Gen Z doesn't want cars

Driving has been an essential part of American culture since cars were invented. It makes sense: Our country is 3,000 miles wide, and a car is needed to traverse it. Longing for freedom, teens squirreled away their pennies to afford their first vehicle; spirit-questing twenty-somethings road-tripped across the country; retired couples saw the sights in weathered RVs. Olivia Rodrigo launched her music career with 2021's "Driver's License," a record-breaking single about the quintessential experience of driving past your crush's house.  

But young Americans may be falling out of love with cars. "Polls, studies and surveys show younger generations are less likely to drive, less likely to have a driver's license, have less access to vehicles, and when they do get behind the wheel, are driving fewer miles," said Business Insider last year. The percentage of U.S. teen drivers has consistently dropped since the 1990s. In our car-dependent country, with just a handful of cities boasting reliable public transportation, this driving rejection may come as a surprise. But should it?

Why young people don't want to drive

To begin with, driving is dangerous. Fatal crashes are increasing and have become the leading cause of death in the United States for people ages 1 to 54. "From 2018 to 2022, the number of deadly accidents in the United States increased by more than 16%," said USA Today. The risk is particularly pronounced for anyone who is not an average-sized male: "Car safety features like seat belts, airbags and dashboards were created to best fit the size of an average man in the 1970s," said The Nation, citing reporting from The New York Times. 

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Cars are also very expensive when you add up the necessary costs to buy, maintain and fuel them. Auto insurance rates have gone up and gas prices are often high. "For a generation already burdened with debt, the bus or ride-sharing might seem like a better option," said Kafui Attoh, a professor at the City University of New York School of Labor and Urban Studies, to The Nation. 

Gen Z is more environmentally conscious than generations past, and many don't want to exacerbate the climate crisis by driving. "Highway vehicles release about 1.5 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year," said the U.S. Department of Energy. "Cars and trucks contribute to nearly 20 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States," added The Nation. "For many young people, the desire for a healthy planet and future can outweigh the appeal of an automobile."

Walkable cities and public transit

Young people seem to crave more good-for-the-planet transportation methods. Electric vehicles, or EVs, may be a common alternative; in a 2023 McKinsey survey, half of European Gen Z consumers said their next vehicle purchase would be an EV. However, this solution might not be enough. "Electric vehicles do not seem to be the catch-all climate solution they are often touted as, with the lithium required for their operation creating a demand for increased mining in already vulnerable environments," said The Nation. 

Many Gen Zers have also lamented America's lack of walkable cities. According to a 2023 survey by the National Association of Realtors, younger U.S. homebuyers "prioritize walkability the most, with 90% of Gen Z and millennial respondents indicating they'd pay more for a home in a walkable community," said an article in Realtor Magazine with details of the survey.

Young people tend to make use of public transit when it's available, but policy shifts are needed to expand these options. "Reducing the need for car travel is better for health, the environment and public safety," said an opinion piece in Scientific American. Cities could "invest in better public transit, including subways and buses with dependable, on-time service" as well as "change zoning laws to allow denser housing … so people can live closer to where they work, attend school or socialize."

Most Americans are still buying cars for now. They are just waiting until later than previous generations to do it. "In 2020, millennials bought more cars than any other demographic in the U.S.," said Business Insider. A potential explanation: Driven out of cities by high rent prices, millennials are moving to sprawling suburbs, where cars are imperative. Daniel Knowles, the author of "Carmageddon: How Cars Make Life Worse and What To Do About It," put it simply: "The turn away from cars is a little like the turn away from marriage and having children. People are waiting much longer to do it, but they are ultimately still doing it."