Teen Drivers and Motor Vehicle Accidents - WSOCtv.com
09.01.09
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teens (16 to 20) in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2006, 4,144 teens died in motor vehicle crashes. Nearly 400,000 teens were treated in hospital emergency rooms for crash-related injuries.
Mile for mile, teens are more likely than older drivers to have a motor vehicle accident. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports 16-year-old drivers are involved in about 35 accidents for every million miles of driving. Drivers in their 20s have about 9 accidents per million miles. For those in their early 40s, crash rates are about 4/million miles of driving.
Crash fatality rates are also much higher for teens. Per mile driven, 16-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle accident than 20- to 24-year-olds and 13 times more likely than drivers 40 to 44.
Factors in Teen Crashes
Teens are at higher risk for crashes for a number of reasons. They
Source: WSOCtv.com, NC