Teen Driving: Facts and Statistics

TEEN DRIVING: FACTS AND STATISTICS

FATALITIES

·        Motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 cause of death among teens in the U.S.

·        The fatality rate for drivers age 16 to 19 is four times that of drivers age 25 to 69 years

·        The crash fatality rate (crash fatalities/100,000 population) is highest for 16- to 17-year-olds within the first six months after getting their license — and remains high through age 24

·        The top three predictors for fatality are non-use of seat belts, teen drivers and roads with speed limits of 45 mph or higher

·        Approximately two-thirds of teen passenger deaths (ages 13 to 19) occur when other teenagers are driving

 

CRASHES

·        In their first year on the road, teens are almost 10 times more likely to be in a crash

·        20 percent of 11th graders report being in a crash as a driver in the past year

·        25 percent of 9th graders report being in a crash as a passenger in their lifetimes

·        Crash risk increases incrementally with each mile per hour over the speed limit

·        Current data on crashes involving 16-year-old drivers shows that having multiple teenage passengers in the vehicle is twice as likely to cause a fatal crash as alcohol-impaired driving

·        Crashes are more common among young drivers than any other age group. In the United States, 1 in 4 crash fatalities involve someone 16 to 24 years old, nearly twice as high as other age groups

 

PARENTAL INFLUENCE

·        66 percent of teens say they care about their parents’ opinion on cell phone use while driving

·        56 percent of teens rely on their parents to learn how to drive

 

DISTRACTION

·        90 percent of teens see passenger behavior that distracts the driver

SPEEDING

·        Nearly half of teens report seeing passengers encouraging drivers to speed at least sometimes

·        Half of teen drivers report driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit at least sometimes

CELL PHONE USE

·        Nine out of 10 teens reported it was common to see teens driving while talking on a cell phone

SEAT BELT USE

·        Teens have the lowest seat belt use rates of any age group, leading to deadly consequences

·        Only 65 percent of teens consistently wear their seat belts as both a driver and passenger

·        Six out of 10 drivers ages 16 to 20 who were killed in crashes were unrestrained

·        Almost two out of three teens killed as occupants of motor vehicles are unrestrained

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

·        Teens are actually less likely than adults to get behind the wheel after drinking, but when they do, their risk of crashing is far greater

·        53 percent of teens saw substance use behind the wheel at least sometimes