#488 driving Miss Daisy

In the Time article that I referenced yesterday -- the one I had read to me by a delightful Australian computer voice -- columnist Joel Stein lamented how teenagers today are choosing not to get their driver's licenses.  

Most of the students in my class were at the DMV on their 16th birthday, eagerly awaiting that passport to freedom.  But Stein reports that one-third fewer kids today are getting driver's licenses than in 1983.

The University of Michigan conducted a study to understand this phenomenon -- presumably because the lack of drivers is having a negative impact on car sales.  Fortune recently ran a story on "Why Car Companies Can't Win Young Adults"* and one of the respondents, a 27-year old, wrote that "I absolutely HATE driving."  That sentiment doesn't bode well for Detroit.

But the Michigan study found other reasons to be behind the delay:  1) students reported that they were "too busy" and 2) that they were "able to get transportation from others" (aka their parents).  Stein wonders if it is a sign of "generational depression", whereby the kids would rather stay at home and play video games instead of drive, or whether it is a "fear of the nonvirtual world."  Student affairs staff would undoubtedly add "extended adolescence caused by overprotective helicopter parents", but we'll leave that for another article.

In any case, if teenagers are too busy to even get a license, think about the impact that could have on your organization.  How can we expect them to apply to colleges, let alone conduct a thorough search as to which one would be the right fit?  What about developing healthy stress reduction and time management techniques if they are overbooked at age 16?  (I see a growing market for therapists!)  Or who will fill that seasonal labor demand if the teens are unable to drive to those jobs?

Think of the behavior you are modeling for any teenager in your life.  Independence should be a desirable thing.  Taking risks and testing your freedom are positives.  Booking every minute of your day and leading a frazzled life are not to be emulated.  Maybe you should put the top down and take your teens for an old-fashioned Sunday drive.  The fresh air may do everyone some good.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

"I Brake for Teenage Drivers" by Joel Stein, Time, September 23, 2013 and commentary in Fortune, September 16, 2013.