Young Americans Are Abandoning Car Ownership and Driving

Maybe it's because they've never driven a Chevy Monte Carlo WoW
Could you live without a car ? Vehicle ? (Please Vote in above poll) & post your thoughts

by William O'Connor <time class="timestamp" property="dc:created" pubdate="pubdate" datetime="2013-07-05T08:45:00.000Z">July 2013 </time>

Record numbers of young Americans don’t own a car or hold a driver’s license, and people are beginning to take notice.


Why do young people hate America so much?

Ari Fleischer, who served as press secretary for President George W. Bush, famously described the propensity of our countrymen to drive around in gas-guzzling vehicles part of the “blessed” American life.







<figure class="multimedia section"> <figcaption class="figcaption">Young people are taking trains and buses more and more.
</figcaption></figure>But recent studies have shown a significant drop-off in the number of Americans, particularly young people, who engage in that most iconic American pursuit: owning and driving cars. So much so that The New York Times recently declared “The End of Car Culture.”

The numbers are stark. The percentage of 18-years-olds with a driver’s license plunged from 80 percent in 1983 to 61 percent by 2010. According to an analysis by Advisor Perspectives quoted in the piece, even the number of miles driven per person is below the historic peak by almost 9 percent.

The big question, of course, is why? The recession, and all it entailed—unemployment, stagnating wages, etc.—surely played a part. But, as the Times notes, a lot of these trends preceded the financial crisis.

One of those big, long-term shifts was the movement of large groups of young, college-educated adults back to major urban centers. The likelihood in general of individuals owning cars in urban areas is small. When you live in Brooklyn, a huge chunk of their resources are devoted to their rent. And in today’s gilded cities, parking spots have become luxury goods.

And over the past few decades, the car has become less vital to getting around in a city. Expanded light rail in cities like Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Houston, more extensive (and newer) busing, as well as successful large-scale bike-sharing programs like Capital Bikeshare in Washington, D.C., Citibike in New York City, and Nice Ride in Minneapolis have allowed even more flexibility for urban residents.

Shifting trends in urban retail have also had an effect. Historically one might need a car to go grocery shopping or save money at a large retail chain. Recently however, big box retailers like Target, Costco, and Walmart are increasing their footprint in major cities, and major grocery stores (Safeway or Whole Foods for instance) can be found in most popular neighborhoods (excluding food deserts in poor neighborhoods).

Modern technology has made those decreasing moments where a car is necessary manageable with companies and programs like Zipcar, Uber, Lyft, and Car2Go. With these new businesses, you don’t need to own a car in order to gain the mobility that an automobile provides.

But perhaps one of the biggest reasons young people are not buying or driving cars at the historical rate is the high costs. Many millennials have graduated into poor labor markets bearing heavy debt loads. As a result for many, car ownership is a financial bridge too far. According to TrueCar, the average price of a car sold in 2012 was $30,500 . And the cost of cheaper models is not exactly ripe for college grads burdened with record debt. The Ford Fiesta starts at $14,000, Toyota Corolla at $16,230, and the Honda Fit at $15,425. Despite commercials featuring rapping rodents, the price tag of $14,400 for a Kia Soul is still a hard sell. Not to mention that getting excited about a cheaper car is hard to imagine given that most models just are not terribly sexy and tend to blur into one another design-wise.

So what about used cars? Sure, the used-car purchase may not be terribly burdensome, but the costs associated with driving are not insignificant. Filling up continues to be painful—the average gasoline price is $3.47, according to AAA. Then throw in insurance costs, an excise tax depending on what state you live in, and increasingly expensive tolls.

The simple answer to the question of why the drop-off is that many young people just don’t need a car. The auto industry is the nation’s largest manufacturing sector and the nation’s largest retail sector. If it wants to continue to remain so, it will have to revamp its business model to serve young adults who haven’t picked up the habit of owning and driving cars.

 

 

If you lived somewhere like New York City I could understand not owning a car, its quite expensive and there is a lot of public transportation. Where I live i'd have to take a taxi to work which im sure in the end would be more expensive.

 

Got to have some wheels

 

Thanks `Keane, Chris & member's for voting/posting.
I could survive without a `ride, but I would be sad

 

Ive been driving since I was 10 yrs old. When I was a kid, This was a huge issue for me! I took Drivers ED in High School... I had my permit at age 14,
But it was for my parents inability to drive all the time.

Nowadays, I believe all schools have eliminated Drivers Ed! Most kids today have to go to an outside source to have drivers training. Theres an added expense in itself... How many kids at 16 can afford that? Unless there parents can afford it for them. My stepdaughter had to go to an outside source for her license.... 6 months after driving on her own... She got in a minor accident/ticketed and the state suspended her License!
Driving is a huge expense with Insurance,(Especially for teens/New Drivers) Tabs, Gas, maintenance etc..
My Tabs alone on my Monte is $99.00!!

For me, A car is a Must! I cant walk any kind of distance with my Disability!

 

Life with out wheels? Ahhh No way!

I can remember when my late father decided to turn in his drivers license because of his age/health. He was so depressed for a long time. He loved cars and driving so much. I am just like dad. Live to drive, drive to live

 

It's a 25-30 minute drive to work. Kinda need to drive there's no busses that go out that way

 

Thanks Tadd & member's for your posts. I know that I've been depressed when I didn't have a ride , but I also know how stressed out I was when my Monte was out of my sight...

If I had a Monte like yours Tadd, Matt's and many of our member's, I would be all stressed out...Even when it's in for service I would go back to the garage & watch them work on it Maybe it's because it was the nicest thing I had & worked so hard to get it...

Now, part of my `job is to check the arrest records everyday of our employee's...Our company has strict rules, but they are fair..

I find so many that are arrested for DUI, no DL, or reckless operation of a vehicle, or damage to motor vehicles...Vandalized cars
Below is just one & sadly I see many like the below when I check the arrest records of Indian Rive, Breavard & Volusia countries here in FLorida..They bond out & are driving the same day like nothing has happened ? The end of my rant for now (LOL) Please don't drink, get stoned & drive `OK

MICHAEL JAMES ROTH

W/M DOB: 07/08/80
ARREST DATE: 08/25/13
ARRESTING AGENCY: RPD
FELONY DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Hi Everyone on the MCF, I wasn't driving (I could'nt find my car) I was 2 stoned.

Please bail me `out or help > I use to have a Monte Carlo (I think)
DAVID RAY SELPH
W/M DOB: 10/08/60
ARREST DATE: 08/24/13
ARRESTING AGENCY: CPD
POSSESSION OF WEAPON OR AMMO BY CONVI

TRESPASSING PROPERTY
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Yes, they were all out on the highway

Driving
"Be Safe Out there & drive defensively 4-Sure"

 

I used to live in the Bronx, plenty of Mass Transit. But to get to any amusement park, beach, friends outside of the city, you had to have a car.
Now, I live in central Jersey. Central meaning I'm 20 minutes out from NYC, an hour north of my male children in south Jersey and an hour south of my mom in lower NY state. To get to work, like Zen, there is No bus or train to get there so I have to have a car.
And I like working on cars. My cars! Weather fixing or upgrading, it's been my hobby for 33 years, and will be for another 112 yrs.
I personally depend on a car for too many things. Do without it? Not On My Watch!