Maryland Auto Insurance: Facebook Trumps Driving
Turning 16 used to be a rite of passage. It was the age where you finally got your license, your new car, and could cruise off into the sunset without your parents. It was immortalized in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and other teen flicks. Now, however, Generation Y is emerging as slightly apathetic. This post is provided by Advantage Maryland Auto Insurance.
According to a study by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, 80% of teenagers had a driver’s license by 18. Today, the number has decreased to 65%. One estimate by the Connecticut DMV said less than half of all 17 year olds had a license, a decline of nearly 10% in three years.
There have been multiple reasons attributed to this. The difficult economy makes teens more risk adverse and less likely to get a car. Graduated driving restrictions have place all sorts of limits on their first few months of driving, ranging from curfews and passenger limit to even pushing back the age when people can drive a car. And then there’s Facebook.
The study at University of Michigan also found drivers who spent more time on Facebook tool longer on average to get their license. Social networking and technology are reducing teen’s desire to have a drivers license. Maybe it is the greater sense of connectivity- teenagers don’t need to drive to their friends house when they can tweet, post, poke, plus one, or like them. It may be a simple shift of focus- teens could be more excited about the latest smartphone or iPad than a vehicle.
The Advantage Group offers Maryland Auto Insurance in Carroll County, Westminster, Anne Arundel County, Glen Burnie, Baltimore County and Frederick. For more information on our Maryland auto coverages and to see how we can provide you and your family with the insurance you need, call or email us, or fill in the convenient form on this page. We look forward to hearing from you!
