Achieving Transportation Equity: How Can We Support Young People's Autonomy and Health in a Rapidly Changing Society?

Earning a driver's license has historically been described as a rite of passage for young people, signifying a key transition toward greater independence, but the freedom to drive unsupervised also marks the time period when crash rates among young drivers are at their highest. Prior research has shown an emerging trend of later licensure, such that young people are earning driver's licenses at older ages and that sociodemographic factors such as being a member of a racial minority group and having lower family economic status contributed to later licensure. Factors that place teens at a disadvantage for independent mobility can be concerning if they have a negative downstream effect. A delay in licensure that perpetuates or otherwise confers health inequities is problematic. In addition, delaying long enough to "age-out" of graduated driver licensure provisions may take away needed protection. In a new study among emerging adults, Gao et al found that promptly moving through licensure was associated with "better self-reported health, higher education, and more working hours four years after leaving high school," compared with emerging adults who were not licensed as soon as they were age-eligible, even after adjusting for important sociodemographic variables.