Washington — Nearly every culture has a recognized turning point between childhood and adulthood, when rules must be learned, tests passed, talismans awarded. In the United States, for the past half-century, the iconic rite of passage for a teenager has been this: You take your driver's test. You get your license. You slide behind the wheel and drive into the grown-up world.
In the past, the car in question usually belonged to Mom or Dad, but increasingly the cars teens drive are their own. Even parents who hadn't planned to buy their children cars feel pressure to do so -- not only from the new drivers in their household, but also from other parents and from their own busy schedules.
According to CNW Marketing Research, which tracks national purchasing trends, 41 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States own cars, up from 23 percent in 1985. The percentage of parents who pay for those cars has also risen.
One reason parents are willing to spend the money is safety, according to Art Spinella of CNW. If their child is going to have a car, they want it to have air bags and anti-lock brakes. Another reason, he believes, is indulgence.
"Baby boomers are trying as hard as they can to not so much be parents as be friends with their kids," he said. "That translates into buying them a car instead of letting them buy their own car. It translates into buying them a new vehicle instead of getting them a used one and letting them do the work on it."
But some parents are resisting the trend. Julie Sussman, of Centreville, Va., decided that her son Chad, a high school freshman, will not get a license -- let alone a car -- when he turns 16 next year. He won't even drive until he turns 17 and becomes an Eagle Scout, his parents told him.
"Everyone I know who has a child who is driving has bought their child a car," Sussman said. "I don't judge them, but they all say to me, 'So, you're going to be getting Chad a car?' and I say, 'No, we're not getting Chad a car.'"
Their reaction: Yeah, right. Sure.
"Why am I defending myself?" she asked. "This is crazy. It should be the other way. I should be saying to them, 'Why are you letting them drive?' "
Fifteen-year-old Chad Sussman, of Centreville, Va., knows his mother, Julie Sussman, won't let him drive until he is 17. Julie said she is baffled by parents who say to their child, "You're 15 1/2 -- here are the keys to a car."
Pressure can weigh on 16-year-olds, whose crash rate is almost three times higher than that of 18- and 19-year-olds.
"They're the worst in terms of overreacting to a surprising situation," said Carolyn Gorman, vice president of the Insurance Information Institute. "Suppose a deer jumps out in front of them. They just don't know what to do."
As teenagers' car ownership rate rises, so does their pickiness. "Just having a car isn't enough in many circumstances," Spinella said. He said that one of the most popular cars among high school students is the Cadillac Escalade, a large sport utility vehicle that averages $50,000. "It's on MTV a lot -- they see a lot of music folks driving them," he said. "It's become kind of a teen cult idol car."
Chad said he has accepted his parents' decision, although it has caused some ribbing from his friends. "They usually say, 'Ha, ha,' or 'That really stinks for you,' " he said. "But I'd just rather be alive than driving, and I don't really trust my friends on the road."
Still, in his fantasy, Chad would drive a Corvette. But he is his parents' son, so when the time comes, he said, his ride will be "more likely something like a Volvo."
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