Why should they drive a snowplow when the chauffeur service known as parents will?
"In Mass., fewer teen accidents and drivers; Stricter rules in the state led to drop" by Todd Wallack | Globe Staff, November 05, 2013
The number of accidents involving newly licensed teenagers has dropped by half since Massachusetts raised the training requirements for young drivers and boosted penalties for teens who speed or commit other infractions.
That good news gives transportation officials ample reason to crow about the law’s impact. But state data reviewed by the Globe suggest the biggest reason for the drop in crashes may come as a surprise: It is that fewer teens are on the road — the number of 16- and 17-year-olds with a Massachusetts driver’s license has plunged.
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For many teens already ambivalent about learning to drive, the increased cost and time of obtaining a license has persuaded many to delay what was once a traditional rite of passage for 16-year-olds.
“This younger generation for whatever reason appears to be more willing to accept biking and public transportation as a mode of transportation,” said Michael A. Knodler Jr., a civil engineering professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who has studied driver safety.
But in Massachusetts, most of the drop in young drivers occurred right after the law went into effect, giving teens who were anxious about driving another excuse to put it off.
Abbey Morse, a 17-year-old high school student from Medford, waited five months after she turned 16 to get her learner’s permit and is not sure when she will get her license. She said she might wait until she turns 18, when she will no longer be legally required to take driver’s education and can learn with her family when she is ready.
“I think in general, I just prefer to be the passenger,” said Morse, who relies on family and friends for rides. “It just seems very stressful to drive.”
Some state transportation officials did not anticipate that the new law would prompt so many teens to put off getting their license, but said it was important to make sure drivers have training before getting behind the wheel. After all, Massachusetts already had tougher regulations for young drivers than many other states.
“Driving is not a right,” said Rachel Kaprielian, who oversees the state’s Registry of Motor Vehicles. “It’s a privilege.”
Actually, it is a privilege if you look at the founder's intent; however, it's no surprise a 21st-century state authority in AmeriKa would feel that way.
American roads have also become safer in recent years because of safer cars, increased attention to drunken driving and other hazards, the high price of gas, and a weak economy, which has encouraged many motorists to drive fewer miles. As a result, accident rates have fallen nationwide for drivers of all ages, including those in Massachusetts.
But the drop in accidents has been particularly stark among young drivers in Massachusetts — because there are fewer teens behind the wheel, and those who do get their license appear to be driving more carefully....
Kaprielian attributed the shrinking gap in accident rates to the increased training and stiffer penalties for “junior operators.”
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Kaprielian, the Massachusetts registrar, would not say whether she thought the state should increase the driving age in Massachusetts or take other steps to make the law stricter. But she said she is happy that accidents have gone down since the rules were toughened six years ago.
“This is proof positive that the [2007] law is working,” she said.
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UPDATE: Norwood teen pleads not guilty in hit-and-run death
I suppose you should feel grateful that they got off the couch to go for a ride:
"US mobility for young adults falls to 50-year low; Many putting off big decisions in sluggish economy" by Hope Yen | Associated Press, November 15, 2013
WASHINGTON — Mobility for young adults in the United States has fallen to its lowest level over the past 50 years as cash-strapped 20-somethings shun home-buying and refrain from major moves in a weak job market.
The new 2013 figures from the Census Bureau, which reversed earlier signs of recovery, underscore the impact of the sluggish economy on young people, many of them college graduates, whom demographers sometimes refer to as ‘‘Generation Wait.’’
Burdened with college debt, toiling in low-wage jobs, they are delaying careers, marriage, and having children. Waiting anxiously for their lucky break, they are staying put and doubling up with roommates or living with Mom and Dad, unable to make long-term plans or commit to buying a home — let alone pay a mortgage.
Many understood after the 2007-2009 recession that times would be tough. But few say they expected to be in economic limbo more than four years later.
‘‘I’m constantly looking for other jobs,’’ says Jeremy Bills, 27, of Nashville, Tenn., who graduated from Vanderbilt University in May 2011 with a master’s degree in human and organizational development. Originally from Florida, Bills has stayed put in his college town in hopes of finding a job in management consulting or human resources. Instead, he has mostly found odd jobs, like pulling weeds and dog-sitting.
Bills says he pursued a master’s degree to bolster his credentials after getting a bachelor’s degree in 2008, shortly before the financial meltdown. Instead, he finds himself struggling financially and worrying that the skills he learned in school — where he incurred $20,000 in student loan debt — are atrophying.
‘‘It’s not like riding a bicycle,” Bills said. “You can’t just jump into a career position so many years after training.’’
Related: Sunday Globe Specials: Ma$ter's Degree
I think it's funny.
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‘‘Young adulthood has grown much more complex and protracted, with a huge number struggling to reach financial independence,’’ said Mark Mather, an associate vice president at the private Population Reference Bureau. ‘‘Many will get there, but at much later ages than we’ve seen in the past. More and more, we’re seeing many young adults routinely wait until their 30s to leave the parental nest.’’
The decline in migration among young adults is being driven by a drop in local moves within a county, which fell to the lowest level on record.
Related: Moving on the Economy
Also see: May Day: Soaring Confidence in AmeriKan Economy
More like a soaring pile of bull shit.
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William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution who analyzed the figures, said, ‘‘Many young adults, especially those without college degrees, are still stuck in place. For them, low mobility might be more than a temporary lull and could turn into the ‘new normal.’ ’’
I hope the debt enslavement was worth it, kids.
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