Today's Teens in No Hurry to Start Driving
2021-08-11
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1The legal age to drive a car in the United States is 16.
2Getting a driver's license on the day you turn 16 has long been a major life event for many young people in America.
3But interest in driving among today's teenagers has dropped sharply over the past 35 years.
4In 1983, 80 percent of 18-year-olds in America had a driver's license -- the document that permits a person to drive a motor vehicle.
5By 2018, that number had dropped to 61 percent.
6Among 16-year-olds, the number decreased from 46 percent in 1983 to 25 percent in 2018.
7Those numbers come from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration.
8This drop in interest in driving began with the millennial generation and has continued with Generation Z -- people born between 1997 and 2012.
9Young people say they have many reasons for delaying or avoiding getting a driver's license.
10Some choose more environmentally friendly transportation choices. Others find driving to be stressful.
11And some simply do not care about cars at all.
12Celeste Robinson is a high school student who lives in Boston, Massachusetts.
13She depends on friends with cars or public transportation to get around.
14She describes herself as a worried person and does not like to drive.
15"I've tried it and it just feels very hard," Robinson told The Associated Press.
16"And I do love public transportation, so I plan things very much in advance and make sure I can get a train there."
17Sixteen-year-old Kat Wilson is from New Jersey.
18Her father races cars at local competitions.
19But she has no interest in driving.
20"I hate cars, I don't trust people driving them, especially in New Jersey," Wilson said.
21"I see a lot of accidents, and it's scary."
22Carmakers want to make their vehicles more appealing to young people like Wilson and Robinson.
23They seek to make cars more interesting to a generation raised on technology.
24Mark Rushbrook is global director of Ford Performance Motorsports.
25"A big screen" is what today's teen drivers want, he said.
26"I think what is important to them is staying connected in a safe way," Rushbrook said.
27"The vehicle is an extension of their iPhone or their screen device, they want to stay connected and bring their music and everything else with them into the car."
28Mark Reuss is president of General Motors.
29He said he believes there is still a market for young people who care about more than just their music and connectivity.
30"You still have to deliver connectivity in something people love to look at and be seen in," he said.
31"That generation has not been lost. They still want a great looking car..."
32He added, "There's lots of different ways to make cars appealing and that doesn't go away."
33Twenty-year-old Cole Kleis attends Colorado State University, where he is studying automotive industry management.
34He took his first job at a car dealership at age 12 cleaning cars and helping in the parts department.
35Kleis was given more responsibility over the years.
36He used his time to learn as much about cars as he could.
37In his free time, he has been fixing a 1938 car that his great-grandparents once owned.
38His goal is to one day own a car dealership.
39Those in the automobile industry aim to not only identify car fans like Kleis,
40but also build cars that make other young people more interested in getting their license.
41NASCAR driver Ryan Newman is a self-described "car guy."
42He has a huge building where he keeps his costly, rare vehicles.
43He learns everything he can about his cars, repairs them back into drivable condition, and knows exactly how they operate.
44Newman believes today's young people can learn to love cars the way he does if adults just show them how.
45"Get them involved, cars aren't at their fingertips in real life," Newman said.
46"God gave us our senses to go out and enjoy them and just by enjoying them on a video game is not the right way to do it."
47I'm Ashley Thompson.
1The legal age to drive a car in the United States is 16. Getting a driver's license on the day you turn 16 has long been a major life event for many young people in America. 2But interest in driving among today's teenagers has dropped sharply over the past 35 years. 3In 1983, 80 percent of 18-year-olds in America had a driver's license -- the document that permits a person to drive a motor vehicle. By 2018, that number had dropped to 61 percent. 4Among 16-year-olds, the number decreased from 46 percent in 1983 to 25 percent in 2018. 5Those numbers come from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. 6This drop in interest in driving began with the millennial generation and has continued with Generation Z -- people born between 1997 and 2012. 7Young people say they have many reasons for delaying or avoiding getting a driver's license. Some choose more environmentally friendly transportation choices. Others find driving to be stressful. And some simply do not care about cars at all. 8Celeste Robinson is a high school student who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She depends on friends with cars or public transportation to get around. She describes herself as a worried person and does not like to drive. 9"I've tried it and it just feels very hard," Robinson told The Associated Press. "And I do love public transportation, so I plan things very much in advance and make sure I can get a train there." 10Sixteen-year-old Kat Wilson is from New Jersey. Her father races cars at local competitions. But she has no interest in driving. 11"I hate cars, I don't trust people driving them, especially in New Jersey," Wilson said. "I see a lot of accidents, and it's scary." 12Carmakers want to make their vehicles more appealing to young people like Wilson and Robinson. They seek to make cars more interesting to a generation raised on technology. 13Mark Rushbrook is global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. "A big screen" is what today's teen drivers want, he said. 14"I think what is important to them is staying connected in a safe way," Rushbrook said. "The vehicle is an extension of their iPhone or their screen device, they want to stay connected and bring their music and everything else with them into the car." 15Mark Reuss is president of General Motors. He said he believes there is still a market for young people who care about more than just their music and connectivity. 16"You still have to deliver connectivity in something people love to look at and be seen in," he said. "That generation has not been lost. They still want a great looking car..." 17He added, "There's lots of different ways to make cars appealing and that doesn't go away." 18Twenty-year-old Cole Kleis attends Colorado State University, where he is studying automotive industry management. He took his first job at a car dealership at age 12 cleaning cars and helping in the parts department. 19Kleis was given more responsibility over the years. He used his time to learn as much about cars as he could. In his free time, he has been fixing a 1938 car that his great-grandparents once owned. His goal is to one day own a car dealership. 20Those in the automobile industry aim to not only identify car fans like Kleis, but also build cars that make other young people more interested in getting their license. 21NASCAR driver Ryan Newman is a self-described "car guy." He has a huge building where he keeps his costly, rare vehicles. He learns everything he can about his cars, repairs them back into drivable condition, and knows exactly how they operate. 22Newman believes today's young people can learn to love cars the way he does if adults just show them how. 23"Get them involved, cars aren't at their fingertips in real life," Newman said. "God gave us our senses to go out and enjoy them and just by enjoying them on a video game is not the right way to do it." 24I'm Ashley Thompson. 25The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 26What is the legal driving age in your country? Is learning to drive becoming less common among young people where you live? Let us know in the comments section! 27___________________________________________________________ 28Words in This Story 29license -- n. an official document, card, etc., that gives you permission to do, use, or have something 30teenager -- n. someone who is between 13 and 19 years old 31stressful -- adj. full of or causing stress : making you feel worried or anxious 32(in) advance -- n. before something happens 33scary -- adj. causing fear 34management -- n. the act or skill of controlling and making decisions about a business, department, sports team, etc. 35dealership -- n. a business that sells a specified kind of product 36at your fingertips - idiom. easily available : easy to find or use