BMV Records Show Ohio Has Fewer Teenage Drivers

Fewer Ohio teens are obtaining their driver’s licenses, in a trend related to economic and other factors.

A Dayton Daily News analysis of Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles records finds the state saw a 9 percent drop in 16- and 17-year-old licensed drivers from 2006 to 2010. The number of Ohio 18-year-olds with licenses fell 4.7 percent.

University of Dayton history professor John Heitmann says teens may be waiting to drive because the economy has made it harder for them to find jobs. He adds that technology has given them texting, Facebook and other ways to feel connected with their friends without having to get behind the wheel.

Heitmann teaches a class called “The Automobile and American Life” and has written a book by the same name.