Why teens aren't driving as much as they used to

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published August 8, 2025 at 8:43 AM PDT

Alex Lockhart, left, and Mikayla Green, watch the sunset on top of a car. (Jay LaPrete/AP)

When you were a teen, did you jump at the opportunity to get your license? If so, you’re different from many young people these days.

According to a study from 2020, nearly 40% of teenagers delayed getting their license by one to two years. Thirty percent put it off for even longer than that. It’s part of a long-term trend of young people saying no to driving over the past two decades.

We dive into why that is with Angelina Ault, a 20-year-old who doesn’t drive, and Dr. Federico Vaca, professor and executive vice chair of the Emergency Medicine School of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine.

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This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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