Road Safety for Teens

admin

10 months ago

According to the Centers for Disease Control motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teens. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data shows that 2,116 drivers aged 15 to 20 died in traffic crashes in 2021, an increase of 11 percent from 1,899 in 2020. Young drivers, while only comprising 5 percent of all licensed drivers in 2021, accounted for 8.4 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes.

Fatalities in Crashes Involving Young Drivers, 2012-2021

Year	Young drivers age 15–20	Passengers of young drivers	Occupants of other vehicles	Nonoccupants	Total
2012	1,880	1,060	1,230	502	4,672
2013	1,696	1,069	1,133	469	4,367
2014	1,723	1,015	1,093	454	4,285
2015	1,903	982	1,326	533	4,744
2016	1,916	1,033	1,348	598	4,895
2017	1,844	986	1,396	574	4,800
2018	1,729	919	1,318	562	4,528
2019	1,616	888	1,373	514	4,391
2020	1,899	1,090	1,489	591	5,069
2021	2,116	1,065	1,666	718	5,565

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Drivers In Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes By Age, 2021

	Licensed drivers		Drivers in fatal crashes
Age group	Number	Percent of total drivers	Number	Involvement rate (1)
16 to 20	11,742,064	5.0%	5,088	43.33
21 to 24	14,201,880	6.2	5,513	38.82
25 to 34	40,654,543	17.6	13,200	32.47
35 to 44	39,543,173	16.6	10,291	26.02
45 to 54	37,443,726	16.7	8,764	23.41
55 to 64	39,612,716	17.4	8	20.41
65 to 74	31,032,722	12.7	4,768	15.36
Over 74	18,550,973	7.6	1,838	17.59
Total	232,761,797	100.0%	60,904 (2)	26.16