One in Seven Adults Under Age 40 Aren’t Licensed to Drive

9/6/13

More than one in seven U.S. adults ages 18-39 (15%) do not currently hold a valid driver’s license, and, among these, 22% intend never to obtain one, according to the Transportation Research Institute at the University of Michigan. When asked to name the main reason they don’t currently have a license, these adults are most likely to cite being too busy or not having enough time to go through the process of obtaining one, followed by the high costs of vehicle ownership and maintenance.

Adults under 30 are more likely than those 30-39 to say they don’t have enough time to get a license or that they’re able to depend on other people for transportation. Nondrivers ages 20-39 are four times more likely than those under age 20 to cite a preference for public transportation as the primary reason they don’t have a driver’s license. Women are more likely than men to cite fear or dislike of driving or never having learned to drive as their primary reason for not having a license, while men are more likely than women to cite being able to conduct business online as their primary reason.

Men are also more likely than women to say they never plan to get a driver’s license-27% vs. 19%. Nondrivers age 30 and older are more likely than those under 30 to plan never to get a license.

Among adults 18-39 who currently don’t hold a driver’s license, 16% have had a license at some point in the past. Two-thirds of nondrivers who are married or partnered (66%) say their spouses or partners have a valid driver’s license. Almost half of the study participants (46%) are unmarried/unpartnered, however.

SOURCE: “The Reasons for the Recent Decline in Young Driver Licensing in the U.S.,” August 2013, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Brandon Schoettle, Project Manager, Human Factors Group, 2901 Baxter Rd., Room 330, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; 734-615-6522; basc@umich.edu; www.umtri.umich.edu. Price: Available online at no charge.

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