Kids find independence from their parents without the costs of driving, though safety risks remain
Teens are taking to suburban streets across the U.S. while skipping a classic rite of passage: driving a car.
Instead, their families are spending as much as $3,000 on electric bicycles, the battery-powered vehicles that offer the convenience of traditional bikes without the sweat or strain that comes with unassisted pedaling.
Often the car is the one their parents used to drive, but the parents upgrade and the kid gets the old one. Technically it could be sold, but nobody considers that money, while the ebike is bought new (not many ebikes on the used market yet) and thus does cost real money. Nobody considers the cost of insurance or gas for the car too even though parents pay that and complain about it (do not confuse complain/talk with considering)