Teen Driver Car Crash Statistics

Teenagers and Cars Can Be A Deadly Combination

Before you hand over the car keys to your teenager, know the facts. The leading cause of death among U.S. teens is motor vehicle crashes accounting for 36% of all deaths in this age group. Here are more shocking statistics concerning teenage drivers:

• Unsupervised teen passengers increase the risk of a teen driver wrecking. This risk increases with the amonut of teen passengers.
• Teens are more likely to underestimate hazardous driving conditions or are unable to recognize them at all.
• Teens are more likely to speed and allow shorter distances between cars than any other age group.
• Teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. 10% of high school students surveyed said they rarely ever or never wear a seat belt when riding with someone else.
• It is estimated that on average, for every driver age 15 to 17 killed in a crash, there are nearly two other people who are killed in the accident.

Teen Drivers, Cell Phones, and Texting

• Teen drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal car accident than any other age group. Car accidents remain the number one cause of death of people 16 to 20 years old.
• Talking on a cell phone can double the likelihood of an accident and can slow a young driver's reaction time to that of a 70-year-old.
• The highest degree of distracted driving takes place in the age group below 20 years.
• 56% of teens in general admit to talking on the cell phone while driving and 13% of teens admit to texting while driving.
• 52% of teens age 16 and 17 admit that they make and answer phone calls while driving.
• 34% of teens age 16 and 17 admit that they send and respond to text messages while driving.
• 48% of Americans between 12 and 17 report that they have been in a car when the driver was engaged in text messaging.

2008 Teen Driver Car Crash Statistics

• 5,864 teen drivers ages 15-20 were involved in fatal crashes in 2008.
• Young drivers between 15 and 20 years old accounted for 6.4% (13.2 million) of total drivers on the road in 2008.
• An average of nine teens between 16-19 were killed every day from motor vehicle injuries in 2008.
• 2,739 15-20 year-old drivers were killed and an additional 228,000 were injured in crashes in 2008.
• A total of 4,054 teens between 13-19 died in crashes in 2008.
• 81% of teen car crash fatalities in 2008 were passenger vehicle occupants.
• In 2008, 63% of teenage passenger deaths occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager.
• 20% of teen deaths from car accidents in 2008 occurred between 9 p.m. and midnight. 56% occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
• In 2008, August had the highest number of teenage crash deaths of any month.
• In 2008, 12% of all drivers involved in fatal accidents were young drivers age 15-20 years old.
• 14% of all drivers involved in police-reported crashes were young drivers.
• About 2 out of every 3 teens killed in car accidents in 2008 were male.
• Per mile driven, teen drivers between 16 and 19 are four times more likely to crash than more experienced drivers.
• In a study of crashes involving young drivers from 1998-2007, it was found that:
• 36.9% of people killed in young driver crashes were the young drivers themselves
• 31.4% were passengers of young drivers
• 24.4% were occupants of other vehicles
• 7.0% were non-motorists.
• In 2008, there were 87,004 drivers age 16 and 17 on the roads in Pennsylvania.
• There were 242 fatalities in accidents involving young drivers (ages 15-20) in Pennsylvania in 2008:
• 112 of the deaths were young drivers themselves
• 64 of the deaths were passengers of young drivers
• 52 were occupants of other vehicles involved in the crashes
• 14 of the deaths were non-occupants

2008 Teen Drinking and Driving Statistics

• 25% of drivers ages 15 to 20 who died in car crashes had a BAC of 0.08 or higher in 2008.
• In 2008, 63% of young drunk drivers involved, but not necessarily killed, in fatal crashes weren't wearing seat belts.
• Almost three out of every four teen drivers killed in car crashes after drinking and driving were not wearing a seat belt.

2008 Teen Motorcycle Accident Statistics

• During 2008, 346 young motorcycle riders (age 15-20) were killed and an additional 8,000 were injured.
• 35% of the bikers between 15 and 20 who were fatally injured in crashes in 2008 were not wearing helmets.
• Of the young bikers involved in fatal crashes in 2008, 43% were either unlicensed or driving with an invalid license.
• In 2008, 26% of young male motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes had been drinking at the time of the crash, compared to 13% of young female riders.
• Among bikers ages 16-19 involved in fatal crashes in 2008, 49% were involved in single-vehicle crashes.

2007 Teen Driver Car Crash Statistics

• In 2007, 4,946 teens ages 13 to 19 died in motor vehicle crashes.
• From 1998 to 2007, 36.9% of people killed in young driver crashes were the young drivers themselves, 31.4% were passengers of young drivers, 24.4% were occupants of other vehicles, and 7% were non-motorists.
• Approximately 2 out of every 3 teenagers killed in auto accidents in 2007 were males.
• Teenagers accounted for 10% of the population in the United States in 2007 and accounted for 12% of car accident deaths.
• Teens comprised 14% of passenger vehicle (cars, SUVs, pickups,and vans) occupant deaths among all ages, 7% of pedestrian deaths, 5% of motorcyclist deaths, and 12% of bicyclist deaths
• 61% of teen passenger deaths in 2007 occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager. Among deaths of passengers of all ages, 20% occurred when a teenager was driving.
• In 2007, seat belt use among fatally injured drivers ages 16 to 19 (40%) was higher than among fatally injured drivers ages 20 to 29 (34%) but lower than among drivers 30 and older.
• Among fatally injured 16- to 19-year-old occupants, seat belt use among passengers (31%) was lower than among drivers (40%).
• Among teenage passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal accidents, 48% were involved in single vehicle crashes in 2007.
• The fatality rate per 100,000 people in 2007 peaked at age 19 for male drivers (22.5 per 100,000) and at age 18 for male passengers (12.4 per 100,000). Death rates peaked at age 18 for female drivers (9.5 per 100,000) and at age 17 and 18 for female passengers (7.6 per 100,000).
• In 2007, 55% of motor vehicle crash fatalities among teens occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
• In 2007, 34% of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths occurred between 6 pm and midnight.
• Approximately 18% of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers ages 16 to 17 had BACs (blood alcohol content) of 0.08% or higher in 2006, down 57% since 1982.
• In 2007, fatally injured female teenage drivers were less likely than male teenage drivers to have high BACs. The rate was 22% for males and 11% for females.

2006 Teen Driver Car Crash Statistics

• In 2006, 5,156 teenagers ages 13 to 19 died in motor vehicle crashes.
• About two out of every three teenagers killed in auto accidents in 2006 were males.
• Teenagers accounted for 10% of the U.S. population in 2006 and 12% of car crash fatalities.
• Teens comprised 14% of passenger vehicle (cars, SUVs, pickups,and vans) occupant deaths among all ages, 7% of pedestrian deaths, 4% of motorcyclist deaths, and 10% of bicyclist deaths.
• In 2006, 61% of fatalities among passenger vehicle occupants ages 16-19 were drivers.
• 62% of teen passenger deaths in 2006 occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager. Among deaths of passengers of all ages, 20% occurred when a teenager was driving.
• Among teenage passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal accidents, about half were involved in single vehicle crashes in 2006.
• In 2006, 54% of motor vehicle crash fatalities among teens occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
• In 2006, 34% of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths occurred between 6 pm and midnight.
• Approximately 18% of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers ages 16 to 17 had BACs of 0.08 percent or higher in 2006, down from 57% since 1982.

2005 Teen Driver Car Crash Statistics

• In 2005, 33% of deaths among 13-19-year-olds occured in car crashes – the leading cause of death for that age group in the United States.
• During 2005, almost 400,000 teenagers in auto accidents sustained injuries serious enough to require emergency treatment.
• 16- to 19-year-olds are at the highest risk to be involved in a car accident. This age group is four times more likely than older drivers to crash.
• In 2005, teenagers accounted for 10% of the U.S. population and 12% of crash accident victims.
• Male drivers and passengers ages 16 to 19 were more than 1.5 times more likely than their female peers to be involved in a fatal car crash.
• Of male drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 who were involved in a fatal crash, 38% were speeding and 24% had consumed alcohol.
• In 2005, drivers ages 15 to 20 who died in a motor vehicle accident had a BAC of .08 or higher.
• A 2005 national survey found nearly 30% of teens reported that they had ridden with a driver who had consumed alcohol within the previous month. One in ten reported driving after drinking alcohol within the same period. Among teen drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents after drinking and driving, 74% were unrestrained.
• In 2005, half of the teen deaths from motor vehicle crashes occurred between 3p.m. and midnight. 54% occurred on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.