'I didn't really enjoy the idea of it': More teens are putting off learning to drive
At 18 years old, Katherine Franklin is learning to drive. Her mother Amy Franklin is learning to let her.
"It's just the idea that someone you birthed is behind the wheel of a car," she said of the nervousness that grips her.
Amy's daughter Katherine said she didn't feel the need to get her driver's license the moment she turned 16.
"I was really not interested in driving. I didn't really enjoy the idea of it," said Katherine.
These days, more parents are realizing their kids are in no rush to get a driver's license. For Amy who remembers being excited to drive, Katherine's feelings came as a surprise.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, more than 42% of 16-year-olds had driver's licenses in 1993. By 2021, that number was down to just 25%. In the same period, the rate of 18-year-olds with licenses dropped from 72% to just below 60%.
Chad Henry, owner of 3 2 1 Driving School has been teaching teens to drive for nearly three decades and says these days they're more anxious.
"The license is not that rite of passage that it once was," said Henry. "Kids are becoming more and more afraid of doing it."
Anxiety is something several teens without licenses told CBS News Texas was a major factor. Studies have shown today's teens are more prone to it.
"I don't know if you grew up watching like car accidents on TV, or YouTube," Katherine told her mother.
For some, it is easier now to get away without having a driver's license. Ride-share apps like Uber and Lyft are easily available.
Outside of driving fears, the process of getting a license is more difficult than it used to be too. Texas DPS requires more documents than it used to and the estimated wait time to get an appointment at most North Texas DPS offices for a first-time license is more than a month.
Finally, there's the price.
"There's no small cost associated with driving," said Amy Franklin. "Insurance rates have skyrocketed. The idea of having to pay for extra cars is really prohibitive, everything about it is expensive and a little terrifying,"
Americans, though, aren't ready to give up on driving altogether. By the time they're 21, the generational gap has nearly disappeared – a sign they may just be putting off this particular milestone.
