Drivers aged 18 to 24 said they would choose Internet access over owning a car.

Many young consumers today just do not care that much about cars.

That is a major shift from the days when the car stood at the center of youth culture and wheels served as the ultimate gateway to freedom and independence. Young drivers proudly parked Impalas at a drive-in movie theater, lusted over cherry red Camaros as the ultimate sign of rebellion or saved up for a Volkswagen Beetle on which to splash bumper stickers and peace signs. Today Facebook, Twitter and text messaging allow teenagers and 20-somethings to connect without wheels. High gas prices and environmental concerns don’t help matters.

“They think of a car as a giant bummer,” said Mr. Martin. “Think about your dashboard. It’s filled with nothing but bad news.”

There is data to support Mr. Martin’s observations. In 2008, 46.3 percent of potential drivers 19 years old and younger had drivers’ licenses, compared with 64.4 percent in 1998, according to the Federal Highway Administration, and drivers ages 21 to 30 drove 12 percent fewer miles in 2009 than they did in 1995.

Forty-six percent of drivers aged 18 to 24 said they would choose Internet access over owning a car, according to the research firm Gartner.

As Young Lose Interest in Cars, G.M. Turns to MTV for Help

www.nytimes.com...

Iam 43 years old and the internet is something I never want to do with out. If I had to pick cable over WI FI ....WI FI would win....I need my car to get to work to pay for this wonderful connection........

reply to post by zbeliever


You need a virtual car that get's you from A-B , thus keeping your internet and getting to work also

I've driven very little in the last few years. Have a bike to get around most places. Being without my 4g skyrocket, and FIOS? No way in hell, man!

You can see how this impacts the US oil consumption to some degree. Haven't we declined about 4 million barrels per day over the last few years

reply to post by Droidinvoid


Other than declining profits for car manufacturers, this is a great development!

Less cars = less pollution, less congestion, more physical activity to get from point A to B, less deaths from accidents, no need to pay for auto insurance... the list is endless.

We live in a modern world where everything we need is just around the corner
Cars are redundant, slow and cumbersome.
We need new modes of transportation
preferably by air.

Im 46 and already done w car =) Ideal loose the GPS cell phones also

Naah can't be right...we all know young people today are fat, lazy, stupid and ignorant about the world. You really think they'd rather walk, bike or carpool to get around? And that the environmental and economic problems that come along with cars may have them more concerned with having constant high-speed access to information?


Wait a minute...could all the geriatric fools on ATS be completely full of crap and know nothing about young people??

I have a theory that driving ages the person, I don't drive and am in my forties , no grey hair , fit with no beer belly, yet friends the same age who have driven for 20 years plus look very old for there age, are overweight and also seem very pessimistic of life in general . I understand that driving can tax a persons nerves on a long journey , having to be alert at the best of times , the hidden stress involved may well be masked by the driver , but the impact on the person's health over a life time of driving must play some part in how they look and feel.

less cars, less pollution. less pollution, more internet zombies. balance is a great thing.

reply to post by Droidinvoid


I would so give up my internet, wi-fi, satellite TV and cell phone if I had my dream car sitting in my garage; the black, Smokey and the Bandit Trans-Am with my own personalized plates of "Yum-Yum." Yeah, anyone got one to sell me? Hmmm....and I think for a 44 yr old cougar I'd looked pretty cute in it...

Sounds like the 18 to 24 yr olds surveyed are a pack of dope's that dont know what the world is or what real friends are.

Its a sad sad world when people would rather sit infront of a computer instead of getting out in the REAL world.

Well im logging off now so i can go kick a REAL ball around in the REAL park with my REAL mates and afterwards im going to have a REAL beer at a REAL pub and play some pool /8ball.

Enjoy your virtual world 18-24s.
As im going out to enjoy the beauty of the REAL world around us.

Todays generation REALLY has lost the plot.

All I can say is that they have the wrong car.

I love my car; I will never trade it off unless times are so hard I have to. Feeling it pull me back into the seat makes me smile far more than the internet. Don't get me wrong I love the net, but at this point I would drop the net before getting rid of my car.

Raist

reply to post by WozaMeathed


I'm 29, and have REAL friends I skype who are from all over the world. I do this while listening to music and browsing the web and chatting via txt and IM.

Spent years being bored out my skull drinking in a bar with uninteresting people. Done with that. Waste of time!


Kicking around the ball? No thanks, I crossfit, swim, bike, sky dive and rock climb.

Have fun with your idea of reality!

reply to post by Droidinvoid


I believe a large amount of that are genes. My father who is in his 70's might have thinning hair but it is still mostly blond. I have a few grays at 36 but less than 5 of them. My mother had grays in her 50's she is not full grey only a few years younger than my father.

I am fit, I ride a bike in the warmer months, I also stay active for the most part. I have driven since 16, and I work on my car when I have extra cash and time. Actually in May I will be spending several days maybe a week working on my car.

I still act young, feel young (aside from some aches and pains of a body that is not as young as I would like it to be and even those are caused due to injury of activity), and I drive it like I stole it


Raist

reply to post by WozaMeathed


People have buses, trains, taxis, bikes etc
Driving a car is no big deal.

Another factor we have to consider, you gotta remember it's not easy for young people to pay for a car, driving lessons, fuel etc in this economy, especially if they are unemployed.

Internet access is MUCH cheaper than a car, you can stay in your warm house using the net, visiting your friends. You don't have to worry about crashing or being late with the net or buying insurance for it. I think it's very logical. Besides, I'll bet most of the people interviewed live in cities that have busses.