Key Takeaways
- In the U.S., 2,627 children and teens aged 13–19 were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2022.
- In the U.S., 2,652 children and teens aged 13–19 were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2021.
- In the U.S., 2,726 children and teens aged 13–19 were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2019.
- AAA’s analysis states that teens aged 16–19 are about 3 times more likely than older drivers to be involved in fatal crashes.
- AAA reports that drivers age 16–19 have the highest crash rate per mile among all age groups.
- CDC reports that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens aged 15–19.
- In the U.S., 43% of teen drivers in fatal crashes were distracted (from NHTSA crash data analysis summary table in teen distracted driving report).
- In the U.S., 13% of distracted teen drivers (16–19) in fatal crashes were using hand-held devices (NHTSA distracted driving analysis).
- In the U.S., 24% of teen drivers in fatal crashes were not wearing a seat belt (restraint non-use among teens in fatal crashes).
- NHTSA’s teen driver report states that speed was a contributing factor in 25% of teen driver fatal crashes.
- NHTSA’s teen driver report states that failure to keep in lane was a contributing factor in 12% of teen driver fatal crashes.
- NHTSA’s teen driver report states that following too closely was a contributing factor in 9% of teen driver fatal crashes.
- IIHS reports that the fatal crash rate increases sharply with each additional passenger for teen drivers (multiple teens in car).
- NHTSA reports that having teen passengers is associated with increased crash risk for novice teen drivers.
- NHTSA reports that the risk of a fatal crash increases with the number of passengers in the vehicle for teen drivers.
Over 2,600 US teens died yearly; distraction, speed, alcohol, and restraint failures persist.
Fatalities
Fatalities Interpretation
Risk
Risk Interpretation
Distraction
Distraction Interpretation
Speeding
Speeding Interpretation
Environment
Environment Interpretation
References
- 1crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813340
- 2crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812477
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- 8cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/
- 9cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/leading_causes.html
- 21cdc.gov/injury/features/teen-drivers/index.html
- 22cdc.gov/injury/features/teen-driving-distracted.html
- 27cdc.gov/transportationsafety/seatbelts/
- 32cdc.gov/transportationsafety/teen-drivers/
- 10cdan.nhtsa.gov/QueryTool/QuerySection/SelectVehicle?c=1&v=Teen%20Fatalities%202022
- 20newsroom.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2020-Teens-and-Mobility-AAA.pdf
- 23iihs.org/topics/teen-drivers
- 24iihs.org/topics/speed
- 41iihs.org/topics/seat-belts
- 26nhtsa.gov/road-safety/teen-drivers
- 30nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/812277_teen_drivers.pdf
- 31nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/811564_teen_drivers.pdf
- 35nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/811275_distracted_driving_teen.pdf
- 37nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/812409-passenger-crash-risk.pdf
- 38nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/812373-gdl-overview.pdf
- 39nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/811975_novice_crash_risk.pdf
- 40nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/812409-passenger-crash-risk.pdf
- 28ghsa.org/sitewide/TrafficSafetyKnowledge/TASKM-Seat-Belts-and-Child-Restraints
- 29ghsa.org/sitewide/TrafficSafetyKnowledge/Teen-Drivers






