Why People Aren't Getting Their Drivers Licenses

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For many years getting your driver's license was sort of a right of passage in your teen years. You were allowed so much freedom and responsibility. You no longer had to ask you parents to drive you to practice or everytime you wanted to go to a friends house. It represented a part of growing up and bringing something new into your life. However, now, there seems to be a decline in people getting their licenses. In fact, in 2014, just 24.5 percent of 16-year-olds had a license, a 47-percent decrease from 1983. 

This brings up the question as to why young people aren't getting their licenses. Uber and other transport comes up as a big answer. The younger generation sees it as more economically effective for them to take an uber to work or wherever they need to be rather than spending the money on a car. This makes sense, and a study was done that shows that if you drive 9,481 miles a year, taking an uber is cheaper than buying a mid size sedan. In large cities, not a lot of people own cars because taxis are all over the place. The availability and practicality of taxis in a suburban area doesn't really make sense, but Uber changed that market and made it practical. So the thinking of not owning a car in a suburban area has become the same as not owning one in a city. It's just better to pay for a ride. 

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/the-decline-of-the-drivers-license/425169/
https://www.businessinsider.com/is-uber-cheaper-than-owning-a-car-2014-9

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