NewCarAmerica Blog

There was an interesting article in the New York Times Business section on 2/25/08.  It seems that there are fewer 16 year olds behind the wheel than there used to be.  In the last decade, the proportion of 16-year-olds nationwide who hold driver’s licenses has dropped from nearly half to less than one-third, according to statistics from the Federal Highway Administration.  The national rate of licensed 16-year-olds dropped to 29.8 percent in 2006 from 43.8 percent in 1998, according to the Federal Highway Administration. The Times cites tighter state laws, increases in insurance and a shift to more costly private driver’s instructional services from the traditional school sponsored driver’s  ed. courses. Graduated driver-licensing laws, which delay awarding a full license until a teenager spends time with a parent or driving under certain conditions, are keeping down the number of 16-year-olds on the road.   Parents used to be able to add their young drivers to their policies for a nominal charge, but it now costs 80 – 100% more to add a 16-year-old to a family’s auto policy.  The highest rate is charged if the teenager owns a vehicle.  And the available High School programs have dwindled to budget cuts.  The article quotes Naomi Drew, author of “Peaceful Parents, Peaceful Kids,” which studied family lifestyles.  “The roads are angrier these days,” she said. “Parents are worried for their children’s safety.”