In a recent New York Times article it says that Americans are driving less, mostly because of economic reasons and a new emphasis on public transportation. The article says that because of raising costs of student loans, and the cost of living in major cities, more Millennials are using bikes and public transportation.
The cost of upkeep on a car is significantly higher, and then when adding in the cost of gas, it makes much more economic sense for someone just out of college to avoid owning a car.
The article also says that, in general, Americans are forming their own households later in life than the previous generation, but once Millennials do settle down the rate they will drive is expected to go up.
The other argument that the article makes is based on technology. It says that because there are renting services like Zip-Car that let customers pay a small fee and rent a car for a day, people are less likely to own cars.
The story also notes that some Millennials would rather hang out with their friends online instead of driving to their house to be with them in person. Also “rideshare” services like Uber make it even easier for Millennials to not need a car.
The last argument that the article makes is cultural. Millennials’ cultural preferences are changing, and the value they place on cars has declined, the article said. Now they place much more value on smartphones and laptops over cars.
All these arguments come together to show that in the future Americans who prefer to use cars will fall off dramatically, and cars themselves will become much less prevalent.
This is a shame because to me cars, to many Americans, have come to represent freedom, and having a driver’s license is a major milestone in a teenager’s life. Now instead of being driven around by a parent or a sibling, one is free to drive wherever they want.
This is what cars represent. It is not how nice they are or how fast they can go, but it is the feeling and freedom of driving. The cost may be on the rise for Millennials, but as a millennial myself I would not trade my car for a bus or train any day because the feeling of driving is just too much fun to ignore.
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