more convenient than sitting through hours of driver's education and learning to drive a car.

The cost of owning a car now costs the average American more than $1,000 a month. Nerd Wallet reported that the "average ownership costs for a new vehicle driven 15,000 miles annually is $12,297 a year, or $1,024 a month. That's an increase of $115 since last year"

Mental health

There are about 13 car accidents every minute in the United States, accumulating to about 6.75 million accidents yearly, Shiner Law Group reported.

Fear of driving, or amaxophobia, may be historically more prevalent in younger generations, with 40% of teens without licenses saying driving is frightening to them in a study conducted by The Zebra. And 23% say fear of getting behind the wheel is the leading reason why they won't drive. One in four teens who do not yet have their license are too scared to learn and it varies by gender.

Teens who fear driving:

• Boys: 33.3%
• Girls: 46.3%

Unlicensed teens who are too fearful to learn to drive:

• Boys: 16.9%
• Girls: 25.7%

Adults still have apprehensions about driving a car, but they are not in the same range as teenagers; only a quarter of adults reported being scared of driving.

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