According to the Centers for Disease Control’s Teen Driver Fact Sheet, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teens. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s Young Drivers Traffic Safety Facts data shows that 2,116 drivers aged 15 to 20 died in traffic crashes in 2021, an increase of 11 percent from 1,899 in 2020. Young drivers, while only comprising 5 percent of all licensed drivers in 2021, accounted for 8.4 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IHHS), graduated licensing systems in U.S. states and Canadian provinces have reduced crashes substantially. Two national studies by the IIHS and the Highway Loss Data Institute found that strong restrictions on nighttime driving and teenage passengers and delaying licensing age, reduce fatal crashes and insurance losses for teenage drivers. In addition, the studies found that delaying permit age reduces fatal crashes and increasing practice hours reduces insurance losses.
| Year | Young drivers age 15–20 | Passengers of young drivers | Occupants of other vehicles | Nonoccupants | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1,880 | 1,060 | 1,230 | 502 | 4,672 |
| 2013 | 1,696 | 1,069 | 1,133 | 469 | 4,367 |
| 2014 | 1,723 | 1,015 | 1,093 | 454 | 4,285 |
| 2015 | 1,903 | 982 | 1,326 | 533 | 4,744 |
| 2016 | 1,916 | 1,033 | 1,348 | 598 | 4,895 |
| 2017 | 1,844 | 986 | 1,396 | 574 | 4,800 |
| 2018 | 1,729 | 919 | 1,318 | 562 | 4,528 |
| 2019 | 1,616 | 888 | 1,373 | 514 | 4,391 |
| 2020 | 1,899 | 1,090 | 1,489 | 591 | 5,069 |
| 2021 | 2,116 | 1,065 | 1,666 | 718 | 5,565 |
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
| Licensed drivers | Drivers in fatal crashes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age group | Number | Percent of total drivers | Number | Involvement rate (1) |
| 16 to 20 | 11,742,064 | 5.0% | 5,088 | 43.33 |
| 21 to 24 | 14,201,880 | 6.2 | 5,513 | 38.82 |
| 25 to 34 | 40,654,543 | 17.6 | 13,200 | 32.47 |
| 35 to 44 | 39,543,173 | 16.6 | 10,291 | 26.02 |
| 45 to 54 | 37,443,726 | 16.7 | 8,764 | 23.41 |
| 55 to 64 | 39,612,716 | 17.4 | 8 | 20.41 |
| 65 to 74 | 31,032,722 | 12.7 | 4,768 | 15.36 |
| Over 74 | 18,550,973 | 7.6 | 1,838 | 17.59 |
| Total | 232,761,797 | 100.0% | 60,904 (2) | 26.16 |
(1) Per 100,000 licensed drivers in each age group.
(2) Includes drivers under the age of 16 and of unknown age.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Federal Highway Administration.