Teen Driver Related Fatalities Continue to Rise

A recent study conducted by Bumper.com showed teen related driver fatalities were at a 12-year high in 2020. Some of the findings from their research showed:

  • Fatal accidents involving teen drivers hit new highs. NSC estimates motor-vehicle deaths in 2020 reached 42,060, up 8% from 39,107 in 2019 and the highest total since 2007. Bumper estimates the 2020 accidents involving young drivers (ages 15 to 20) killed 5,213 people, the most since 2009.
  • Teen drivers are about three times more likely to be involved in fatal accidents. Teenage drivers make up only 3.8% of the estimated 228 million licensed drivers in the United States, according to the latest government data, but on average from 2017-19 account for 12.4% of all fatalities.
  • Kentucky, Montana and Mississippi are deadliest for teen drivers. Measured by fatalities per 10,000 licensed teen drivers, states with the highest estimated rate in 2020 were: Kentucky (8.46), Montana (7.29), Mississippi (7.08), Arkansas (6.92) and New Mexico (6.77). States with the lowest predicted rates: Massachusetts (1.43), New Jersey (1.74), Hawaii (2.00), New York (2.09) and New Hampshire (2.14).
  • Several states see more than half of teen driving deaths during summer months. Between June and September, some states see more than half of the total year’s teen driver-related fatalities, based on 2017-19 averages. That list is led by Montana (53.9%), Maine (53.7%), North Dakota (51.4%) and Idaho (51.3%). States with the smallest percentage of teen driver-associated deaths in the summer are Florida (28.1%), Nevada (28.4%) and Arizona and Hawaii, with 29.6% each.
  • More than half of victims are under the age of 20. Historically, 56% of fatalities in accidents involving a teen driver are victims 20 years old or younger. Drivers are the most common victim (61%), followed by passengers (28%) and pedestrians (10%).
  • Speed, alcohol and distractions are the top causes. According to 2019 NHTSA data, 33% of teen-driving fatalities were associated with a driver speeding, compared to 26% of fatal accidents among all age groups. That’s higher than the 28% of drivers in teen driver accidents who had at least some alcohol in their system, compared to 33% for all age groups. Distracted driving, such as text messaging while at the wheel, accounts for 12% of teen fatalities, compared to 9% for all age groups. Accidents can happen for a variety of reasons, but it’s important to stay educated on the most common causes of car accidents to stay safe on roadways.

Here is a link to their complete findings which include the top 10 states and low 10 states for teen driving fatalities – https://www.bumper.com/analysis/teen-driving-accidents-fatalities/