Art, hate to be a spoilsport, but there may be class and economic factors in play here. In particular I'm wondering about the availability of Drivers' Education classes for poorer folks. When I went to high school Drivers' Ed, including behind the wheel training, was part of basic (=free) curriculum. You had to pay your license fee and find a car for your test, not much of a barrier even if the family didn't own a car. Now, in Madison at least, there is no free public training that I'm aware of, and drivers' ed courses cost $400-$500. Not to mention you have to get the student to the classes, which are not at the school. I'd expect there to be some option for low-income students, but I haven't seen one for this. If kids are choosing to forego drivers' licenses, fine. But a driver's license is an economic resource and a requirement for many jobs. If the people not getting licenses are predominantly lower income, I can't see this as good news. If somebody has solid information about who's not getting licenses or why, I would appreciate your sharing it.
------------ Patrick Lenon From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2012 16:37:46 -0500 Subject: [Bikies] Encouraging news - Young Americans Less Likely to Drive http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/young-americans-drive-16082310#.T34H_XpYSfE Young Americans Less Likely to Drive By JOAN LOWY Associated Press WASHINGTON April 5, 2012 (AP) The share of people in their teens, 20s and 30s with driver's licenses is dropping. It's a trend seen not only in the United States, but in other wealthy nations as well. Recent studies at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute show the share of 16- to 39-year-olds with driver's licenses declined markedly between 1983 and 2008. The greatest decreases were among drivers in their late teens and early 20s. For example, among Americans aged 20 to 24 in 1983, nearly 92 percent had driver's licenses. Twenty-five years later, the share fell to 82 percent. Researchers say that cyber contact may be reducing the need for young people to socialize face-to-face. Other possible factors include the economy and more young people choosing to live in cities. Arthur Ross, Pedestrian-Bicycle Coordinator City of Madison, Traffic Engineering Division 215 Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., Suite 100 PO Box 2986 Madison, WI 53701-2986 _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
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