Substantial Drop In Teenage Drivers' License Applications Recorded In U.S.

(AHN) - Fewer American teenagers are applying for driver's licenses. Data from the Federal Highway Administration showed that in 2006 teenage drivers comprised only 29.8 percent of total American motorists, versus 43.8 percent in 1998.

Numerous factors account for the decline. It includes more stringent state regulations on teenage driving, increasing insurance premiums, the shift towards expensive private driving schools from school driving lessons, more parents willing to drive their kids and the Internet which took the teenagers' attention from the steering wheel to the mouse.

Many high school driving programs have stopped because of the high cost of operations. Only 20 percent of schools now have a driving program, a substantial decline from 90 percent in the 1980s. In turn, commercial driving schools have proliferated, but at a pricier $400 tag per course, said Allen Robinson, chief executive of the American Driver and Traffic Education Association.

Fewer parents are also inclined to allow their teenagers to start learning how to drive early because of the rising incidents of road rage. Teresa Sheffer of Bethlehem, Georgia, explained to the Houston Chronicle her misgivings about allowing her teen daughter to take the wheels. "Cars are lethal weapons and I want to make sure she has the experience she needs, and know what can happen when you don't pay attention."

While American teens are less interested in driving, U.S. motorists traveled more via land transportation in 2006, logging over 3 million miles. It is double the national mileage in 1980 and quadruple compared to 1957. Total vehicle registration also continued to go up, despite escalating fuel prices. Including motorcycles, there were 244 million vehicles registered in the U.S. in 2006.