• MSNBC, Thursday, November 4, 2010 10:45 AM

Allison Linn writes that some teens and 20-somethings are opting out of a traditional rite of passage: Owning a car. Several factors are at work, and the economy is certainly one of them. But environmental concerns also play a part, as do this generation's preference for gadgets over combustible engines. Well, at least enough of them to make an intriguing story out of it.

The percentage of new cars sold to 21- to 34-year-olds was nearly 38% in 1985; it's about 27% today. In 2008, 82% of 20- to 24-year-olds had their driver's license, down from more than 87% in 1994.

Karl Brauer, senior analyst and editor-at-large at Edmunds.com, tells Linn that Gen Y generation is thinking more than any other about the repercussions of driving, both in terms of the environment and our dependence on oil. "They don't just wholeheartedly see a car as this cool thing to go get," he says. "There's actually some caveats."

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