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Teen Driving
Leading Cause of Death for Teenagers
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Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among American teenagers, killing between 5,000 and 6,000 teenagers every year for the past decade (through 2003, the last year for which complete NHTSA data is available)
  • From 1994 to 2003, a total of 57,142 teenagers were killed in motor vehicle crashes.
  • Teenage drivers account for only 6.4 percent (12.5 million) of the total drivers in the United States, but account for 14 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes and 18 percent involved in police-reported crashes.
  • No other kind of hazard comes close to claiming as many teenage lives, including teenage homicides (14 percent) and suicides (11 percent).
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Primary Causes of Teenage Motor Vehicle Crashes
Excessive Speed and Other Driver Errors - Crash risk is particularly high during the first years that teenagers are eligible to drive. The top five driver-related factors for teenage drivers involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes include:
  • Driving too fast
  • Running off the road
  • Driving in the wrong lane
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medication
  • Erratic or reckless driving 
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Excessive Speed and Other Driver Errors
Crash risk is particularly high during the first years that teenagers are eligible to drive. The top five driver-related factors for teenage drivers involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes include:
  • Driving too fast
  • Running off the road
  • Driving in the wrong lane
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medication
  • Erratic or reckless driving
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Teenage Passengers in the Car
  • 59 percent of teenage passenger deaths occur in vehicles driven by another teenager.
  • Fatal crashes involving young drivers are much more likely to occur when other teenagers are in the car, and the risk of a fatal crash increases in proportion to the number of teenage passengers.
  • Nearly half of all teen crashes involved vehicles with one or more teen passengers.
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National Crash Statistics
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Frequency
  • Based on crashes of all severities, the crash rate per mile driven among 16- to 19-year-olds is four times the risk among older drivers.
  • Risk is highest at age 16, when the crash rate per miles driven is twice as high as it is among 18- to 19-year-olds.
  • Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use.
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Days of the Week/Time of the Day
  • 54 percent of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths occurred on Friday, Saturday or Sunday – with Saturday being the deadliest day of the week for teens. 
  • 42 percent of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths in 2003 occurred between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
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Months/Days of the Year with the Most Teenage Deaths
  • The deadliest months of the year for teenage motor vehicle fatalities are the summer months of June, July and August, followed by October.
  • On July 4, an average of 28 teenagers die in car crashes every year.
  • On January 1, an average of 23 teenagers die in car crashes every year.
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Gender Differences in Teen Motor Vehicle Crashes
  • In 2003, two out of every three teens killed in motor vehicle crashes were males.
  • From 1993 to 2003, driver fatalities for young females increased by 25 percent, compared with a nine percent increase for young males.
  • When a male passenger is in a vehicle, one-fourth of teenage drivers report they exceed the speed limit by at least 15 miles per hour.
  • Of the 15 percent of teenage males engaging in risky driving, 22 percent had a male teenage passenger in the vehicle and only six percent had a female teenage passenger in the vehicle.
  • Of the 13 percent of teenage female drivers showing risky driving behavior, 13 percent had a male teenage passenger, and 16 percent had a female passenger.
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Sources
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United States ,” (14 January 2005).
  • Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “Fatality Facts: teenagers 2002, (13 December 2003).
  • Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “Teen Deaths (ages 13-19) in motor vehicle crashes 1986-2002.” (2003).
  • Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute, “Fatality Facts 2003: Teenagers,” (23 June 2005).
  • National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System,” (13 Dec 2004).
  • National Center for Statistical Analysis Information Services Branch, “2003 Fatality Analysis Reporting System,” (1 April 2005).
  • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Traffic Safety Facts 2003,” (January 2005).
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, “Teens' Driving Riskier with Male Teen Passenger, Teen Boy's Driving Safer with Female Teen Passenger,” (24 August, 2005).
  • Williams, A., “Teenage Passengers in Motor Vehicle Crashes; A Summary of Current Research,” Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (December 2001)
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