Teenage Driver Statistics: Deaths, Car Accidents, and Drinking & Driving Stats

Jan 21, 2021

Driving is a coming of age moment that a lot of teenagers look forward to in their life. With such freedom comes great responsibility. Teenage drivers account for the highest rate of car accidents in comparison to any other group. Most of those accidents were preventable and were caused by distracted driving. The reason teenagers have the highest crash rate out of all other age groups boiled down to inexperience. First-year drivers caused 43% of accidents on the road. After two years of experience, those numbers dropped dramatically.

Below are answers to the most common questions regarding teen driving, teenage driving statistics, and more.

How many teenage drivers are there in the United States?

6.7% of the driving population is made up of 15-20-year-olds, so that amounts to an estimated 15 million teen drivers.

What percentage of car accidents are caused by teenage drivers?

While there is no specific data on the percentage of all car accidents caused by teenage drivers, there is information on the percentage of fatal car accidents. 11% of drivers involved in fatal crashes were between the ages of 15 and 20.

How many car accidents are caused by teenage drivers?

Many car accidents go unreported yearly so it is hard to get an exact number. However, about 4,000 teens are killed in motor vehicle crashes each year. The number of teen driver deaths, however, is about 2,800 per year. In the totality of motor vehicle fatalities, teens account for about 7% of all deaths.

What age group causes the most car accidents?

Drivers between the ages of 16-17 continue to have one of the highest crash rates of any age group. On the other end of the spectrum, drivers 80 and higher have the highest rates of driver deaths. Experience, typically linked with age group, also plays a huge part. 43% of all first-year drivers are involved in some sort of accident, and 37% of all second-year drivers are involved in some sort of accident.

What is the number one cause of teen fatalities?

The number 1 cause of teen deaths is motor vehicle crashes.

Approximately what portion of teenage deaths is caused by motor vehicle collisions?

In the United States, car accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers (age 13-19). Motor vehicle collisions account for 33% of teenage deaths.

How many teens die from drunk driving?

About 3,000 teens, or an average of 8 teens a day, die from DUI crashes every year.

What percentage of teenage automobile crashes happen at night?

32% of all crashes involving teen drivers occur between the hours of 9 pm-6 am.

How many teens die in car accidents?

About 4,000 teens aged 13-19 are killed in car accidents every year. Almost 2,800 teen drivers die on average every year and 285,000 are hospitalized.

Other Teen Driving Statistics

1 in 10 teens has admitted to drinking and driving.
47% of teens killed in an accident were not wearing their seat belt at the time.
52% of teen-related vehicle accidents happen on weekends. (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).
Teens are 17x more likely to die in a car crash if they had a blood-alcohol level of .08.
75 percent of the deaths of teenage passengers in passenger vehicles occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager.
75% of deaths caused by teen drivers occurred while another teenager was the passenger.
21% of teen drivers that were involved in a fatal accident were using their cell phone.

Driving is one of the most exciting events a young person looks forward to. Most vehicle accidents caused by teens were caused by first-year drivers. Inexperience plays a huge factor as 77% of teen accidents were caused by user error. Distracted driving also plays a role in teenage vehicle accidents and fatalities. Teen drivers are 4 times more likely to be involved in accidents compared to adults.

The best way for teens to be safer drivers is to practice cautious driving. Having a good playlist to play before driving, avoiding looking at their phone while driving, and not doing anything that would make them take their hands off the steering wheel would build good habits to not be distracted while driving and better-paying attention to the road. Finally, parents should set a good example with their own driving habits. This leads a teen to build better driving habits and be more cautious while driving.

Sources