University of Michigan study: Young adults without driver's licenses often say they're too busy for one
Too busy to get a driver's license?
Some survey respondents said they didn't have enough time to get a driver's license.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
A University of Michigan study of 618 adults younger than 40 found that 37 percent of respondents say they don't have enough time to get a driver's license. Younger respondents were more likely to cite busyness than older respondents.
The study also found that 32 percent of respondents said owning and maintaining a car is too expensive and 31 percent said although they don't have a license they're able to receive transportation from others.
Respondents to the study, who didn't have driver's licenses, were more likely to be unemployed and less educated than the general population.
Brandon Schoettle and Michael Sivak of the U-M Transportation Research Institute conducted the U-M study.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
Comments
Bertha Venation
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 6:49 p.m.
I taught myself to drive a stick on my brother's 1964 Malibu SS with a Hurst shifter and heavy duty clutch, because Granny said "You never know what situation you may be in, and the only vehicle available may be a school bus." Sure glad I did, but since the H/R is an automatic.... I get lazy.
Bob Johnson
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 9:44 p.m.
I'll bet you can add INSURANCE & Common-Sense to the list of things these busy-folks have LESS of.
Michael Roth
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : noon
Please spell-check: busyness
Michael Roth
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 5:58 p.m.
OK - way too much coffee!
Michael Roth
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 5:57 p.m.
Thatnks for the correction @Fordie. Never too old to learn a new word, eh?
Fordie
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 1:19 p.m.
They spelled it correctly. Thank you for checking.
Somargie
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 12:54 a.m.
When politics caused Driver's Ed to be removed from High School to turn it into a money making profit driven opportunity for their friends....it began the demise of that "rite of passage" to learn how to drive. Driver's Ed is now split into two expensive different cycles in which the classes are crammed and quality questionable. The students who know how to drive aren't interested because the state of MI have continue to make driving expensive with increased fees and unreasonable insurance costs. When you think about expensive hard to schedule classes, high fees which are really taxes, high insurance costs plus unreasonably expensive driving tickets by law enforcement for such things as turning right on red at some streets plus 2 points on your driving record..why would anyone want to drive anymore in Michigan. The State of MI and its profit-making & tax schemes by its politicians....at every level of the driving experience has done more to destroy not only the driving experience of many but also the future of the car industry.
spaghettimonsters
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 2:17 p.m.
I moved here from IL, and was very surprised by two things regarding driving here: 1) that the state farms out driving tests to private companies (ridiculous!), and 2) that Driver Education is not a required part of school curriculum. Although the absence of DE from the required curriculum *does* explain why this area seems to have the worst drivers I've ever witnessed.
matt1027
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 11:12 p.m.
nerd alert
martini man
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 11:11 p.m.
I am definitely NOT a liberal ..However .. anyone who has ever been to a Secretary of State's office, knows that you have to spend lots of time there to get anything done. Even the U.S. Post Office looks fast, compared to them.
Paul
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 12:02 p.m.
But vote for the R's that cut all social programs and then complain about long lines, lol
blackstarwhitelight
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 1:38 a.m.
You should probably let us know which one you've been going to, so we can continue to avoid it. Since moving here (two visits now), I've spent maybe 1/2 hour tops in line at the SoS (one in Ypsi, one in Belleville). Even statewide, they've really stepped it up. Also, nobody cares if you're a liberal or not, other than you. It's frankly irrelevant to the conversation.
Somargie
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 12:56 a.m.
What does liberal or being a liberal have to do with anything related to this article. Mind-boggling why name calling is appropriate.
drew_blows
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 12:35 a.m.
I never believe someone that makes these claims. I always go to the one on Washtenaw Ave and never spend more than 20 minutes. I could probably be out quicker if the people in just before me had their stuff together and came prepared. SOS does a very good job IMO
Tano
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 12:25 a.m.
Wow. Maybe if you were a bit more of a liberal you would be a bit more in touch with reality. I have been to the SOS office about three times in the last 15 years (that itself is to their great credit - so many routine tasks can be done online) , and I never spent more than 20 minutes there, even though I had a few somewhat complicated things to do. As opposed to years past (in other states) where I often had to spend literally hours in their Motor Vehicle Departments...
Silly Sally
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 12:01 a.m.
The one on Maple often has no lines. Don't go at lunch time
PillowRock
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 10:25 p.m.
Car ownership being too expensive seems to me to be an odd reason not to get a license. Getting a license and buying a car are two different things. Just because you don't own a car doesn't mean that it would never be useful to be able drive.
PillowRock
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 6:10 p.m.
Ann - *Nobody* that I knew bought their first car from anything other than a private owner, although most of the time not from someone that they knew. Back in the day, the Trading Times was a local / regional periodical with which every teen-to-early-20s person was intimately familiar. (Obviously, this was before online anything had taken over from printed classified ads.)
PillowRock
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 6:05 p.m.
spaghettimonsters As a family rule my parents decreed that if their children got licenses they had to purchase independent insurance, and our own vehicles/gas/etc. to boot. ========== Wait, I need a clarification. Are you saying that if you got a license then you were required to buy a car immediately? Or, are you just saying that your parents would neither let you drive their cars nor subsidize your cars? The first one strikes me as being pretty bizarre. The second one, on the other hand, seemed pretty common when I was a teen. (However, most parents that started with that second attitude didn't take long to shift over to letting the kid use their car occasionally because they discovered that it was kinda handy and convenient for them to be able to send the kid on errands instead of going themselves, such as when they ran out of milk.)
spaghettimonsters
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 2:12 p.m.
As a family rule (mind you this was over a decade ago now) my parents decreed that if their children got licenses they had to purchase independent insurance, and our own vehicles/gas/etc. to boot. Consequently, only one of three children had even a license by the time we all entered college. It just wasn't really a priority compared to our competing desires to earn money for our first computers, band trips, language camps, gaming conventions, prom tickets, etc. It really, really helps, though, that we lived in an area with some public transportation to/from which we could easily walk. I wish that everyone were so lucky.
Ann English
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 11:56 p.m.
Right. The first two cars I drove were not ones that I purchased. I did give coworkers rides in those cars and continued to with my first purchased car, purchased from a private owner. Maybe more people should purchase their first cars from private owners, whom they themselves or their relatives know.
UloveM
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 9:46 p.m.
adults younger than 40 ? I remember there is a study found that today's kids (16-20) have less interest to learn to drive.
Paul
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 12:01 p.m.
Yep, why should they, driving used to be somewhat fun, not anymore.
Jaime Magiera
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 9:16 p.m.
This study backs up other research over the past few years showing that automobile driving is becoming less desirable for the upcoming generations. The focus is shifting towards obtaining resources locally and using shared or public transportation. Coincidentally, this also points to why the city is making a good decision in shifting downtown into a more pedestrian/bike oriented environment.
Paul
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 11:58 a.m.
We need more pubic transit, instead we got rovers up on Mars
An Arborigine
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 8:36 p.m.
So many text messages, so little time for driving. Wait, that guy was in front of me today sitting in front of a green light!
tdw
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 10:35 a.m.
texting ?
towncryer
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 10:24 p.m.
seems to be an epidemic lately of that.
Solitude
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 8:34 p.m.
Another consequence of reclassifying things that used to be considered mandatory for a basic high-school education as "extras." Driver's ed used to be offered by high schools during the summer btwn. Jr. and Senior year, and you had to pass it to graduate. Now, kids whose parents don't have the money to pay for outside private driving school get left even farther behind.
Solitude
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 10:51 p.m.
Mine did. When you took it depended on your age, but if you didn't successfully complete it, you didn't graduate. I think the school had a provision for parents to opt out for their kid on the grounds of either religion or physical disability. You didn't have to actually obtain a MI DL after you completed driver's training to graduate, but you had to take and pass the training.
PillowRock
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 10:21 p.m.
My school had driver's ed classes during the school year that met either before or after regular school hours. During the summer, they only ran them at one of the two high schools in the district; so I took it at the other HS. However, I took it the summer between sophomore and junior year. You could get a learner's permit at 15, and then get your actual license as soon as you turned 16. Also, I had never before heard of a school that made driver's ed an actual graduation requirement.
you can't handle the truth
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 8:29 p.m.
What percentage cited past bad decisions that got them into Granholm's driver responsibility program? Or are they just too busy to pay those driver responsibility fines? It is just easier to drive on no license.
Here
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 8:25 p.m.
Did I read the end correctly-- busy doing something, but less likely to be working or going to school?
PillowRock
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 10:13 p.m.
I guess they're busy calling people to ask for rides.
Kellie Woodhouse
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 8:43 p.m.
Yes. Which is very interesting. It's a lesson that often just because people say they're busy doesn't really mean they are- they just perceive themselves to be. And perception is totally influenced by your priorities.
Kellie Woodhouse
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 8:21 p.m.
I found this study to be interesting, because it's essentially a statement of respondent's priorities. Respondents considered themselves busy with other things- things they prioritized over driving.
sayzme
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 8:03 p.m.
This is exactly what North Carolina is banking on!
dsponini
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 1:18 p.m.
@ Loopy - did you not hear the latest voter suppression tactic being used by the Gov of NC? http://www.npr.org/templates/ story/story.php?storyId=211735491 Of course it's already being challenged
Paul
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 11:56 a.m.
Meant to say, stand in line for many hours.
Paul
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 11:56 a.m.
It sure is, limit who votes, how dare they stand in line to cast their votes like they did in the last election.
tdw
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 11:21 a.m.
Loopy, there's also nothing in it that you can't be requied to have one
Loopy
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 1:39 a.m.
There is nothing in the Constitution saying that you must have ID to vote, let alone a photo ID, or a driver's license.
a2citizen
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 7:55 p.m.
From a general safety standpoint i's probably good but I remember when kids made time for drivers ed. It use to be considered a rite of passage.
John
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 1:39 p.m.
Silly Sally - Once again living up to your user name. It's not just about obtaining an ID. It's about stopping early voter (because more dems than repubs vote early), changing hours of polling places, moving polling places, not letting you register the day before to vote, etc.... It's about making it more difficult to vote, those impacted most are poor and minorities. GOP, proving the only way they ever win another election is to stop as many people from voting as possible. I hope we say so long to the future Whig party soon!
Paul
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 11:55 a.m.
Why should we have to pay even $10 to vote ?
Paul
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 11:54 a.m.
Its good ? Then how come folks can not drive on expressways ? Is it in part, cause they learned too late in life how to drive, I believe it is. If nobody rode bicycles until they were 25 years old, how good do you think they be on the bikes ?
Loopy
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 1:37 a.m.
Silly Sally - there are a fair number of older people who've been registered to vote all their lives, who don't have birth certificates because they may have been born at home, and who don't have driver's licenses because they never drove. This especially affects elderly women. What it means to suddenly require a driver's license (or a state photo ID) is to take a person who's been a registered voter before and suddenly tell them they can't vote unless they obtain a form of ID that would be very difficult for them to obtain (especially if their birth certificate was lost or in another state, where they can't go and get it). Really, you're being too dismissive of this. But at least your talking points are in order.
Silly Sally
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 11:58 p.m.
"exactly what North Carolina is banking on" Oh, how silly ignorant, and false. You do not need a driver's license to vote. You need a government issued photo ID. Ever hear of a state ID? They cost about $10 or so and are easy to get. If you have no birth cert, those cost around $10 plus a postage stamp. How many who say that they can't afford this presently have cell phones? Most. Oh, how silly.
Susan Montgomery
Wed, Aug 14, 2013 : 9:03 p.m.
It also used to be available free through the schools, and it no longer is...