Throughout the United States, it is well known that teenagers and those in early adulthood are considered negligent and inferior drivers compared to those who are older than them. Amy Best points out that young drivers receive much more, if not virtually all, media attention in assigning blame for car accidents (Best 660). While dangerous driving by teens is a concern, recent studies have shown that in general, teens are getting their licenses later and driving less than in the past. While this may seem positive due to the discussed dangers of teen driving, it leads one to wonder where it comes from. In the past, a driver's license represented independence and freedom obtained only at the peak of adulthood, but now most are waiting to obtain this "license" of independence (Copeland). In the past, this desire for independence was a driving force among American youth, but that is no longer the case. Today, due to new technological, economic and social reasons, teenagers obtain their licenses at a later age than previous generations. Nowadays, with new technologies popping up every day, teenagers are distracted by technology. In every form of their lives, technology is present. The Pew Internet Report reports its findings on teens and technology. In the vast majority of adolescents, 95% use the Internet and as many as 78% have a cell phone. When asked how often they use various mediums to communicate or socialize with the people in their lives, 77% of 17-year-olds said they use texting every day to maintain contact with the people in their lives. Compared to that, only 34% of this age group shares…half of the paper…lifestyle habits or lack thereof of today's teens and young adults. Works CitedBest, Amy L. “Teen Driving As Public Drama: Statistics, Risks, and the Social Construction of Youth as a Public Problem.” Journal of Youth Studies 11.6 (2008): 651-669. Academic research completed. Network. May 4, 2014.Copeland, Larry. “A lot of teenagers getting their driver's license.” United States today. 04 December 2013. Web. 05 May 2014. Daniels, Joyce. "Driving forces". Research Review 42.4 (2011): 1-2. University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute Research Information and Publications Center, Fall 2011. Web. May 5, 2014. Lenhart, et al. “Teenagers and cell phones”. Pew Research Center, Washington, DC (April 20, 2010), Web. May 6, 2014. Nilles, Melissa. “Technology is destroying the quality of human interaction.” The UCSB final result. UCSanta Barbara, January 24, 2012. Web. May 10 2014.