Tips for Teen Drivers: The Statistics
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.
“In 2016, 2,433 teens in the United States ages 16–19 were killed and 292,742 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes. That means that six teens ages 16–19 died every day due to motor vehicle crashes and hundreds more were injured.”
Did you know:
- In 2016, 49% of teen deaths from motor vehicle crashes occurred between 3 p.m. and midnight, and 53% occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
- Compared with other age groups, teens have among the lowest rates of seat belt use. In 2017, only 59% of high school students reported they always wear seat belts when riding as passengers.
- At all levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teens than for older drivers.
- Among male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age who were involved in fatal crashes in 2016, 32% were speeding at the time of the crash and 21% had been drinking.
- In 2016, 15% of drivers aged 16 to 20 involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes had a BAC of .08% or higher.
- Summer is the deadliest season for young drivers?
- In summer, 41% of teens drive more often for long periods of time, raising crash risk?
- In summer, 50% of teens drive in the dark more often, raising crash risk?
- In summer, 52% of teen drivers have teen passengers more often, again raising crash risk?
- 1 in 5 high schoolers and 1 in 8 middle schoolers cross the street distracted and it’s super risky?
- 51% of all pedestrian fatalities happen to people ages 15-19?
- Drinking and driving not only affects you, but also someone’s family member or friend you just hit?
- Car crashes are the leading cause of teen death and about 25% involve an underage drinking driver?
- Teens have some of the highest injury rates in pedestrian and bicycle crashes?
- In large truck crashes where one or more deaths result from the crash, 88% of the time it is attributable to driver error by either the car or truck driver?
Distracted pedestrians + distracted drivers = dangerous combo.
You need to pay attention to the road whether walking or driving.
The first five statistics were updated on October 22, 2019.
The remaining statistics are from the original blog posted in May, 2017 and came from National Organizations for Youth Safety.
What you can do:
- Arrive alive. Don’t drink and drive.
- Slow down, go the speed limit.
- Buckle up,
- Don’t drive distracted; no texting, emailing or talking on the phone while driving.
- Limit the number of passengers in your car.
- Pay attention to the road whether walking or driving.
- Come to an agreement with your parents on car rules and passenger safety.
Auto Accidents are a leading cause of Personal Injury
No matter what age we are, we spend a great deal of time in our cars and on the road. We eat in our cars, talk on the phone, text, and check email; we are a society of distracted drivers. It’s no wonder that auto accidents are the leading cause of personal injuries.
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Photo Credit: State Farm Teen Driver via photopin (license)
Note: Parts of this blog including the introduction and statistics were updated on October 22, 2019.
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