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LAMacroGuy's avatar

When I was in high school, it just seemed like it was a right of passage to get my drivers license after taking drivers Ed. I wonder how much of this is due to high schools not offering drivers Ed anymore.

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Keith Geiselman's avatar

Great thoughts on deeper value shifts. I also wonder about the impact of shifting from free or low cost school based classes (esp. summer school) to for-profit, private companies in the 90's(?).

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Mike Males's avatar

I, too, am fascinated with generational comparisons. Start with grossly cumbersome, useless "graduated driver licensing" laws adopted in all states from 1995 to 2006 that drastically delay 16-17-year-old licensing and may well established more dangerous, long-term license-less driving among 18-19 year-olds as well. See: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1104325

See also poverty aspects, as the cost of buying and maintaining a car has risen rapidly relative to incomes, especially sub-minimum wages to which millions of teens are subjected:

https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(20)30220-2/fulltext

We are seeing increased efforts to shove teens out of public life, including driving, via curfews, bans, etc. This likely is not a Millennial and Gen Z trend so much as it is an elder-forced trend.

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Louise Stevenson's avatar

This is so interesting and with five teen/adult children between us I have seen this shift even just within our own family.

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Bob's avatar

I took Drivers Ed in high school when I was 15. I got my license when I turned 16. Do high schools offer drivers education anymore?

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