Strategic Insights: Letting the Millennials Drive

US Army War College Press

Dr. Leonard Wong In the preface to the Army’s Operating Concept, General David Perkins, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, counsels that as the Army prepares for the future, “We must not be consumed with focusing solely on avoiding risk, but build[ing] leaders and institutions that recognize and leverage opportunities.”1 Indeed, the complex world in which the future force will operate demands that the junior leaders of today—the Millennials—be developed into tomorrow’s future leaders capable of exercising aggressive, independent, and disciplined initiative. Today’s Millennials, however, are coming out of an American society that has become increasingly uneasy about potential danger and progressively intolerant to risk. For example, in days gone by, a driver’s license was a traditional rite of passage in the journey to becoming an adult. It was a tangible symbol of freedom and independence that gave teens the ability to get themselves to a part-time job, get home from sports practices, or just cruise around on Friday nights. Even if the likelihood of buying their own car was near zero and the family car was mostly off limits, teens still worked diligently through the process of getting a license regardless. Not so today. There has been an incredible shift in this country in the percentage of young people obtaining their driver’s licenses. For example, in 1983, 46.2% of all 16-year-olds had a driver’s license. In 2008, the percentage had dropped to 31.1%. By 2014, astonishingly only 24.5% of 16-year-olds had a license2—that’s a 20% drop in the last three decades. Similarly, the percentage of American high school seniors who reported having a driver's license declined from 85% in 1996 to an unbelievable 73% in 2010.3 Of course, some explain this trend by pointing out that Millennials these days have less incentive to travel because they are constantly tethered to their smartphones and can easily stay in touch with peers through social media. However, past generations of teens were also glued to screens (but on TVs) and also had phones (albeit antiquated landlines), but that didn’t stop them from getting their licenses as soon as possible. Others point to the growth of graduated licensing programs that require more driving experience before teens can obtain full driving privileges. True, but even these programs and their added conditions do not prohibit young people from getting their licenses at age 16. Finally, some will blame the economy and the cost of insurance as insurmountable obstacles in the pursuit of a license. While the economy is certainly a factor, analysis of another youth transportation trend suggests that perhaps a more subtle shift in parental attitudes is at play. A recent national survey conducted by YouGov, a global research company, found that 8% of Americans do not know how to ride a bicycle. While just 5% of those 55 and older lack that skill, a surprising 13% of those 18 to 34 do not know how to ride.4 Why is learning how to ride a bike—a key initiation rite for nearly all children—becoming a less universal experience for the Millennial generation? Laying the blame for this trend on increased technology or tightened budgets in a tough economy is not so easy. Our society’s approach toward developing young people has fundamentally changed. It appears that fewer of today’s youth are learning how to ride a bike—or how to drive a car—because of two underlying reasons. First, as a society, we are becoming increasingly risk averse. The thought of an impetuous child guiding a two-wheeler unsteadily around the block (even wearing a helmet) or a headstrong adolescent sitting behind the wheel of the family car (with tunes blaring) brings to mind the possibility of ill-advised decisions, potential kidnappings, avoidable crashes, and inevitable heartache. Never mind that improved vehicle designs and safety technology have brought auto fatality risks to record ...