Abstract

1
Why are Teens Motivated to Drive? A Case Study
of Teens in Worcester, MA By Jessica Aker 07,
Professor Hanson and Professor Martin Sponsors

• Abstract
• This research examines the
  spatial mobility of teens. Popular perceptions
  of increasing car usage in the U.S. may be linked
  to teenagers. Yet according to a comparison of
  reports from the Federal Highway Administration
  under the United States Department of
  Transportation for the years 2003 and 2004, teens
  ages 14-19 has remained only 4.7 of the total
  licensed population. To compare this finding
  locally, a survey of teen drivers was conducted
  at the Worcester Academy. Teens opinions about
  what motivates them to drive were compiled. The
  survey also asked teens about their perceptions
  of alternative forms of transportation to driving
  a car, and asked them to rate which type of
  transportation they would consider superior.
  Surveys revealed different results, depending on
  the geographic location of teens. Overall, the
  teens surveyed at the Worcester Academy deemed
  that the convenience and freedom of car was the
  superior form of transportation compared to
  public transit, walking or biking.

• Results and Findings
• Teens who live on campus replied that they like
  living in the Worcester area and walking to
  school.
• Many teens who commute to the school do posses a
  drivers license and prefer to drive themselves,
  yet it seemed that many actually carpooled to
  school with a parent, sibling or friend.
• While many teens responded that they did obtain a
  drivers license for freedom of mobility, some
  also seemed conscious of how a drivers license
  affects their responsibility in time management
  and family obligations.
• While public transportation is not widely used by
  teens for commuting purposes, their perceptions
  of public transit are diverse and usually were
  grouped at a wide range of very positive or
  negative reactions to the idea of using public
  transit in Worcester and the condition of public
  transit in Worcester

In all tables and charts, No Response denotes
that for that particular question, the student
did not answer that particular question. N/A
stands for Not Applicable. .
Problem Statement The spatial mobility of adults
in cities has been monitored for years by several
government agencies within the United States.
Spatial mobility is usually measured by an
adults journey to work. High commute times are
considered an economic loss for both individuals
and employers. Because of this focus on work,
however, there have been few official studies
conducted about the spatial mobility of teens.
With the increasing amount of attention drawn to
teens through the media as a potential extension
of the US economic system, the journey of teens
to school should also be considered. This study
serves two main purposes 1) To measure the
spatial mobility of teens to school- how far they
travel, how far they are willing to travel and
why. 2) To understand why many teens at the
Worcester Academy have felt the need to obtain a
drivers license over using other forms of
transportation such as public transit, walking or
biking.
In parenthesis are the total percentages of each
response per question. Table 11a.1-Number of
Drivers Licenses Obtained by Juniors Yes
No 60(61) 38(39) No Response
0(0) Table 11a.2-Number of
Drivers Licenses Obtained by Seniors Yes
No 68(67) 24(24)
No Response 10 (9) Table 19a.1-
Frequency of Use on Public Transit Juniors Daily
Weekly Monthly 1(1) 2(2)
3 (3) Never No Response 89
(91) 3(3) Table 19a.2- Frequency of
Use on Public Transit Seniors Daily Weekly
Monthly 4(4) 2(2)
0(0) Never No Response
92 (90) 4(4)
Study Site The Worcester Academy in Worcester,
Massachusetts, was chosen as the study site for
several reasons. It is a small private school
with a total of 482 out of 632 students enrolled
in the Upper School. These students range from
grades 9-12, with an addition of a small group of
students who are postgraduates wishing to
continue their education. The student body is
geographically diverse, with many commuter
students from surrounding towns in Massachusetts
as well as a small population of international
students that live in dorms throughout the school
year. Its location in Worcester is central, and
is a short distance form many stores and service
areas such as the Worcester Bus Terminal.
Methods Surveys were given to the Juniors and
Seniors of the Worcester Academy because they
could become a sample group for study. A letter
was sent to the Headmaster of the Worcester
Academy, asking his permission to carry out the
study. The Head of the Upper School became the
advisor to this study. 98 Juniors and 102
Seniors responded to the surveys. In each grade,
there were between 5-7 surveys left completely
blank. These were discarded because they did not
contribute at all to the computation of data
overall for both grades. Surveys were
distributed with parental consent forms in all
advising packets for the Junior and Senior
classes. The students were not required to get
the parental consent form signed if they already
turned 18. The study was confidential, and all
papers were dropped in a box designated for
collecting surveys upon completion. The surveys
consist of various parts. First, there is a
disclaimer giving instructions and rights to the
students who agreed to fill out the survey.
Questions 1-8 pertain to modes of transportation
used by teens to go between school and home in
their first two years of high school. Questions
9-13 ask about the conditions and dynamics of the
teens family. These questions are meant to give
insight into certain factors that might have
influenced the process of deciding to get a
license. Questions 14-24 target various factors
that may have led to a decision to obtain or not
obtain a license and/or car. The last 2
questions in this section focus on the teens
views of public transit and other forms of
transportation. All questions till question 24
were a mixture of open ended and close ended
questions. Questions 25-26 are closed ended
questions that allowed for basic demographic
analysis of those who were surveyed. The results
of the surveys were then compared to national
data about how many teens drive and why they
decide to drive. These comparisons can be
applied to other situations similar to that of
the Worcester Academys in future studies because
of its easy, confidential distribution of surveys
on both small and large levels. This study was
considered a low psychological risk for
participants because of its confidential nature.
Sources Federal Highway Administration. Highway
Statistics 2003 and Highway Statistics 2004.
lthttp//www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs03/htm/dl20
.htmgt and lthttp//www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs0
4/htm/dl20.htmgt. US Department of
Transportation. Safety Facts 2004. 30 January
2006 lthttp//www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA
/TSFAnn/TSF2004.pdfgt The Worcester Academy Logo
and site picture are from http//www.worcesteracad
emy.org/ All figures and tables were complied by
the author from survey responses. Pictures of
cars in Worcester by author.