Flower Mound High School student reporter Malik Alhajji wrote in the FMHS Wire on Tuesday, Oct. 6, that fewer teens are getting their driver's licenses at 16. He tied the national trend to life in Flower Mound's car-dependent suburbs.

The numbers are stark. The share of licensed 16-year-olds fell from 46% in 1983 to 26% in 2024, according to a Mercury Insurance analysis of Federal Highway Administration data. Only 44% of 17-year-olds held licenses in 2024.

Alhajji pointed to rising car and insurance costs, packed student schedules and smartphone culture as reasons Flower Mound teens may wait. Students can lean on parents and friends for rides, he wrote, even as they juggle school, jobs and extracurriculars.

The long-term decline has largely leveled off. The 16-year-old licensing rate ticked up from 24% in 2014 to 26% in 2024, the Mercury Insurance analysis found. Among Gen Z adults surveyed in June, 76% of those without a license said they still plan to get one.