Driving school.
Practice.
Driving test.
License.
Then you’re on the road with a car driving around, right? Well for many teens there is a big factor increasing in getting a license; the expense. Most seem to look past the fact that getting a license has a price and that many teens cannot afford it.
Not being able to pay for driving school and then insurance is one thing, but this can cause a chain reaction. No license means no job; of course parents can drive, but then it has to work with their schedule as well. It creates a vicious cycle that makes an impact on every part of an individual’s life.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 1996 to 2012 the number of high-school seniors with licenses dropped by 12% to 73%.
It’s more than just a matter of age when it comes to driving. Teens have said “My life would be so much easier if I can drive. I can’t wait till I’m old enough,” but for another part of the teens, driving is not just the fact that they’re not old enough. It’s the lack of money.
One senior understands. Her family can’t afford the driving process, or even a car.
For many American’s including this senior earning a paycheck is an issue. Walking to work every day becomes an option as well as relying on someone else to give rides.
Along with this comes getting to school. If students miss the bus how do they get to school? Also, families with no car are then unable to go to afterschool activities, or club sports.
High unemployment and the rising costs of driving are putting the brakes on teen driving, says the report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Highway Loss Data Institute.
The study reviewed insurance data on insured teenage drivers and found the drop in teen driving coincided with the prolonged economic slowdown.
Paying for their own cars, gas and insurance is hard if teens can’t find a job. At the same time, kids who count on mom and dad to help them may be out of luck if their parents have been affected by the recession.
What else can be harmed from the decrease of teen drivers? Insurance companies are seeing revenue drop as families delay teen driving.
A Nationwide Insurance report says households have to put out an extra $3,100 each year to allow teens to drive, if they’re even able to afford it. Gas prices are rising, and everything else seems to be getting more expensive as well.
Mary Moore, owner of Greg’s Driving School in Mt. Airy, says her husband and she try very hard to make it affordable. She also states she has seen a decrease in the teens coming in in the past month. Moore has experienced many families asking her if there is a more affordable price for the driving school.
Unfortunately teens will have to wait until they are 18 to get their license because at that age driving school is not required.
