The anxiety that overwhelms me before this very moment is almost unbearable. I hate asking for help, especially when being stubbornly independent is one character trait that dictates my personality.
Regardless, I cannot physically walk or bike to the grocery store and lug back forty dollars’ worth of goods to my apartment. Perhaps I will make a note to self to construct a small wagon for future use. I simultaneously laugh and sigh at the imagined picture. I finally swallow my pride, exhale deeply, and walk into the living room where my three roommates are watching television on a Saturday morning.
“Would anyone mind giving me a ride to the store? I will gladly provide some gas money if you’d like.” As soon as the words flood my mouth and spill out, I regret them.
To my immense relief, all three of them say they don’t mind one bit and that I should know this by now, but I still feel like a leech. I sometimes feel like the only 20-year-old college student lacking a car and a license. Am I a total loser now?
Attending Shepherd, a school largely comprised of commuters and individuals who have everyday access to a car, I often wonder how all these people can afford to drive freely. I feel like a complete outsider and it is embarrassing. I wonder, do I even have any real reason to feel this way?
The truth is numerous recent studies have revealed that fewer and fewer young people, including college students, are obtaining their licenses and driving around on four wheels.
Why is this? What does it mean to have the convenience or inconvenience of a vehicle in college?
“The percentage of 19-year-olds in the United States who have driver’s licenses dropped from 87.3 percent in 1983 to 69.5 percent in 2010, according to a study conducted by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute,” as reported by USA Today.
Through the eyes of an individual without a car and a license, I find this difficult to believe. It seems like the majority of students attending Shepherd University have cars and are constantly driving around—even driving to class from the other side of campus.
One reason more young people are abandoning driving is cost.
The Daily Beast wrote, “The costs associated with driving are not insignificant. Filling up continues to be painful—the average gasoline price is $3.47, according to AAA. Then throw in insurance costs, an excise tax depending on what state you live in, and increasingly expensive tolls.”
This logic certainly rings true for me.
The main reason I don’t have a car is not because I am afraid of driving or that I don’t want my license. I continue to struggle to save money for a vehicle and I feel that there is no point for me to have a license when I don’t even have a car to drive around.
Some instances are more inconvenient than others, like the nerve-racking inquiries for rides, but I will continue to save. Hopefully I will be able to purchase a car of my very own sooner rather than later.
I wanted to dig a bit deeper and find out for myself how my peers were able to drive around or why they were not. I decided to focus on those individuals who lived on campus since students living off campus needed transportation of their very own for obvious reasons.
Erin Walsh, a sophomore psychology major, drives a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. The car was bought for her by her parents, she does not pay for insurance and she only pays for the gas sometimes.
She said she would like to pay for gas more often, but her parents insist on providing gas money to her. She likes having a car to be able to get away sometimes and she also doesn’t like to rely on others.
“It makes me feel safer to not have to put my life in someone else’s hands when I can drive myself,” she later said.
On the other end of the spectrum, Nic McDill, a sophomore English major, said he doesn’t have a car because he can’t afford one. He doesn’t mind, though: “It is not inconvenient to not have a car because everything is within walking distance,” he said.
Amanda Sampson, a sophomore English education major, drives a 2012 Subaru Impreza, which she laughingly referred to as a “factory lemon.” Although it had given her some trouble in the beginning, she said she hasn’t had a problem in a long time. She splurged on 80 percent of the car’s cost while her parents helped make up the difference.
She does not pay for her insurance, but she pays for every cent of the gas by herself. She said that it is extremely important for her to have a car while living on campus because she lives six hours away and her parents aren’t very familiar with the area.
Emily Spangler, another sophomore English major, said she drives a 2006 Dodge Caravan that she lovingly named “Big Mama.” The van actually belongs to her mom, but says that she is allowed to drive it while she’s going to school. She doesn’t pay for insurance, but she does pay for the gas while she’s here.
She said, “I probably wouldn’t even need a car if I still lived in the suites, but I need to be able to get groceries now that I live in the apartments.”
Going off of my previously stated predicament, it’s slightly difficult and unrealistic to walk to Food Lion, which is exactly .98 miles away, buy enough groceries to last a couple weeks, and then walk .98 miles back with them.
Honestly, you probably wouldn’t even be able to carry all of them at once.
More than anything, not having a car is an inconvenience. I would love to not have to rely on anyone else. I would love to make a weekend surprise visit home if my current funds would allow it. I would love to drive myself to and from school when I had major breaks.
For now, I will be extremely thankful for the kindness of my roommates and the continued support from my mother who drives all the way to Shepherdstown from Spencer, W.Va. to come pick me up for breaks and takes me back to school afterward.
Although the trend seems to be revealing fewer young people who drive, I think that the results are inconclusive. Regardless of the availability of public transportation, I believe people want to have the freedom that comes with a car albeit the expense that accompanies it.
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