Positive Facts About Teenage Driving

27 Awesome Teenage Driving Statistics

When it comes to teen drivers, there are plenty of clichés—distracted, inexperienced, or careless behind the wheel. But there’s more to the story. In fact, there are Positive Facts About Teenage Driving that might surprise you. We here at Konnect GPS wrote this article to share encouraging statistics on how today’s teens are becoming safer drivers and explains the measures making a difference, like graduated driver licensing systems and proactive parental guidance. You’ll discover the ways these approaches are helping teens build safe driving habits, making roads safer for everyone. So, dive in to learn 27 positive facts about teen driving that’ll leave you feeling more confident about your teen’s time on the road.

1. In 2016, 1,916 teenage drivers (ages 15 to 20) died in motor vehicle crashes. In 2017, 1,830 teen drivers were killed in automobile accidents. That averages out to roughly six deaths per day.
2. The figures above do not include the deaths of passengers, nor do they include deaths of those in other cars, bicyclists, or pedestrians.
3. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and disability among American teens.
4. For instance, in 2018, nearly 2,500 teens died in automobile accidents and 285,000 teens aged 13-19 were treated for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes.
5. The economic impact is huge, too. Fatal and nonfatal motor vehicle crash injuries among teens 13–19 years of age in 2018 resulted in $11.8 billion in medical and work loss costs.
6. And the risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among teen drivers (16-19) than any other age group.
7. Teen drivers are far more likely to crash if impaired, whether via distracted driving, under the influence, or with peers.
8. More than 75 percent of serious teen driver crashes are the result of a critical driving error.
9. In particular, most teen driver accidents are the result of one of three critical errors: Distractions (whether inside or outside the vehicle), speeding (or simply going too fast for road conditions), or lack of scanning (especially the level of scanning necessary to detect and respond to hazards).
10. The most common types of accidents involve left turns, rear-enders, or running off the road.
11. Among teen drivers involved in fatal accidents in 2018, 30% of male drivers and 18% of female drivers were speeding—both higher percentages than for any other age group.
12. Teen distracted driving is common: A 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that among teen drivers, 39 percent texted or emailed at least once while driving in the previous 30 days.
13. Parents can help model safe teenage driving behavior by demonstrating safe driving techniques and insisting on seat belt use, as well as by limiting nighttime driving and peer passengers.
14. Teens regularly have the lowest seat belt use rates. While 87 percent of young adults (ages 16-24) wore seat belts regularly in the years 2016-2018, the adult rate (ages 25 or older) was greater than 90 percent each of those years, and in 2019, 43 percent of American high school students admitted they did not always wear a seat belt when someone else was driving.
15. Of teen fatalities in automobile accidents in 2018, nearly half were unrestrained at the time of the crash.
16. Nighttime and weekend driving are especially dangerous for teen drivers; 37 percent of teen motor vehicle fatalities in 2018 occurred between 9 pm and 6 am, and 52 percent occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
17. According to a survey by Safe Kids Worldwide, 75% of teenagers buckle their seat belts every time they drive an automobile.
18. In Hawaii, 4.7 percent of motor vehicle crash fatalities involved teen drivers; Rhode Island led the nation at 18.1 percent. The national average is 12.8 percent.
19. When looked at per mile, drivers aged 16-19 are three times more likely than drivers 20 or older to be involved in a fatal automobile accident.
20. Teen male drivers are nearly twice as likely to be killed as females.
21. Teen drivers with teen passengers are far more likely to be in accidents, especially if they are unsupervised teen drivers. Each additional teen passenger increases that risk.
22. Newly licensed teens are especially at risk; teens are far more likely to be involved in an automobile accident during their first months of licensure.
23. Sixteen-year-old drivers, for instance, are 1.5 times more likely (on a per-mile-driven basis) to be in a crash than 18- and 19-year-old drivers.
24. And teen drivers are more likely to be involved in a crash if they’ve been drinking—even at blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) below the legal BAC limit for adults.
25. Nearly 17 percent of American high school students rode with a driver who had been drinking at least once in the past 30 days in one 2019 survey.
26. Among American high school drivers in that same survey, 5.4 percent drove after drinking alcohol at least in the past 30 days.
27. In 2018, fifteen percent of drivers aged 16-20 involved in fatal automobile accidents had a BAC of 0.08% or higher.

It’s important for you to remember that all this data can help you monitor your teen’s driving behavior. You can use it to help your teenage driver become a better, safer driver. By staying informed and involved, you can guide your teen to develop good driving habits.

The Best Way For Teenagers To Become Better Drivers

So clearly it’s important that teenage drivers are educated when learning to drive, that road safety is stressed for novice drivers, and driving practice is encouraged by adults who can model safe driving behavior. How else can parents help encourage safe teen driving?

Education is a key component. Ensuring that their children understand the leading causes of motor vehicle crash rates and what their crash risk might be can help prevent car accidents and teen death. The leading causes of teen crashes include:

• Teen driver inexperience
• Driving with teen passengers
• Nighttime driving
• Not using seat belts/improper seatbelt safety
• Distracted driving (whether texting, calling, talking to peers, etc)
• Drowsy driving
• Reckless driving
• Impaired driving

According to the Center for Disease Control, roughly half of all teen deaths in automobile accidents were not wearing a seat belt.

Two other measures that have greatly decreased teen deaths are zero-tolerance laws for underage drinkers and GDL systems. Specifically, the parent-teen driving component of GDL systems helps reduce risk factors. Additionally, restrictions on nighttime driving and teen passengers lower risks for novice drivers. As you learn driving skills, these measures ensure safer experiences on the road.

Graduated driver licensing systems are associated with 26-41% decreases in fatal crashes and 16-22% decreases in teen crashes.

Why Teenage Driving Dangerous

These 27 facts about teen driving are a breath of fresh air for parents—teens are learning to drive more safely. Yet, as much as we want to believe they’re fully prepared, young drivers still face some of the highest risks on the road. In fact, teens are more likely than other age groups to be involved in serious accidents. That’s why many see parents as a crucial influence in building safe driving habits. Some even suggest that making parents more accountable, especially when a teen first gets their license, could make our roads safer for everyone. For example, holding both teens and their parents financially responsible for any traffic tickets could be a game-changer in reducing accidents among young drivers.

More parental involvement can make a big difference, helping reduce risky driving among teens. One simple way to keep your teen on track? GPS tracking devices are a great tool to monitor driving habits, giving you both peace of mind and helping your teen stay safer on the road. By staying involved and using tools like these, parents can play a positive role in shaping responsible, safe drivers and giving teens the guidance they need to make smart choices.

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Teen drivers often drive a bit faster and stay less focused on the road, which unfortunately puts them at a higher risk for serious accidents. That’s where GPS tracking can play a big role in keeping teens safer. These easy-to-use car trackers log driving activity, like speeds traveled, routes taken, and even how often a teen stops. All of this data helps parents understand their teen’s driving habits, whether good or bad. By highlighting risky behavior early, GPS trackers give parents a practical way to correct bad habits before they become dangerous.

But for GPS tracking to make a difference, parents need to stay involved. Reviewing the data together opens the door for important conversations about the real dangers of speeding, texting, or even just adjusting the radio while driving. It’s all about spotting any risky behavior and using that information to guide teens towards safer driving habits. With a little help from GPS technology, parents have a powerful tool to help teens make smarter choices on the road.

Positive Facts About Teenage Driving – Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Minimum Age For Teen Drivers To Legally Drive In The US?

In the U.S., the legal driving age depends on the state, but it’s usually around 16. Most states also have Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws, which means teens need to complete supervised driving hours before they can drive solo. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sets guidelines, so young drivers get plenty of practice with an adult before getting a full license. It’s all about building confidence and safety on the road.