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Close up driver fastening the seat belt. Person seated behind the steering wheel testing his new car safety. Secure transportation concept. Respecting the road rules and traffic regulations

Zoomers are turning to Uber, Lyft and public transportation more than the generations before them, and it’s part of an upward trend to move away from America’s “car-centric culture.”

The rising generation, born loosely between 1996 and 2012, never looked at the learner’s permit, the license and the new car as novel coming-of-age stages during their teenage years and many are uninterested in getting behind the wheel in their twenties as well.

In 1997, 43 percent of 16-year-olds and 52 percent of 17-year-olds had their driver’s license, The Washington Post noted Monday. “Even older members of Gen Z are lagging behind their millennial counterparts. In 1997, almost 90 percent of 20- to 25 year-olds had licenses; in 2020, it was only 80 percent.”

There are several potential reasons for this shift away from car culture and driving – cost of auto insurance, fear of accidents, environment and climate concerns, comfort with public transportation, and ride sharing apps.