Teen Driving Statistics – Forbes Advisor – Technologist

• Motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of death for U.S. teens.³
• Between 2013 and 2022, there was a 30% increase in passenger vehicle fatalities of 15 to 18-year-olds.¹
• Teen drivers are more than three times as likely to engage in risky behaviors when driving with passengers.¹
• The number of licensed young drivers is growing. There were 1.3% more licensed young drivers in 2021 than in 2020, with young drivers accounting for 5% of all licensed drivers.¹
• When a parent adds a teen driver to their car insurance plan, the price of the plan is likely to double.²

• There were 2,613 teens (between the ages 15 to 19 years old) killed in all traffic crashes in 2022.¹
• More than a quarter (27%) of young drivers who were killed in traffic crashes in 2021 had a blood alcohol concentration of .01 or higher.¹
• Motor vehicle crashes among teens occurred most commonly between 9 p.m. and midnight in 2022 (20%).⁴
• Those between the ages of 16 to 24 years old were less likely to use their seat belts than any other age group in 2022 (88%).¹

Are young drivers more likely to get in accidents?

In short, yes:

• The fatal crash rate per mile driven for 16 to 19-year-olds is nearly three times the rate for drivers aged 20 and over.⁴
• Police-reported traffic crashes involving young drivers increased by 22% from 2020 to 2021.¹
• There was a 7% increase in young drivers injured in traffic crashes from 2020 to 2021.¹
• The fatality rate among passengers of young drivers increased by 0.5% from 2012 to 2021.¹
• The fatality rate of occupants from other vehicles who were involved in fatal traffic crashes involving young drivers increased by 35% from 2012 to 2021, and the number of nonoccupants (such as pedestrians) who were involved in fatal crashes also increased during the same period by 43%.¹

Speeding was a factor in 30% of fatal crashes involving young drivers in 2022¹

• Young drivers between the ages of 15 to 20 were the age group most likely to be speeding at the time of a fatal traffic crash in 2021.¹
• Young male drivers were more likely to be speeding when involved in a fatal crash (35%) than young female drivers (21%) in 2021.¹

The number of young drivers involved in fatal crashes with alcohol in their system increased by 16% from 2012 to 2021¹

• 22% of young drivers killed in fatal crashes in 2021 had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.¹
• Young drivers involved in fatal crashes who had been drinking were more likely to not be wearing a seat belt (65%) than young drivers involved in fatal crashes who had not been drinking (47%).¹
• More young drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes who had alcohol in their system were killed than survived in 2021. ¹

One in three teens admits to texting while driving¹

• 16% of young drivers involved in fatal crashes were using their cell phones.¹
• Of the 3,308 people killed in distraction-affected traffic crashes in 2022, 193 were teens, accounting for 6% of the total people killed in distraction-affected crashes in 2022.¹

Young male drivers are more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than young female drivers¹

• The percentage of young male drivers involved in fatal crashes per 100,000 licensed drivers was more than twice as high as young female drivers in 2021 (60.28% versus 25.51%).¹
• Young male drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes were more likely to have some alcohol in their system at the time of the crash (23%) than young female drivers (17%).¹
• For teenage drivers on their own car insurance policies, males can expect to pay more than females. For example, the average annual cost of a male 16-year-old on their own car insurance plan is $9,422, versus $8,108 for a female 16-year-old.²

• 41% more young motorcycle drivers were killed in 2021 than in 2020, however, 14% fewer young motorcycle drivers were injured in 2021 than in 2020.¹
• 21% of young motorcycle drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes were not wearing a helmet.¹
• More young motorcycle drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes were unlicensed or driving without a valid license (52%) than motorcycle drivers of all ages (39%) in 2021.¹

1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
2. Forbes Advisor
3. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
4. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety