Is three a trend?

legion · 10-10-2010, 07:38 PM

Today at my intermediate pistol class I met the third 15-17 teenage in as many weeks who "isn't interested" in getting a driver's license. In this case it was one of the range instructors' sons. He's 17. He doesn't have a license. He doesn't want one.

I know two 15 year-olds who aren't interested in driver's ed.

When I was 15, I couldn't wait to get my license. Now, I didn't get it until I was 17, but that was because my parents refused to take me to the DMV, not because I didn't want it. (It's a whole 'nother thread on why that was...)

The consensus in the class was that it's a phenomena of the "facebook generation". Maybe.

I can't help but wonder if Illinois driving laws don't play a role as well. When I was 16, when you got your license, that was it, you were a driver, and you could drive anywhere, with anyone, at any time. Now Illinois has a "graduated" driver's license, so new driver's cannot driver people their age or younger (exemption for family members), and there is a curfew. So now you can't legally driver with your friends, and you can't stay out all night. I can't help but wonder now that driving isn't social, it's lost its appeal...

masraum · 10-10-2010, 07:48 PM

There's obviously something wrong with the kids these days on many levels.

mikester · 10-10-2010, 07:57 PM

My bosses kid is a Sr in High School and only recently - BARELY interested in getting his license.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

When I was at that age, the law in NJ was 17 and I turned 17 while an exchange student in Germany. I got home on a Saturday and went to DMV to get my license on Monday. It was THE ultimate freedom. I remember my grandmother and mom going to DMV with me in two cars. They both had VW Rabbit cabrios and my grandmother left hers there with me and went home with my mom before I was even called for the test. They were confident I'd get my license. I never felt like such an adult as driving home from DMV all alone that day.

UconnTim97 · UconnTim97's Garage

It is so much easier to text a friend than to stop by in your car nowadays.
For me, I couldn't wait to get my drivers license when I finally turned sixteen. It was freedom in am AMC Gremlin. Lol

PA is going to stiffer driving rules for teens as well.

KaptKaos · 10-10-2010, 08:07 PM

We infantilize our youth. They graciously accept this by not driving, going to college, living in basements in their 20s, all on their parents dime. If any of these kids HAD to work, I can bet you they'd have their license.

Neilk · 10-10-2010, 08:07 PM

LINK about this in a recent AutoWeek...

crustychief · crustychief's Garage

My 18 Y.O. has no desire to drive. My 15 year old is chomping at the bit though.

Embraer · Embraer's Garage

man....weird. i'm sure there's a correlation between urban vs. non-urban kids. all of my buddies' little brothers are chomping at the bit to drive (and most have been driving in one way or another since they were 13 or so).

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

I think my parents only let me get my license because I worked a lot during school vacations and they weren't always around to chauffeur me. They knew my having a car would mean I'd be sneaking around with my GF every chance I got. Though we were kind of on the outs by the time I got my license.

True story. Because of some arcane civil rights-era law on school busing, I got paid by the state something like $2 per passenger, per trip to drive myself and my sister and her best friend to school. We went to a private school about 20 miles from my house. So I was making around $12 a day doing this and we went on Saturdays too. I had a 1970 BMW 2002 that cost $800 and I more than covered my gas and maint. costs with those checks from the state every few mos. I'm sure I worried my folks to death. But there was nothing better than getting a license in high school.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

I was ready to go and went in as soon as I could....

Helped that I had been tinkering with a 944 for almost a year at this point. I had motivation!

mikester · 10-10-2010, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaptKaos

We infantilize our youth. They graciously accept this by not driving, going to college, living in basements in their 20s, all on their parents dime. If any of these kids HAD to work, I can bet you they'd have their license.

I'm wondering if there are some economic factors in this - I think that fewer teens actually get jobs these days where as you can bet every one of us who has replied here had a job.

I started working to support my desires when I Was 13. Granted - I was building model airplanes and RC cars in a hobby shop but I was still working for someone else, getting paid so I could support my own desires. That hobby shop was just a few miles from my house so I rode my bike.

I ended up working in hobby shops well into my 20s supporting myself almost from when I turned 18. I needed to drive.

One of the reasons I worked in hobby shops was that I couldn't really find any other decent jobs at the time. This was the early 90s right before Clinton. The best I could do outside of the hobby shops was a freaking job at 'subway'. When I got busted for 'closing up early' (my clock said it was closing time as did the clock in the shop) I just walked out and went back to the hobby stores. Same money - much better quality of life.

These days kids into their 20s are having trouble finding jobs. I was just at a friend's son's birthday/going away party. He's going to dental school up in Seattle. He and his friends are in their mid 20s and of course they drive now but one thing that they all were complaining about was finding decent work. They almost all have 4 year degrees. Two work as nannies, one was a manager at a cold stone ice cream shop (business degree) and the others all have pretty lame jobs too.

One of my problems with driving these days is I just don't enjoy cars much anymore.

I have a beater volvo that pisses me off almost every time I drive it - a Prius which is barely a driving experience. I miss my porches but have no desire to maintain a car anymore. If we had better public transit I would use it. I let my coworkers drive us to customers - they are willing to spend the bucks on their 7 series BMWs and what not - I'm not.

Maybe that's it - the cars they would be driving pretty much suck.

I miss my 1983 Mazda B2000.

Embraer · Embraer's Garage

a product of their upbringing.

my first car was my TR4. i got it in 1996, but it wasn't on the road until 2000. i worked my butt off on that car.

i grew up with a dad who worked on cars all of the time....plus growing up in the country didn't hurt. when you're 13, you can only blow so much stuff up before it gets old.

Racerbvd · Racerbvd's Garage

Well, in some states the cost is way high, that might have something to do with it..

Quote:

When I was 15, I couldn't wait to get my license. Now, I didn't get it until I was 17, but that was because my parents refused to take me to the DMV, not because I didn't want it. (It's a whole 'nother thread on why that was...)

My dad wouldn't take me either, didn't want the insurance to go up, so, I borrowed a friends 66 Mustang, went and took the test before school and made it to home room before the bell rang legal

Mothy · Mothy's Garage

In my case it's not money or access to a car - two of my 3 kids had jobs and we have a family beater which gets used by anyone who needs it. Yet they were not interested in learning until they had left school and were 18 or 19.

Mind you, down here you are on Learner licence for 12 months starting aged 16 - must always have a licenced driver with you and not allowed to drive v8 or turbo. At 17 you get a provisional licence and limited to 80kmph(50mph). 3 years later you finally get your full licence.

What we did find was that when they start at 18 the kids learned much quicker, understood all the things going on regarding car control and became reliable but cautious drivers.

It was just a choice thing for them.

WolfeMacleod · 09:37 PM

My girlfriend has custody of her 16 year old nephew.
He "sort of" wants to drive. But has no desire to actually learn how. Opting to spend his days on Twitter and Facebook, and texting instead.

the scary thing? The first time he sat in a driver's seat, he had to ask how to steer.....he's never paid one iota of attention as to how driving is done!

Cdnone1 · 10-10-2010, 09:43 PM

My 16 year old son has no desire to get his license. He takes the public bus to and from school in Santa Monica everyday. He uses his bike or feet to get around the neighborhood. Bikes up to the Y where he is taking his Red Cross Lifeguard.
When I ask him if he wants to drive he say sure eventually but it's just too expensive for gas and parking in LA and all his friends can jump on the bus with their bus passes.
I don't really drive him any where anymore and I'm not in a rush to insure him so I'm fine with it
Steve

look 171 · 10-10-2010, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikester

I'm wondering if there are some economic factors in this - I think that fewer teens actually get jobs these days where as you can bet every one of us who has replied here had a job.

I started working to support my desires when I Was 13. Granted - I was building model airplanes and RC cars in a hobby shop but I was still working for someone else, getting paid so I could support my own desires. That hobby shop was just a few miles from my house so I rode my bike.

I ended up working in hobby shops well into my 20s supporting myself almost from when I turned 18. I needed to drive.

One of the reasons I worked in hobby shops was that I couldn't really find any other decent jobs at the time. This was the early 90s right before Clinton. The best I could do outside of the hobby shops was a freaking job at 'subway'. When I got busted for 'closing up early' (my clock said it was closing time as did the clock in the shop) I just walked out and went back to the hobby stores. Same money - much better quality of life.

These days kids into their 20s are having trouble finding jobs. I was just at a friend's son's birthday/going away party. He's going to dental school up in Seattle. He and his friends are in their mid 20s and of course they drive now but one thing that they all were complaining about was finding decent work. They almost all have 4 year degrees. Two work as nannies, one was a manager at a cold stone ice cream shop (business degree) and the others all have pretty lame jobs too.

One of my problems with driving these days is I just don't enjoy cars much anymore.

I have a beater volvo that pisses me off almost every time I drive it - a Prius which is barely a driving experience. I miss my porches but have no desire to maintain a car anymore. If we had better public transit I would use it. I let my coworkers drive us to customers - they are willing to spend the bucks on their 7 series BMWs and what not - I'm not.

Maybe that's it - the cars they would be driving pretty much suck.

I miss my 1983 Mazda B2000.

That's because all the kid jobs are taken over by older folks who are willing to work for 3 bucks an hour. Many of them are withour a green card or work permits.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

In my hometown we had negative unemployment when I was in high school. In 1988 I was making $7/hr. flipping burgers at Wendy's and we had plenty of female prisoners on work release there too. Ah, those were the days.

DanielDudley · 10-11-2010, 04:29 AM

My Grandfather put me behind the wheel when I was 11. Of course I wanted to drive.