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Have we reached 'peak car'?

Mother Nature Network - Chris Turner -- I spent my high school years in
a small, sprawling city in northern Ontario. Cars were everything. You spent your first couple years bumming rides or else freezing your tail off at a bus stop waiting for once-every-hour escape to wherever your friends were, and then you got your license (within a week of your 16th birthday, if you could manage it) and you were free.

For boys in particular, your place in the social hierarchy was defined by the kind of car your parents lent you and your ease of access to it. ...

The pivotal stats, as recounted by the Atlantic’s Jordan Weissmann, are these: less than half of potential drivers age 19 or younger had a license in 2008, down from nearly two-thirds in 1998. The fraction of 20-to-24-year-olds with a license has also dropped. And according to

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Submitted May 27, 2012 By: carrek

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leraar2 Champion Author Massachusetts Posts:3,774 Points:789,630 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: May 29, 2012 2:14:45 AM Ignore leraar2 Report Abuse depends where you live. my cousin (born 1948) never needed apply for a license. lived near public transportation every (5 minutes 24 hrs/day). location: Holland.
DrCashFlow Champion Author Massachusetts Posts:7,075 Points:1,629,095 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: May 29, 2012 1:42:55 AM Ignore DrCashFlow Report Abuse Sure hope so. And the fewer high school drivers on the road, the better for everybody.
TXRanger09 Champion Author Dallas Posts:2,515 Points:893,105 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: May 28, 2012 9:33:25 AM Ignore TXRanger09 Report Abuse Noticing more young adults on scooters. Haven't inquired why, or if these little getabouts are just a second vehicle. The insurence can't be much and fuel even less. Could this be the beginning of a frugal generation? Maybe not by choice.
cheapchickKY Champion Author Lexington Posts:4,027 Points:798,240 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 11:53:56 PM Ignore cheapchickKY Report Abuse No mass transit here, a license is a necessity.
frostyWV Champion Author West Virginia Posts:2,339 Points:519,235 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 11:34:46 PM Ignore frostyWV Report Abuse seems like it.
ExplorerWA Champion Author Washington Posts:4,092 Points:799,180 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 11:05:37 PM Ignore ExplorerWA Report Abuse Cost of insurance and price of gas would seem to be a big factor.
alterman156 Champion Author New York Posts:7,495 Points:1,558,725 Joined:Dec 2008	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 9:59:46 PM Ignore alterman156 Report Abuse We may have reached "peak car' for now. Many teens are not getting a driver's license thanks to the economy, socializing online, etc.
MImusicman Champion Author Michigan Posts:1,883 Points:409,625 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 8:39:44 PM Ignore MImusicman Report Abuse Years ago, the economy was better, teens could get jobs easier, gas AND INSURANCE was cheaper, the motivation to drive/independence was different, and there were less single parent/income homes. Now there's more sports/activities, money is not as easy to come by, things are a lot more expensive (gas, ins., repairs), more single parent/income homes.
AuntJaime Champion Author New Jersey Posts:2,869 Points:401,310 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 8:29:34 PM Ignore AuntJaime Report Abuse When I got my license at 18, gas was under a buck a gallon. No one could stop me from driving!
kishoreCA Champion Author Ventura Posts:3,129 Points:394,845 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 7:33:25 PM Ignore kishoreCA Report Abuse good article and a related article - Driving? No thanks, say teens For a variety of reasons, 16-year-olds prefer texting to getting a driver's license. That keeps dad's taxi on the road, but there are definite advantages.
AKmailman Champion Author Alaska Posts:5,643 Points:1,559,515 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 7:24:27 PM Ignore AKmailman Report Abuse as long as the industry continues to produce "clone" cars their purchase will decline - people still want a "real" car
nj2000ng Champion Author Houston Posts:1,507 Points:449,020 Joined:Jan 2010	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 7:23:06 PM Ignore nj2000ng Report Abuse I'm still going to have my car.
CorvairHaven Champion Author Cleveland Posts:4,364 Points:1,455,890 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 6:16:06 PM Ignore CorvairHaven Report Abuse This article is a good read. "For the first time since the days of the Studebaker, young people are waiting longer to learn to drive and buying fewer cars." "...GM was so convinced it was all about superficial cool (and GM’s lack thereof) that it hired MTV’s marketeers to give its fleet an extreme makeover." "...evidence that the car-dominated suburban lifestyle that defined 20th-century America is slowly choking on its own success." I don't necessarily agree with all of it, but it is a different perspective for sure.
wildddkattt80 Champion Author Phoenix Posts:2,143 Points:432,145 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 5:27:38 PM Ignore wildddkattt80 Report Abuse k
StArrow68 Champion Author Oakland Posts:3,268 Points:1,363,190 Joined:Apr 2003	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 5:02:03 PM Ignore StArrow68 Report Abuse Having always been suburban and never urban I can only guess what it would be like to be tethered by public transit and living in a small world. As for the demographics, it isn't a surprise that the percentages noted are going down. The Baby Boom is just entering senior hood and the tail end is arriving at the 50's. That shift will have to work its way through to some end. I'm guessing that for many the replacement for a 289 will be a 1.4 or 2.0L some with turbo and time will move on with many enjoying a slightly more expensive freedom on the road.
Suzzoom Champion Author Nevada Posts:2,378 Points:508,090 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 4:48:20 PM Ignore Suzzoom Report Abuse Cars were a lot cooler in those days than they are now. Cruising in a `57 ragtop Chevy--now there's a serious chick magnet!
gizbo123 Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:1,520 Points:1,753,855 Joined:Dec 2005	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 4:25:58 PM Ignore gizbo123 Report Abuse I bought and paid for everything since 16. How you ask? I worked my yess off and had my hand out to nobody. Amazing concept today with all the parasites.
TripleHs Champion Author Austin Posts:3,355 Points:918,840 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 4:25:15 PM Ignore TripleHs Report Abuse "peak car"??? haha anyway, owning a car is expansive, and may have become a little less necessary in many places
Jkent1953 Champion Author Salt Lake City Posts:2,001 Points:442,885 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 4:11:18 PM Ignore Jkent1953 Report Abuse Maybe it is simpler. The unemployment for young people 20-24 is much higher than other age groups. If you don't work, you can't afford a car.
kag2010 Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:5,269 Points:1,022,685 Joined:Apr 2010	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 3:54:25 PM Ignore kag2010 Report Abuse Another myth.
petrpuck All-Star Author Hamilton Posts:559 Points:420,060 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 3:54:00 PM Ignore petrpuck Report Abuse ok
md11capt Champion Author Denver Posts:3,558 Points:711,630 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 3:45:38 PM Ignore md11capt Report Abuse Cars are a hole to throw money down.
walkingtall Champion Author Toronto Posts:4,009 Points:1,123,630 Joined:Nov 2004	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 3:42:06 PM Ignore walkingtall Report Abuse Another myth.
fjkcpa Champion Author Houston Posts:4,529 Points:604,160 Joined:Nov 2005	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 3:35:23 PM Ignore fjkcpa Report Abuse Hmmm???...
kicksoholic Veteran Author San Francisco Posts:307 Points:98,645 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 3:23:36 PM Ignore kicksoholic Report Abuse well, a lot of people in san francisco are relying on public transportation and/or biking to work. so, i can see some truth in the article.
JagXKR Champion Author British Columbia Posts:3,169 Points:1,093,330 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 3:11:51 PM Ignore JagXKR Report Abuse I can ride a bike in the summer but would never attempt it in winter. Had my drivers license since 16 and all of my friends did as well, whether they had they're own car or borrowed their parents.
LanguageMan1 Champion Author Tampa Posts:11,733 Points:1,663,740 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 2:59:01 PM Ignore LanguageMan1 Report Abuse Most likely not yet!
humblepie Champion Author Toledo Posts:34,304 Points:2,373,320 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 2:43:53 PM Ignore humblepie Report Abuse another myth, like peak oil
JR57CA All-Star Author Los Angeles Posts:788 Points:326,125 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 2:33:41 PM Ignore JR57CA Report Abuse Gotta love INSURANCE. Who can afford to drive with that AND the price of gas???
rickone All-Star Author Detroit Posts:550 Points:395,185 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 2:32:46 PM Ignore rickone Report Abuse Interesting - Thanks for posting.
mike1881 Champion Author Fayetteville Posts:1,306 Points:566,375 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 2:10:25 PM Ignore mike1881 Report Abuse If I lived close enough to work, I would definitely walk. Unfortunately, having a car is a necessity of life for me and my wife.