Why Teens are Not Learning to Drive
Photo Credit: Nasta Dragun
For many, getting a driver’s license at sixteen is a rite of passage, providing freedom for teens to go wherever they want. However, fewer and fewer teenagers are getting their license. In California, teens can get their driver’s license at the age of sixteen after having a permit for six months. Although sixteen has long been the age of getting a driver’s license, many teens nowadays are choosing not to drive. In fact, in 2021, only 25.3% of sixteen-year-olds got their license. This number is drastically lower than the 46% of sixteen-year-olds who got their driver’s license in 1983.
Although at legal driving age, Jenna Cuseo ’25 does not have her driver’s license. She explained, “I don’t think I can add driving to my plate right now.” In order for a minor to get their license in California, they must take a thirty hour online training course, pass a written test, take six hours of behind the wheel training with a professional, have at least fifty hours of driving experience, and then finally take a behind-the-wheel test. Needless to say, it takes a lot of work to get a driver’s license as a minor.
High school students already have a lot on their plate and it can be difficult to find both the time and motivation to get a driver’s license. Harper Gowen ’26 agrees with Cuseo, saying, “I have a lot [going on] in my junior year. I am not in a rush to get it, especially because I know if you’re 18, you don’t have to go through the online thing.” Gowen is right. People over the age of eighteen do not have to complete the thirty-hour online training nor the six-hour behind-the-wheel training. The permit test is also shorter for individuals who are eighteen and older than it is for minors. All these factors make waiting to get a license until legal adulthood a more appealing option for many teens.
The immense time commitment is not the only reason teens are waiting to learn how to drive. Fear and anxiety around driving also contributes to the lack of young drivers. Cuseo noted, “it seems kind of scary… it makes me anxious.” For many, the idea of driving can be terrifying, especially when looking at the rate of car accidents. Although people of all ages get in car crashes, teenagers between the age of 16 and 17 are more likely to be in accidents than any other age demographic. June Baehler ’27 admitted that part of the reason she has not started the process of driving is because she is scared. She says, “Driving is scary because you’re in a death machine, like you can kill someone, somebody can kill you.” Although there are a lot of unknown and scary variables when driving, by following the laws of the road and staying alert, these risk factors become more manageable and accidents are less likely to occur.
While both fear and time commitment affect the number of teens getting their license, there is also a general recognition by many teens that they simply don’t need a driver’s license to get where they want to go. Cuseo, Gowen, and Baehler all mentioned that they have other methods of getting places and that a driver’s license is not necessary for them. All three mention that their parents are typically able to drive them places and when parents are not available to drive, there are other options such as public transit and ride shares. With the popularity of Uber and Lyft, teenagers can get almost anywhere they want without having to drive themselves. This may be one of the biggest contributors to teens not getting their license: sometimes there is simply no need to drive, especially in a large city like Los Angeles that has many alternative modes of transportation.
Despite some teens’ hesitation towards driving, many choose to get a license at some point in their lives, often in the summer before entering college. Cuseo, Gowen, and Baehler all expressed their intentions to get a driver’'s license at some point in the near future, and despite their nerves, they are excited to do so.