YOUTH PREFER INTERNET OVER DRIVING

A USA study has found that today’s young people aren’t like youth of the past. Ok, we all know that, but what does it mean? It means for one, they don’t drive as much as their forebears from the 1960s or 1970s for instance. It means they’d rather sit behind a computer screen and surf the internet.

And that’s not just American kids, it’s all over the world, including countries like South Korea, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. One reason put forward is that with the advent of e-mail, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and the all the rest, youngsters just don’t have as much incentive to go out and meet other young people face to face.

We can think of a number of other reasons too, such as an increased fear of road accidents, the high costs associated with motoring activities (have you seen the price of petrol lately?) and parents who drive their kids around more than ever before.

While these trends may be a little concerning for automakers, it doesn’t mean the youth will stop using cars anytime soon. In fact, in developing countries like Mzansi, young people can’t wait to get on the road just as soon as they are licenced.