Amazing find: .
"some young people feel that driving interferes with texting and other electronic communication."[/b] [/size]
Study: Fewer young people getting driver's licenses
David Shepardson/ Detroit News Washington Bureau
Washington— Younger Americans aren't speeding to get a driver's license.
A study by the University of Michigan released Thursday found a lower proportion of young people have a driver's license today compared to their counterparts in the early 1980s.
About 87 percent of 19-year-olds in 1983 had their licenses, but in 2008, that percentage fell to about 75 percent.
At the same time, there's been a dramatic increase in the number of older Americans holding onto their driver's licenses.
In 2008, about 94 percent of those ages 65-69 have a driver's license — compared with 79 percent in 1983. For those older than 70, 78 percent still have a license, up from 55 percent in 1983.
In 1983, one-third of all licensed drivers in the United States were younger than 30. Today, only about 22 percent of drivers are in their 20s or are teenagers.
At the same time, more than half of all drivers in 1983 were younger than 40, but today that number has fallen to less than 40 percent. States have imposed more restrictions on younger drivers obtaining licenses — often requiring more time behind the wheel and now granting licenses in stages.
Other teen driving groups have also declined: 18-year-olds fell from 80 percent in 1983 to 65 percent in 2008, 17-year-olds decreased from 69 percent to 50 percent, and 16-year-olds slipped from 46 percent to 31 percent.
Drivers in their 20s and 30s also saw their ranks fall as a percentage of their age group population — down nearly 10 percentage points for those in their 20s and down about five percentage points for those in their 30s.
Automakers have worried that with texting and the Internet, some young people aren't as interested in getting a driver's license.
"It is possible that the availability of virtual contact through electronic means reduces the need for actual contact among young people," said Michael Sivak, research professor at the U-M Transportation Research Institute.
"Furthermore, some young people feel that driving interferes with texting and other electronic communication." In a new study in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention, Sivak and UMTRI colleague Brandon Schoettle examined the changes in the United States from 1983 to 2008 in the percentage of persons with driver's licenses.
They found that young people not only account for a lower percentage of today's total licensed drivers, but that young drivers comprise a smaller portion of their age group as a whole, compared to 1983.
On the other hand, licensed drivers older than 40 have increased their numbers.
In 2008, those 70 and older comprised the largest group of drivers on the road—more than 10 percent — slightly higher than those in their 40s or 50s. Licensed drivers as a percentage of their age group have risen for all groups older than 45 since 1983.
In 1983, between 84 percent and 88 percent of people in their late 50s and early 60s had a driver's license. Now those percentages are in the 95-percent range.
With more older drivers on roads, states have been rethinking testing for older drivers.
By 2025, more than 20 percent of drivers will be older than 65 — and by 2030 there will be 57 million elderly drivers, compared with the 32 million on the roads today.
Older drivers are more likely to wear safety belts and avoid drunken driving and speeding.
And while they get into fewer crashes, they are more likely to die or be injured than younger drivers.
dshepardson@detnews.com From The Detroit News:
http://detnews.com/article/20111201/AUTO01/112010429/Study--Fewer-young-people-getting-driver-s-licenses#ixzz1fIb5DO4t
