VOA慢速英语2021--Today’s Teens in No Hurry to Start Driving

The legal age to drive a car in the United States is 16. Getting a driver's license¹ on the day you turn 16 has long been a major life event for many young people in America.

But interest in driving among today's teenagers has dropped sharply² over the past 35 years.

In 1983, 80 percent of 18-year-olds in America had a driver's license -- the document that permits a person to drive a motor vehicle. By 2018, that number had dropped to 61 percent.

Among 16-year-olds, the number decreased from 46 percent in 1983 to 25 percent in 2018.

Those numbers come from the U.S. Federal³ Highway Administration⁴.

This drop in interest in driving began with the millennial⁵ generation and has continued with Generation Z -- people born between 1997 and 2012.

Young people say they have many reasons for delaying or avoiding getting a driver's license. Some choose more environmentally friendly transportation choices. Others find driving to be stressful. And some simply do not care about cars at all.

Celeste Robinson is a high school student who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She depends on friends with cars or public transportation to get around. She describes herself as a worried person and does not like to drive.

"I've tried it and it just feels very hard," Robinson told The Associated Press. "And I do love public transportation, so I plan things very much in advance and make sure I can get a train there."

Sixteen-year-old Kat Wilson is from New Jersey⁶. Her father races cars at local competitions. But she has no interest in driving.

"I hate cars, I don't trust people driving them, especially in New Jersey," Wilson said. "I see a lot of accidents, and it's scary."

Carmakers want to make their vehicles more appealing to young people like Wilson and Robinson. They seek to make cars more interesting to a generation raised on technology.

Mark Rushbrook is global director of Ford⁷ Performance Motorsports. "A big screen" is what today's teen drivers want, he said.

"I think what is important to them is staying connected in a safe way," Rushbrook said. "The vehicle is an extension⁸ of their iPhone or their screen device⁹, they want to stay connected and bring their music and everything else with them into the car."

Mark Reuss is president of General Motors. He said he believes there is still a market for young people who care about more than just their music and connectivity.

"You still have to deliver connectivity in something people love to look at and be seen in," he said. "That generation has not been lost. They still want a great looking car..."

He added, "There's lots of different ways to make cars appealing and that doesn't go away."

Twenty-year-old Cole Kleis attends Colorado State University, where he is studying automotive industry management. He took his first job at a car dealership¹⁰ at age 12 cleaning cars and helping¹¹ in the parts department.

Kleis was given more responsibility over the years. He used his time to learn as much about cars as he could. In his free time, he has been fixing a 1938 car that his great-grandparents once owned. His goal is to one day own a car dealership.

Those in the automobile¹² industry aim to not only identify car fans like Kleis, but also build cars that make other young people more interested in getting their license.

NASCAR driver Ryan Newman is a self-described "car guy." He has a huge building where he keeps his costly¹³, rare vehicles. He learns everything he can about his cars, repairs them back into drivable condition, and knows exactly how they operate.

Newman believes today's young people can learn to love cars the way he does if adults just show them how.

"Get them involved, cars aren't at their fingertips in real life," Newman said. "God gave us our senses to go out and enjoy them and just by enjoying them on a video game is not the right way to do it."

Words in This Story

license -- n. an official document, card, etc., that gives you permission to do, use, or have something

teenager -- n. someone who is between 13 and 19 years old

stressful -- adj. full of or causing stress : making you feel worried or anxious

(in) advance -- n. before something happens

scary -- adj. causing fear

management -- n. the act or skill of controlling and making decisions about a business, department, sports team, etc.

dealership -- n. a business that sells a specified¹⁴ kind of product

at your fingertips - idiom. easily available : easy to find or use

1 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

2 sharply   

adj.锐利地，急速；adv.严厉地，鲜明地

参考例句：

• The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
• Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。

3 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

4 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。

5 millennial   

一千年的，千福年的

参考例句：

• Both Russia and America looked to the future to fulfill their millennial expectations. 俄国和美国都把实现他们黄金时代的希望寄托于未来。
• The millennial generation is celebrating the global commons every day, apparently unmindful of Hardin's warning. 千禧一代显然对哈丁的警告不以为然，每天都在颂扬全球“公地”。

6 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

7 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

8 extension   

n.伸长，扩大，伸展；延长，延期；延长部分，扩大部分；电话分机

参考例句：

• The pupils disliked the extension of the term.小学生们不愿延长学期。
• Our extension is nearly finished.我们的扩建部分已接近完工。

9 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

10 dealership   

n.商品特许经销处

参考例句：

• The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
• A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

13 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

14 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。