The major teen rite of passage — getting a driver's license — is losing part of its thrill as high gas prices eat up students' meager incomes.
Some local teens say they only drive when they have to get to school and work. Some haven't gotten their licenses. Bumming a ride is increasingly tricky. And cruising around for fun? Forget it.
"It sucks," said Arenn McDonald, 17, of Cedarcrest High School in Duvall. When he started driving his Honda two years ago, it cost $19 to fill. "It's 35 bucks now," he said. "That's kind of rough."
Beckah Todd, 17, who attends Lake Washington High School, went to every away football game last year. This year, she's only been to one. She used to hop in her car for everything, but "I don't drive much now because it's too expensive. I can barely afford to go between school and home."
Steve Schoeppel says gas curtails teens' entertainment options. "When thinking of something fun to do at night or on the weekend, it is much more limited to things closer to you," he wrote in an essay about the impact of gas prices for Lake Washington teacher Milo Dullum's auto-detailing class. "People don't want to drive and spend a bunch of money just to get somewhere, so many of the things teens do are local and they usually find a way to car pool."
Parents might remember fueling their high-school cars a little at a time, figuring the $5 in their pocket would get them home. But with Seattle-area gas prices averaging $2.65 , a fiver hardly gets kids anywhere.
Gas has increased about 80 cents since January, according to AAA spokeswoman Janet Ray. "That's enough to make an impact. Five or 10 cents a gallon, people can pretty easily absorb that. But now not only people with lower incomes, but also middle incomes, are making choices about how far they drive. Everybody is looking at this."
Seattle resident Dick Stein showed his 16-year-old son, Jeff, techniques such as coasting and not braking hard when teaching him to drive. "Now as the price of gas has gotten higher, he's adopted some of those methods," Stein said. "He became a little more willing to try anything to conserve gas."
Students say they pay anywhere from $25 to $100 a week for gas, a significant chunk out of the pay from their part-time jobs.
Mount Si High School student Amanda Chalmers, 18, spends about $100 a week on gas for her Ford Explorer. A Fall City resident, she drives to school in Snoqualmie and her job in Issaquah. About a fourth of her paycheck goes to gas, she noted in an e-mail to The Times, supplemented by her parents or friends if they're going to the mall or the movies.
Several students said they take turns driving but say "no way" to free rides. "I don't really drive people anymore," said Todd, who often opts to take the bus. "If I do, they're giving me $5 just to get into the car."
Matt Nunez, 18, says more kids try to bum rides, but "I don't really give friends rides to their houses unless they're willing to pay for gas."
Unfortunately, he found that's true for him at home, too. "The other day I was so surprised when my dad filled up his '95 Suburban and the total came to $95," noted the Lake Washington student. "He won't even let me drive it anymore due to the cost of gas."
Stephanie Dunnewind: sdunnewind@seattletimes.com or 206-464-2091.
