As
a parent, if you search for any information about Teen Driving Statistics
you will find statistics similar to those below. I have reviewed
various websites to summarize the information from these sources,
however, please feel free to search the web for “teen driving statistics”
for more websites and information on this subject.
The information
allows us to ponder if teen driving needs to be revisited on a
national level. How are teen drivers being educated by driving
schools? Do we need to increase the amount of time for driver
training? How about requiring higher levels of car driving education
(not just traffic education, but how do drive a car education)?
Should driver’s licenses only be issued at age 18? What are the
economic implications to increasing the driving age? We will visit
these questions in the next article. For now we need to understand
what is happening on our roads today.
We know that
the current requirements for driver education are not sufficient.
Both commercially and by parents. We can add that a younger age
teen is not mature enough to control a vehicle and might as well
be considered to be driving a deadly weapon. Teens with permit
licenses are driving with their parents in an unmarked family
vehicle only increase the likelihood of accidents. Using car magnets
that are thick, reflective for the night and are durable can help
reduce this likelihood. These types of auto safety magnets can
be found at Auto Safety Magnets. Identifying these almost 2 million
vehicles on the road should be a requirement on a national level.
As parents
we must take the responsibility of protecting our children. Should
you reconsider your decision the next time your teen asks to take
the car?
The Facts
from reliable Sources
National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration
In 2003,
3,657 (3,827 in 2002) drivers 15 to 20 years old were killed,
and an additional 308,000 (324,000 in 2002) were injured, in motor
vehicle crashes. Nearly 31 percent of teen drivers killed in motor
vehicle crashes in 2003 had been drinking and 74 percent of this
group was not wearing their safety belts.
National
Safety Council
In 2000,
6,495 people between the ages of 15 and 20 were killed in motor
vehicle crashes—the leading cause of death for this age group.
And although young drivers represent only 6.6% of the nation's
licensed drivers, they are involved in 14.8% of fatal crashes.
The National Safety Council urges all parents to familiarize themselves
with the risks associated with young, inexperienced drivers.
Traffic crashes
are the number one cause of death among children and young adults.
More than
3,800 young drivers age 15-20 are killed every year in traffic
crashes.
More than
326,000 young drivers are injured.
Young drivers
are involved in fatal traffic crashes at over twice the rate as
the rest of the population.
Exceeding
the posted speed limit or driving at an unsafe speed is the most
common error in fatal accidents.
About 30%
of crashes killing young drivers involve alcohol.
More than
1,000 young drivers lose their lives every year in crashes because
of an impaired driver... be it themselves, or someone else.
Sean Mullsteff
Teen Driving Foundation
The number
one cause of death for 15-20 year olds is car collisions.
This age
group makes up 7% of licensed drivers, but suffers 14% of fatalities
and 20% of all reported collisions.
53% of teen
driver deaths occur on weekends.
Teen drivers
killed in motor vehicle collisions had a youth passenger in the
automobile 45% of the time.
In 2002,
The National Center for Statistics and Analysis reported that
8,278 adolescents (ages 15-20) were involved in fatal crashes.
324,000 teens
were injured in collisions in 2002.
65% of teen
passenger deaths occur with a teen driving.
Teen lifestyle
of staying up late make teen drivers a high risk to have an automobile
collision due to drowsiness.
More than
any age group, teens are likely to be involved in a single vehicle
crash.
This article
was posted on March 21, 2005
Return
to Index