"Just released official data show that Americans drove a billion fewer miles in April 2012 compared to April 2011, despite a slightly better economy. It's now well known that Americans, led by youth, have been reducing their driving since the middle of last decade. Less known is that the biggest shift away from driving comes from young men, the demographic group traditionally most obsessed with cars." - John (bird whisperer) from Bookmarklet

"Comparing this data between the sexes provides new insights on the broader shift. Men of all age groups still drive more miles than women, largely because they are more likely to commute to a job. But young men reduced their miles more than twice as fast as their female counterparts between 2001 and 2009. Vehicles miles travelled by women fell by over 13 percent during this period to an average of 7,111 miles in 2010. Miles driven by men during these years fell from 12,434 to 8,769, a drop of 29.5 percent. The standard bearers for America's obsession with driving are now leading the charge against it. Young men have even become less likely than young women to hold a driver's license. Back in 2000, men of every age group were more likely than women to have a driver's license. But by 2010, men were less likely than women to have a driver's license for every youth age group. Overall, the number of Americans 14-64 years of age without a driver's license rose from 21 percent in 2000 to 26 percent in 2012." - John (bird whisperer)

"Regardless of the gender mix behind the wheel, lawmakers need to catch up with the times. This week the U.S. House and Senate agreed on a multi-year transportation spending bill that turns the clock back by further prioritizing highways over other modes of travel. Congress should stop trying to enlarge their grandfather's highway system and should instead focus investment on improving transit and other transportation alternatives. The infrastructure that gets built today will mostly be used in the decades ahead by today's youth. And James Dean isn't among them." - John (bird whisperer)