Plan B Forum

The number of young people learning to drive has plummeted... because the internet means they have less places to go, research had revealed.

Academics have found that the amount of driving licenses handed out to people in their teens, 20s and 30s has decreased significantly over the past three decades in nations where internet usage is high.

Since the end of World War II, getting a driver's license has been a rite of passage for teenagers as it gave them the freedom to see their friends without parental supervision.

But in a watershed moment for drivers the world over, young people are increasingly using social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, to keep in touch with friends rather than driving somewhere to meet face-to-face, researchers say.

University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute found that 69 per cent of American 17-year-olds had driver's licenses in 1983 - a figure that dropped to 50 per cent by 2008.

Meanwhile among Americans aged 20 to 24 in 1983, nearly 92 percent had driver's licenses. Twenty-five years later, it was 82 percent.

Even among 35- to 39-year-olds, there was a 3.2 percent decline in the share of licensed drivers.

Researchers say that virtual contact through the Internet and other electronic means is reducing the need for face-to-face visits among young people.

Michael Sivak, co-author of the Michigan studies, said in countries where "more people use the Internet, there is a lower proportion of drivers."

A recent study in 14 countries found seven of them had experienced a similar decrease in the share of young people with driver's licenses: Sweden, Norway, Britain, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Germany.

Compared to the other countries that did not experience declines, the study found four characteristics common to the countries where young people are driving less: They are wealthier, a high share of the population is older, a high share of the population lives in very large cities and a high share of the population uses the Internet.

"For generations, the automobile has typified freedom. At 16, many people wanted to get their driver's license because that was the way people connected with their friends."
Gloria Bergquist
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

There is not enough information to say for certain that teens and younger adults are replacing trips with social networking and other Internet usage, but 'there is strong data supporting this hypothesis,' Sivak said. The institute's research is paid for with federal, state and auto industry contributions

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The number of young people learning to drive has plummeted... because the internet means they have less places to go, research had revealed.