A new study led by researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) reveals a striking gap between teens’ desire to drive and their ability to obtain a license, driven not by lack of interest, but likely due to unequal community opportunity. The study, published today in JAMA Pediatrics, found that while most 15-year-olds across a range of communities intend to learn to drive, far fewer teens from low-opportunity neighborhoods ultimately obtain a license.
Driving is a critical milestone for most adolescents, opening doors to education, employment, and social connection. It is also a key public health opportunity: Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems reduce crash risk by guiding teens through supervised, lower-risk driving experiences. However, these protections primarily apply to drivers under age 18, meaning that teens who delay licensure miss out on these safeguards.
To better understand the root of declining licensure rates, researchers linked adolescents’ self-reported driving intentions to neighborhood-level information in a large pediatric network. They used the Childhood Opportunity Index (COI) to measure the environmental conditions of a neighborhood that shape health and development.
The study found strong intention to drive across communities: at age 15, 80% of teens in “very low” opportunity neighborhoods and 89% of teens in “very high” opportunity areas planned to drive. By age 17-18, only 31.6% of teens in low opportunity neighborhoods who intended to drive obtained a permit or license, compared to 91.1% of peers in high opportunity neighborhoods. Notably, the study was conducted in a region with a large public transportation system, underscoring that access to alternatives does not eliminate teens’ desire to drive.
“These findings suggest that declines in teen licensure are not about a lack of motivation but rather are about barriers in getting a license,” said Stephanie Mayne, PhD, first author and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology with Clinical Futures and PolicyLab at CHOP. “Teens across communities want to drive, but many are being left behind.”
These findings highlight an urgent need to address structural barriers, such as cost, access to practice vehicles, availability of supervising drivers, and awareness of training resources, that prevent teens from progressing from intention to licensure.
“Driving should not be a privilege reserved for those with resources—it’s a developmental milestone with implications for safety, independence, and long-term opportunity,” Mayne added. “When teens delay licensure, they often forgo the structured, supervised learning that keeps new drivers safer.”
CHOP has resources available to help parents and teens navigate the learning to drive process. Teen Driving Plan is CHOP’s evidence-based program for supervised driving practice and can be found at teendriversource.research.chop.edu. CHOP primary care patients also receive educational materials on driving and can take the virtual driving assessment at their primary care practice.
This work was supported by the Possibilities Project of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and a gift to CHOP from NJM Insurance Group.
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A new study led by researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) reveals a striking gap between teens’ desire to drive and their ability to obtain a license, driven not by lack of interest, but likely due to unequal community opportunity. The study, published today in JAMA Pediatrics, found that while most 15-year-olds across a range of communities intend to learn to drive, far fewer teens from low-opportunity neighborhoods ultimately obtain a license.
Driving is a critical milestone for most adolescents, opening doors to education, employment, and social connection. It is also a key public health opportunity: Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems reduce crash risk by guiding teens through supervised, lower-risk driving experiences. However, these protections primarily apply to drivers under age 18, meaning that teens who delay licensure miss out on these safeguards.
To better understand the root of declining licensure rates, researchers linked adolescents’ self-reported driving intentions to neighborhood-level information in a large pediatric network. They used the Childhood Opportunity Index (COI) to measure the environmental conditions of a neighborhood that shape health and development.
The study found strong intention to drive across communities: at age 15, 80% of teens in “very low” opportunity neighborhoods and 89% of teens in “very high” opportunity areas planned to drive. By age 17-18, only 31.6% of teens in low opportunity neighborhoods who intended to drive obtained a permit or license, compared to 91.1% of peers in high opportunity neighborhoods. Notably, the study was conducted in a region with a large public transportation system, underscoring that access to alternatives does not eliminate teens’ desire to drive.
“These findings suggest that declines in teen licensure are not about a lack of motivation but rather are about barriers in getting a license,” said Stephanie Mayne, PhD, first author and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology with Clinical Futures and PolicyLab at CHOP. “Teens across communities want to drive, but many are being left behind.”
These findings highlight an urgent need to address structural barriers, such as cost, access to practice vehicles, availability of supervising drivers, and awareness of training resources, that prevent teens from progressing from intention to licensure.
“Driving should not be a privilege reserved for those with resources—it’s a developmental milestone with implications for safety, independence, and long-term opportunity,” Mayne added. “When teens delay licensure, they often forgo the structured, supervised learning that keeps new drivers safer.”
CHOP has resources available to help parents and teens navigate the learning to drive process. Teen Driving Plan is CHOP’s evidence-based program for supervised driving practice and can be found at teendriversource.research.chop.edu. CHOP primary care patients also receive educational materials on driving and can take the virtual driving assessment at their primary care practice.
This work was supported by the Possibilities Project of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and a gift to CHOP from NJM Insurance Group.
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