Gen Z’s white knucklers

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NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Tuesday, May 12th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: And I’m Lindsay Mast.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: teenage drivers.

First dates, first jobs, late-night taco runs—driving used to be the great teenage milestone. Remember when young people counted the days before they could drive?

EICHER: Oh yes, I do. I even had the soundtrack picked out. But for a growing number of Gen Z teens today, getting behind the wheel feels less exciting, and more terrifying.

Here is WORLD associate correspondent Rachel Coyle.

SOUND: [Driving]

RACHEL COYLE: 18-year-old Bella Rowell sits behind the wheel of a Honda Odyssey. Three years ago, she wanted nothing to do with driving.

ROWELL: So I got my permit, but then I struggled to get my hours in and I was just very fearful of driving…

Driving used to be a “rite of passage” into young adulthood. Back in the 80s and 90s, the average age of a newly licensed driver was 16. Now, it’s 18. 

Driving educators say that’s due to finances, lack of motivation, and one increasingly common factor: anxiety.

HANNA: I’ve probably heard the word anxiety more than any other word when I inquire to a parent or to a student…

Ken Hanna owns a driving school in Spartanburg, South Carolina. When he started nearly three decades ago, all his students were teenagers. But over the past few years he’s seen an influx of young adults into their 20s. Many are apprehensive.

Some parents think pushing their teen to drive will only make that fear worse.

HANNA: I think it’s an issue in our society. We see it in the public school system every day. It has nothing to do with driving, it’s just anxiety about doing anything.

Coach Hanna admits to his students that driving is dangerous and scary—especially with their family in tow. Lives are at stake. There’s reason to be cautious.

SOUND: [Driving instruction]

Doug Herbert knows how dangerous driving is. The world-champion drag racer lost two teenage sons in a car accident. He now runs a safe driver training program. He understands why teens are reluctant, and why parents allow it. 

He says putting off getting a license might seem like a good thing, but there’s a downside that parents may not realize.

HERBERT: The problem that we found in a lot of states is that when they delay that, all of a sudden the driver’s training requirements are also dropped or reduced, so they don’t get the amount of training because they figure, "oh, well, now they’re older, they don’t need the training." When in reality, they probably still need the same training.

He’s referring to Graduated Driver Licensing. All states have guidelines in place to safeguard against the greatest risks to new drivers: immaturity and inexperience. The three-phase system begins with the learner’s permit, then moves to an intermediate license that may limit nighttime driving and number of passengers. The final step is a full license.

But in most states the guidelines relax as teens get older. And anxious drivers may need that preparation the most.

Herbert says the solution is more training and driving, not less, regardless of age. And parents need to get involved:

HERBERT: Take your parent hat off and put your coach hat on. Push them a little bit beyond their comfort zone, because that’s when the learning happens.

For anxious teens, courage may start with a parent or trusted adult they can share their fears with. Teen driver Bella Rowell again:

ROWELL: It’s really good to just like talk about what they’re feeling and what, why they’re stressed. Because when you talk about it, I feel like the problem eases and it’s easier to feel that weight going away…

Rowell’s parents decided a gentle nudge might help their daughter. They handed her the keys and buckled into the passenger seat. 

In those terrifying moments behind the wheel, Rowell focused her thoughts on what she tells other new drivers:

ROWELL: Putting your trust not only in yourself, but in God, because He’s got you. Even now, whenever I like, I know I’m getting in the car stressed and frustrated or I’m late to something, I’ll put worship music on and it’s like, "It’s okay. I’ve got it. It’s gonna be all right. Nothing’s gonna happen unless it’s His will."

Coach Hanna says it’s helpful to keep driving sessions brief. And sometimes, it’s best to let another adult or professional do the teaching. But confidence is key.

HANNA: I would want to tell all teenagers that you can do it. It’s very difficult not to have your license in today’s society. I think driving is the absolute best thing that anybody can do, but especially a young person.

Learning to take on challenges in the teenage years prepares young people to face adulthood with that same courage and confidence.

HANNA: It’s cool, it’s the thing to do, it’s helpful, it’s beneficial to everybody. And it’s just, it’s the first real responsibility I think kids have.

Bella Rowell says that driving is just one of many hard things she’ll likely have to do.

ROWELL: It kind of just goes to show that you can do hard things, and yes it’s scary, but you gotta push through.

She sees conquering her fear now as preparation for getting a job, buying a house, and making other difficult decisions down the road.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Rachel Coyle in Boiling Springs, S.C.

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