The proportion of licensed drivers among adolescents (aged 18—24 years old) has in the past 15 years decreased in Sweden. In the 1980s a large number of adolescents obtained their driving licence very soon after their 18th birthday, but today, many people wait until later. The main aim of this study is, by the means of a longitudinal study (2002—2009), increase our understanding of what influences young people’s desire to acquire a driving licence but also what opportunities and barriers they perceive in connection with this. Another purpose of this study is to investigate what predicts their licence taking behaviour and intentions using the theoretical model Theory of planned behaviour. The study used a questionnaire sent to a random sample of adolescents (17.5 years) in Sweden on five separate occasions: the fall of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and spring 2009. In total, 6,015 people participated in the study (response rate of 67%). The main finding of the study, covering the whole period, is that virtually all young people intend to take a driving licence at some point in their lives. The majority of young people intend to do this at an early age, around 18—19 years of age. The results show that a large proportion has applied for and received a driver’s permit but substantially less have started their practical training. During 2009 the pattern is changing since fewer applied for the permit and more started driving practice. This would then indicate that young people in 2009 did not wait as long before they began their training after they had received their driver's permit. Adolescents' primary motives for obtaining a licence include increased freedom of movement, reduced dependence on others for their travel and making leisure travel easier. Another important motive is the view that the licence can improve their chances of finding work. The latter reason has become more important in recent years. The main reason for young people not to take a driving licence is lack of time and money. However, these reasons have become less prevalent in recent years. Another important motive is the car's impact on the environment, a motive which has become more important in recent years. The questionnaire also included questions about group pressure and the results show that they believe that their parents to a greater extent than siblings or friends want them to get a driving licence. The results also show that young people are fairly confident that they would pass both the practical and the theoretical test. Most of them have access to a car although the same did not apply to a private tutor who could practice driving with them. The main obstacle which could prevent them from taking a licence is their own economy. The study also investigated whether there are any significant differences between young men and young women. The results show that in general the differences are rather minor and that they vary over time. The differences which are larger, i.e. about 10 per cent, and relatively constant over time, include that young men have more opportunities to walk and cycle, which they also do more often, young men feel more pressure from their friends to get a driving licence while young women feel they have less access to a tutor to practice with and that the lack of free time makes it more difficult for them to take a licence. The car's impact on the environment has become a more important reason for young women not to take a driving licence than for young men. In previous years, young men, more than young women, planned to get a driving licence at an earlier age, but this difference is much smaller in the last two measurement occasions. The same applies to freedom of movement and their own economy where young women tend to score significantly higher than young men. Responsibility for vehicle maintenance is something young men tend to mention more frequently, although the difference is not so great, from 2006 onwards. If they received 10 000 SEK then both young men and young women would spend this on a driving licence, even though the proportion among the latter was lower. At the last measurement the theoretical model, “Theory of planned behavior” (TPB) was used to assess the relationship between various factors and how well they explain young people's behaviour and intentions with regard to licence-taking at an early age. If they had applied for and obtained a driver’s permit was used as a measure of behaviour. The results show that those who applied for and received a permission to drive also intend to take a licence. This means that there is a link between behaviour and intention. The behaviour is also influenced by people around and their belief that it is important to have a licence. Further analysis was also conducted to see what factors influence their future intentions to take a driving licence at an early age. The results show that it is mainly their attitudes towards the aforesaid which predict their intentions. This would then indicate that those who have a positive attitude towards taking a driving licence have a stronger intention. Pressure from others and how easy or difficult it is to obtain a licence also explains their intention, albeit to a lesser extent. Since a positive attitude was found to be an important factor, further analysis was conducted to determine what it meant in more detail. The main issue that explains a positive attitude is if one believes that a driving licence means greater freedom of movement, that they are being seen as adults, that a licence makes it easier for them to get to and from recreational activities and that it increases their chance to get work . With respect to the pressure of others, the results show that this pressure mainly came from parents. Finally, an assessment was made on what could make it easier for young people to obtain a licence. The results show that it is mainly about their own self-image, which in this case is linked to if they think they can manage the practical test or not. Thereafter, access to a car to practice with is important, their own economy, their ability to cope with the theoretical test, enough time and that they have access to a course curriculum are all important factors that could make it easier for them to obtain a driving licence. (Author/publisher) This report may be accessed by Internet users at http://www.vti.se/EPiBrowser/Publikationer%20-%20English/R694Eng.pdf
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