Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/86113
CHANGING LANES Crazy Woman Driver By Kay Bell No car, no problem for today's kids. But this anti-auto trend could mean big problems for NASCAR. Detroit has a problem. Apparently these kids today don't give a whit about cars. A recent University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute study found that only 75 percent of 19-year-olds had their driver's licenses in 2008, down from 87 percent in 1983. Wait, it gets worse – the number of licensed 18-, 17- and 16-year-olds is even lower. As someone who absolutely couldn't wait to get her license the second I turned 16, that seems crazy. But those apathetic drivers loom as a problem for NASCAR as well. One of the sport's main attractions is that we spectators have a sense of what our favorite drivers are going through. Admit it, when you're stuck behind a pokey car, you suddenly morph into Jimmie or the Biff and get the urge to announce your presence via the chrome horn. OK, maybe not while you're in your big rig. I know truckers are 26 much safer and more courteous than that. But when you're in your personal vehicle, a little bump and run fantasy is forgivable. That's because we fans are the favorite drivers. Although NASCAR vehicles haven't been stock for ages, our heroes are out there in numbered, decal-covered versions of what we have in our personal garages. That's part of the reason NASCAR is more popular than its open-wheel cousin. All sports know they need that personal connection. The stick- and-ball leagues have programs to foster young players and support community programs. When kids get the NFL or Major League Baseball in their lives, they're more likely to follow the sport as they age and share that love with their own children. In NASCAR, that kind of connection created loyal factions of Chevrolet vs. Ford vs. Dodge SEPTEMBER 2012 // WWW.CHANGINGLANESDIGITAL.COM