Agreed. Another possible factor: 15 years ago, most states had full licenses at 16 years old. Now, most states have restricted licenses, that "graduate" into

Agreed. Another possible factor: 15 years ago, most states had full licenses at 16 years old. Now, most states have restricted licenses, that "graduate" into unrestricted licenses by 17 or 18 years old (21 in the case of Maine) [1]. Even then, your unrestricted license can be delayed based on your driving record. I'd guess that the wait and the additional red-tape makes driving in general a less exciting proposition than it was "back in my day". 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver%27s_license_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver%27s_license_in_the_Unit...