Statistics on Teenage Car Accidents

National statistics on teenage car accidents state that teens make up the highest risk category when it comes to car insurance.

Car Insurance for Teenagers

Where To Find Accident Statistics

There are several important organizations that track and report on current driving statistics within the United States. Each of these organizations play a different role in regulating roadways or vehicles, but they also each have a vested interest in the safety of the roads and the people who drive on them. For this reason, the best sources for statistics on teenage car accidents (and other driving statistics) include the following.

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - This is a reliable source for statistics on teenage car accidents.
• Allstate Foundation - Many insurance companies, such as Allstate, provide their own unique programs to promote safe driving.
• IIHS - The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is one of the top nonprofit organizations promoting scientific and educational efforts to reduce damage from highway crashes. The Institute is completely funded by auto insurance companies.
• AAA - The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is another nonprofit created to fund research projects that will uncover hidden causes of traffic accidents in addition to finding ways to minimize damage.
• CDC - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers an abundance of information with statistics about the different demographics of drivers on the road.

According to the CDC, in 2005 there were about 400,000 teens aged 16 to 19 who received an injury related to a motor vehicle crash. Over 4,500 of those teens died from their injuries. The total death toll in 2005, according to 2005 fatality facts from the IIHS, was 5,288 deaths related to car accidents.

Specific Statistics on Teenage Car Accidents

It would be logical to conclude that teens are at least safer drivers than senior citizens. However, that's not the case either. According to the same IIHS statistics, senior citizens aged over 70 accounted for 5,032 deaths from auto accidents, over 200 fewer deaths than the teen demographic. When you also take into account that senior citizens make up a much larger portion of the population, compared to the mere 10 percent that are teens, the fact that some teens are extremely dangerous on the road becomes apparent. In fact, motor vehicles are the leading causes of death for anyone aged 15 to 20.

Facts From The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

In 2008, the NHTSA published a report to congress entitled Teen Driver Crashes that outlined the stark reality of teen driving today. In that report, the NHTSA pointed out the following statistics on crashes involving teen drivers.

• Drivers between 15 to 20 years old accounted for almost 13 percent of all fatal crashes, while they only account for just over 6 percent of all drivers.
• The risk of a fatal crash, for teens, is double that for drivers over 35. In 2006, teens accounted for 59.5 fatal crashes per 100,000 drivers in this age group, versus 32 for those aged 25 to 34, and only 19.3 for those aged 65 to 69.
• Driver's education classes have not reduced crash rates among teen drivers.
• Laws that increased the drinking age for alcohol have directly reduced teen alcohol-related crashes.
• In states where Graduated Drivers License (GDL) laws were enacted, they reduced teen crashes by 20 percent. These laws restrict novice teens from driving under high-risk situations for a limited period (such as with friends in the car).

The following statistics are also true, according to the CSC fact sheet on teen drivers.

• Teen male drivers are one and a half times more likely to die in a fatal crash than female teen drivers.
• Teens are less likely to recognize a dangerous driving situation.
• Teens are the most likely age group to speed and tailgate.
• 24 percent of teen fatal crashes involved a male driver and alcohol drinking.
• Teens are the least likely to use seat belts when driving.

There Are Ways to Increase The Number of Safe Teen Drivers

The statistics above show that the cause for the large majority of accidents on the road are related to teen drivers, and those are due to a tendency toward risky behavior. The cultural influences on teens - especially on male teens - to take part in such risky behavior are overwhelming. Statistics also prove that graduated drivers licensing (GDL) and strict drinking laws significantly reduce the rate of that kind of risky driving.

Adults should strive to better educate their teenagers about the terrible consequences of unsafe driving, and the media and consumers should encourage Hollywood not to promote risky driving as "cool" behavior.

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