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www.theguardian.com/money/2021/apr/05/number-of-yo...d
Consequence of high insurance costs and other things to spend money on?
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One of the causes is that for much of the past year they have had difficulty obtaining their first licence and when they do they cannot take driving lessons. Driving tests have also been suspended.
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Other things to spend on combined with better public transport certainly in urban areas I think. My friend's son who is 20 shows no interest at all in learning despite me offering to pay for the lessons, neither his older sister nor any of his mates except one who has passed his test. I think another one may have started to learn but gave up. My friend's son walks to work so doesn't see the need to have a car although I have explained it is a useful skill to have even if you don't need the licence at the moment. His priorities for money seem to be having the latest smartphone, clothes and whatever comes in pint glasses and short skirts.
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Other things to spend on combined with better public transport certainly in urban areas I think. My friend's son who is 20 shows no interest at all in learning despite me offering to pay for the lessons, neither his older sister nor any of his mates except one who has passed his test. I think another one may have started to learn but gave up. My friend's son walks to work so doesn't see the need to have a car although I have explained it is a useful skill to have even if you don't need the licence at the moment. His priorities for money seem to be having the latest smartphone, clothes and whatever comes in pint glasses and short skirts.
Neither of youngroverbelles has a licence, and I guess that at 38 and 40 now ( where did the time go? ) they won't bother. One lives in Paris, useless having a car that risks being destroyed for whatever protest is going and a metro on the doorstep, and the other near Geneva with excellent transport links, but Frau mutti lives close by and has a car for those shopping trips.
When i was a young man, my interests were the same, except that the only smartphones were a dream on startrek. I didn't take a driving test until my local bobby "suggested" it in Jersey in 1975.
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I don't think car culture is quite as strong amongst the younger generation as it was, perhaps worthy of a discussion. My daughter has no interest in the car provided it works and living in the city Uber is so easy. My son likes cars but is bored by pretty much everything new on sale, in normal price ranges. I have to agree with him, there isn't much to excite amongst usual offerings, everything is competent, comfortable, and ultimately pretty dull. But I think the young generation are connected in so many virtual ways, 24/7 communication, that having to own or borrow a car is simply not as important as it was perhaps.
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Away from metropolitan life, choice
bus: one service every two hours. Takes 90 minutes to do a roundabout 10 miles to Stoke on Trent
taxi (no uber here)
or car : 20 minutes.
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Changed days re- driving & passing your test.
Summer 64 started driving lessons - 87.5p per hour, 16 lessons - passed 1st time Total cost was just under £17 including the Driving Test fee
3 sons - out on the their 17th birthday on coming in from school - 2 passed 1st time, one on 2nd attempt - faultless test apart from leaving it late to brake when someone stepped back on to the road, He was devastated as his twin passed - 3 month wait for a re-sit.
Granddaughter - 16 last week - I wished her a happy birthday & she replied - Thanks ...12 months today I will be out in a car learning to drive!
The desire to learn to drive must be in the genes.
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Although both got a licence aged 17, only one of my sons is remotely interested in cars. The other, aged mid-thirties, is only on his second car, and has yet to buy one himself. He sold his old Peugeot 309 which I bought for £400, had no car while working abroad, and is now in his thirties content with our twenty year old Ford Focus. A stark contrast to my expenditure on cars by the time I was his age.
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2 of my sons are seriously into buying new cars - the twins have an X5 & Panamera (his 2nd!!) and the other an RS4 & 4WD petrol Golf.
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When I was an apprentice we were regularly moved between sites and not having a licence (or a car) would have been a real pain. Some journeys would have needed 2 or more busses and taken well over an hour, in a car about 15 minutes. Our start times varied between 04.30 and 08.30 and at times we were also on the call out rota, add all that into the equation and a car (or motorbike) was essential. Pretty sure all of us had our own transport.
But today take our friends, eldest is a son in his late 20's, never had a license, no interest and since he has always lived in the city since leaving school, going to uni and getting a job, probably has no need. The 2 daughters (mid and early 20's) have both had cars and driven since being 17 even though they have both been to uni.
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Surprising number of adults I work with don't have a licence or have one but don't drive.
They all live in Northampton itself which has at least adequate public transport and/or is walkable - several walk to work at least on some days. On older streets with no drives parking being a pain is another reason to forgo a car.
Living in a dormitory village on the other hand driving is almost inevitable. There's and hourly bus between Northampton and Daventry (and VV) but it's not direct and takes around half an hour. Service is enhanced in the rush hour but last regular bus home leaves at 18:10.
No good if you work after18:00, madcap dash even then.
Driving is easier and work pay for parking. Or I leave the car at the P&R on the edge of town and drive in.
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Our neighbour's sons clearly have no interest in cars, they both drive a Suzuki. But since their day job requires them to drive a tank anything will be a comedown.
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Our neighbour's sons clearly have no interest in cars, they both drive a Suzuki.
Bit of an idiotic comment there Skidpan - the car you drive doesn't show anything about your actual interest in cars.
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Our neighbour's sons clearly have no interest in cars, they both drive a Suzuki.
Bit of an idiotic comment there Skidpan - the car you drive doesn't show anything about your actual interest in cars.
I was not being serious, please not the next comment I made.
Do you have to take everything so seriously.
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Do you have to take everything so seriously.
I don't
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Our neighbour's sons clearly have no interest in cars, they both drive a Suzuki.
Bit of an idiotic comment there Skidpan - the car you drive doesn't show anything about your actual interest in cars.
I thought he might have meant a motorbike.
Anyway, my g-daughters: one just over 19 has passed her test but has no urge or need to own a car; the other approaching 17 intends to do likewise. I can't see either of them attempting any DiY though, as their parents don't either. But the ability to drive may make more kinds of job possible.
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Similar experiences to others. Eldest drives a lot, but has to for work. Plus round here bus services are not thick on the ground. Others live in cities and have had cars but got rid after little use.The cost of Insurance, Tax, Service and MOT pays for a lot of Uber. Also walking distance of centres helps. Trains for visiting us then use our cars if needed. Seems to work well and saves them money and helps to reduce emissions. Personal choice when it comes down to it.
Cheers Concrete
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Others live in cities and have had cars but got rid after little use. The cost of Insurance, Tax, Service and MOT pays for a lot of Uber.
And you may need somewhere to put the thing when not using it - that can cost.
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Others live in cities and have had cars but got rid after little use. The cost of Insurance, Tax, Service and MOT pays for a lot of Uber.
And you may need somewhere to put the thing when not using it - that can cost.
I wondered who would spot that first........well done Andrew, you are correct. Parking is always difficult when we visit. We try to arrive mid afternoon when there is usually space. But it is a great consideration in any town or city.
Cheers Concrete
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I thought he might have meant a motorbike.
You ride a motorbike but drive a car.
Edited by skidpan on 09/04/2021 at 16:05
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Living in rural Dorset you need to be able to drive.
I passed my test within 3 months of my 17th birthday. All our kids were out driving on their birthdays. Two of them passed within a year but my oldest son took four attempts.
Daughter is very lucky and drives a brand-new Evoque, but prefered the Kia Sportage she had before. (Her husband is a Land Rover salesman)
Older son has a BMW 1-series but knows little about it.
Youngest son got the petrol bug. He has had a Golf GTi,, a Nissan 350Z and a BMW 330 Diesel estate.
Now drives a VW van which he has done a lot of work on to convert to a camper. He also has a 900cc Yamaha bike and a 250cc scooter. His friend has a Triumph Dolomite in to which he has installed the engine from a Nissan 200ZX.
There is still plenty of enthusiasm in the sticks.
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