Teen Driving & Fatality Statistics

  • 14% of all deaths due to motor vehicle accidents are teen drivers.
  • Most teen driver deaths due to motor vehicle accidents occur on weekends 53% of the time.
  • Teen drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents had a youth passenger in automobile 45% of the time. More facts below.
  • Of teen drivers fatally injured in automobiles, more than 1/3 were speed related accidents.
  • Teen lifestyle of staying up late make teen drivers a high risk to have an automobile accident due to drowsiness.
  • More than any age group, teens are likely to be involved in a single vehicle crash.
  • On the basis of current population trends, there will be 23% more 16-20- year-old drivers on the road in 2010 than there are today — 26.1 million.
  • This age group makes up 7% of licensed drivers, but suffers 14% of fatalities and 20% of all reported accidents.
  • The 16-year-old population alone will increase from 3.5 million to over 4 million by 2010.

Many factors contribute to the cause of teen deaths in motor vehicles. Looking at the causes, it’s not hard to see why teen accident and death rates are higher than older drivers’.

Teen drivers are more likely than older drivers to be the cause of their accidents. That is based on facts pointing to high rates of teen accidents involving one vehicle.

Immaturity is a contributing factor to the high rate of auto crashes and deaths among teenagers. For instance, tailgating and not using safety belts are misjudgments teens make more than older drivers.

Making matters worse are teen tendencies to drive small vehicles. Automobile crash and fatality statistics point to small vehicles not protecting passengers as well as mid-size or large vehicles in front end crashes.

Rounding out the problem teenagers face as new drivers is lack of driving skill or inexperience behind-the-wheel. Thrown together, they help explain teenagers’ alarming accident and fatality rates in motor vehicles.

High Risk Drivers! Teen Males & Females Alike. Teen Driving Statistics…

Latest national fatality statistics on teen drivers reported teen driving deaths in automobile accidents lower than previous years.

But a dark cloud still appears on the horizon as it relates to teen driver fatalities in automobile accidents.

Baby boomer children are now driving age, which means large numbers of teens are old enough to drive. Experts say death and accident rates among teens are expected to rise.

A teen driving statistical pattern that continued unchanged was male teen drivers in more automobile accidents than females.

Though female teen driver death rates in automobiles were lower than male teen drivers, the fatality rate among female teen drivers in automobiles continued to be higher than older females.

Teen driving statistics on teenage males, and females, confirm 16 and 17 year olds to be high risk drivers.

The time-of-day teenage drivers drove automobiles was also noteworthy. Teen drivers’ accident and fatality rates in automobiles increased after 10 p.m. as well as after 6 a.m. Percent of accidents in both time slots were almost identical.

Finally, teenagers’ automobile accident and death rates on weekends were higher than older drivers. Many reasons contributed to teen drivers’ high accident and fatality rates in automobiles. Immaturity, lack of experience, and peer pressure were a few. To learn more and know how to detect when a teen driver is operating the automobile incorrectly or in an unsafe manner, visit How Parents Can Stop Their Teen Drivers From Speeding.