The loser cruiser takes on a new cachet

According to "Teen drivers running on empty," subtitled "$4 gas is now taking the joy out of the ride," from the Boston Globe:

Indeed, when pollsters asked teens what three issues most concern them this election year, the price of gasoline topped the list, followed by global warming and then the war in Iraq, according to a survey conducted this spring by TRU, a youth-focused market research firm in Illinois.

"The driver's license is an important milestone for teens," says TRU's Rob Callender. "It symbolizes freedom, fun, coming of age. With gas prices being as high as they are they feel their freedom is being eroded simply because they can't take advantage of it."

Not surprisingly, teenagers who pay for gasoline themselves feel the pinch more than those whose parents pitch in. Gayleen Conover, 19, drives her parents' car while she's home in Brookline for the summer. "If I really need gas when I'm in the car, I buy it," she says. "I don't buy more than $20 worth of gas."

Arlington County's transportation division has a Teen Transit Advisory Board, and has produced a special transit users guide for adolescents.