Startling Statistics On Young Drivers 

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 3 to 34 year-olds
• Teens have the highest involvement rates in all types of crashes
• Approximately 17 teens lose their lives every day in car crashes
• Many teen fatal crashes involve excessive speed, driving too fast for existing road conditions and loss of control of their vehicle
• 77% of teen crashes involved avoidable driver errors
• In a 6-year period, over 4,500 American soldiers were killed in war-related incidents. In the same time period, over 30,000 teens died in car crashes on U.S. roadways.
• 16-year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age
• 16-year-olds are 3 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers
• 63% of teenage passenger deaths in 2008 occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager. Among deaths of passengers of all ages, nearly 20% occurred when a teenager was driving (IIHS).
• 81% of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths in 2008 were passenger vehicle occupants
• The number of 15-20 year old drivers involved in fatal crashes totaled 5,864 in 2008
• In 2006 (latest data available) crashes involving 15- to 17-year-olds cost more than $34 billion nationwide in medical treatment, property damage and other costs, according to an AAA analysis.
• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, in 2008:
  • Hand-held cell phone use was highest among 16- to 24-year-olds
  • 37% of male drivers 15-20 yrs old who were involved in fatal crashes were speeding
  • 55%, or 2,014, of the 3,678 occupants of passenger vehicles ages 16-20 who were killed in crashes were not buckled up.
  • 1% of drivers ages 15-20 who were killed in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking some amount of alcohol; 25% were alcohol-impaired
• 16- and 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger (IIHS).
• Drivers who complete some form of professional advanced driver education possess better emergency reaction skills than the rest of the driving population.