Table 3 Reasons for delaying licensure among 18- to 20-year-olds not licensed before age 18, in relation to learner permit status at age 18, United States, 2012
Learner permit before 18 thbirthday | All* (n = 458) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Yes (n = 186) | No (n = 271) | ||
% who rated item “Very important reason” or “Somewhat important reason” for not obtaining license sooner | |||
Did not have a car | 33 | 52 | 44 |
Could get around without driving | 31 | 45 | 39 |
Gas was too expensive | 35 | 37 | 36 |
Driving was too expensive | 38 | 34 | 36 |
Just didn’t get around to it | 25 | 42 | 35 |
Could do what I wanted to do without driving | 31 | 32 | 32 |
Was nervous about driving | 24 | 34 | 30 |
Just not very interested in driving | 27 | 30 | 29 |
Had to complete driver education course first | 22 | 33 | 28 |
Getting a license was too expensive | 27 | 26 | 26 |
Parents didn't have time to take me out to practice driving | 21 | 28 | 25 |
Special requirements made it hard to get licensed at younger age | 19 | 26 | 23 |
Too busy to spend time learning how to drive | 18 | 23 | 21 |
Didn't want license with special restrictions that only applied to drivers under a certain age | 14 | 24 | 21 |
Parents wouldn't let me get license sooner | 24 | 17 | 20 |
To avoid having to take driver education | 11 | 24 | 19 |
Could connect with friends online | 15 | 19 | 17 |
Tried to obtain license sooner, but failed test | 13 | 16 | 15 |
Took long time to get appointment for test | 8 | 10 | 10 |