People age 16 to 20 have the highest traffic-related fatality rate of any age group.
A 16-year-old driver is 20 times as likely to have a traffic crash as the general population.
People age 16 to 20 make up only 7 percent of American drivers and drive only 3 percent of all miles driven. Yet they are involved in 14 percent of traffic deaths.
Traffic crashes are the leading cause of disability and spinal cord injury among youth.
A 16 year old with three or more passengers faces nearly three times the risk of a fatal wreck as driving alone.
In 2007, 207 people were killed in crashes involving teen drivers in Alabama.
Over the past five years, Alabama crashes involving teen drivers claimed 1170 lives.
Young drivers are much more likely to engage in dangerous activities-- drinking or using drugs, speeding, swerving, running red lights -- when in the presence of their peers. The risk of a crash involving a teen driver increases with each additional teen passenger in the vehicle.
Approximately 25 percent of fatally injured drivers aged 15-20 were intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher at the time of the crash.
While only 15% of teen drivers' miles occur at night, 40% of their fatal crashes take place during this time.
In their first year on the road, teens are almost 10 times more likely to be in a crash.
Crashes are more common among young drivers than any other age group. In the United States, 1 in 4 crash fatalities involve someone 16 to 24 years old, nearly twice as high as other age groups.,
Six out of 10 drivers ages 16 to 20 who were killed in crashes were unrestrained.
Text messaging while driving increases the risk of crash involvement by 23 times.
Late night driving increases crash risk among young drivers for a variety of reasons: the driving task is more difficult in darkness; many newly licensed drivers will have had less driving practice at night than during the day; fatigue - thought to be a problem for teenagers at all times of the day - may be more of a factor at night; and recreational driving that is considered to be high risk, sometimes involving alcohol use, is more likely to take place at night. (Williams, A.F., "Teenage Drivers: Patterns of Risk", Journal of Safety Research 2003; 34:5-15)
Mastering driving skills in gaining experience in traffic situations requires all the concentration a newly licensed driver can marshal. Research indicates that the cognitive effects of engaging in a conversation on a cell phone (hand-held or hands-free) can decrease driver awareness and increase driver reaction time.
One study found it takes as many as 30,000 miles or as long as 7 years to mature as a driver. In other words, the odds are not in favor of young drivers, and in particular those who may not have received any type of formal driver training.