I only know one person that doesn't have a car. But he lives in SF and is close to work and shops and good public transit.
The area I live in is your typical suburbia. You need a car. The grocery store is 1.5 miles away- but it's fairly flat between here and there. There's a state park between my house and where I work so I have to go around it one way or the other- 12 miles each way. And I work at a secured facility at the end of a state highway. Buses don't go there. I could ride a bike, but it snows occasionally here. And gets cold.
But the city is expanding its light rail trains. These are pretty popular and probably actually make money- unlike the buses that are almost always completely empty in this area. If I work in a direction that light rail serviced, I would utilize it. I'd still own a car (or 3) but I wouldn't drive them as much.
I'm also big time in favor of fuel efficient commuter cars. My VUE isn't super efficient but it gets 27 mpg, can carry 4 adults comfortably, can haul 2x4s home from the lumber yard, and has a trailer hitch and roof rack for added utility. Driving my Explorer daily just doesn't make any sense. It does all the things the VUE does but gets a little better than half the mileage while doing it.
I don't really know anyone with kids in this age bracket. But I have a nephew that's just a couple years away, so I'll see how it goes with him. The day I turned 16, it was the longest day of school ever. I couldn't wait to go take my test THAT day.