Young Drivers and Motor Vehicle Accidents – Stats & Facts

FACTS

1. The presence of teen passengers increases the crash risk of unsupervised teen drivers. This risk increases with each additional teen passenger.
2. Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate or not be able to recognize dangerous situations.
3. Compared with other age groups, teens and young adults often have the lowest seat belt use rates.
4. Distraction negatively effects driving performance is dangerous for young, inexperienced drivers.
5. Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next).
6. Drinking any amount of alcohol before driving increases crash risk among teen drivers as compared with older drivers. Teen drivers have a much higher risk for being involved in a crash than older drivers at the same blood alcohol concentration (BAC), even at BAC levels below the legal limit for adults.

STATS

Teen Drivers, Cell Phones, and Texting

• 8% of high school students nationwide have texted or e-mailed while driving.
• 12% of distracted drivers involved in fatal car accidents were teens ages 15 to 19.
• 56% of teens admit to talking on cell phones while driving.
• 13% of teens admit to texting while driving.
• 34% of teens age 16 and 17 admit that they send and respond to text messages while driving.
• 48% of kids ages 12 to 17 report being in a car when the driver was texting.

Underage Driving/ Drinking Stats

• About 1/4 of fatal teen car accidents involve underage drinking and driving. (MADD)
• About 8.2% of high school students reported driving a car or other vehicle one or more times when they had been drinking alcohol.
• 5% of 12th graders reported driving after drinking.
• Nearly 60% of young drivers involved in fatal drinking and driving crashes didn’t use a seat belt.