Autonomous autos could mean more young licensees

ANN ARBOR — There is nothing more exciting for many teens than getting their driver’s license, but the percentage of young adults without licenses is on the rise.

According to researchers at the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institution, the percentage of young adults age eighteen or nineteen without licenses is now at 84 percent. A new study from the Institution has shown that the availability of fully autonomous vehicles could increase the demand for private road transportation among young adults.

The study predicts a twenty-eight percent increase for that same under-twenty crowd. Researchers say half the reasons for young adults not having a drivers license – including time constraints and disabilities – would likely no longer be a problem with self-driving vehicles.

[Photo Courtesy University of Michigan]