Teen driving report

• With students returning to the classroom, that means drivers will experience a lot more traffic than they have in the summer months, as well as some young drivers commuting to school for the first time.
• In 2020, 2 738 teenagers (ages 13-19) died in the United States from crash injuries, and hundreds of thousands were injured. For years, traffic crashes have been the #1 teenage killer in America.
• The number of young driver and passenger fatalities have increased by 19.5% compared to the previous year.
• Male teen drivers are three times as likely to be involved in a fatal driving accident compared to female teen drivers.

Zutobi has taken a deep dive into the latest available data to find out the common causes of teenage car crashes, the historical trend of young driver-related fatalities, and how this problem can be solved. In our report, we compare teen driving fatalities between states.

You can view the full report here.

With school back in session and more teens on the road, the problem of road safety is again relevant. Each year, thousands of teens lose their lives in car crashes, and hundreds of thousands are treated in emergency departments for injuries related to motor vehicle crashes. For years, traffic crashes have been the #1 teenage killer in America.

On a broader level, the number of young driver road deaths has been steadily decreasing in the last since 1982 – although we can see that there has been a sharp increase in fatalities the first year of the pandemic. The number of young driver and passenger fatalities have increased by 19.5% compared to the previous year.

What are the main causes of fatal teen driving accidents?

• Consumption of alcohol: 523 teen drivers killed in DUI crashes in 2020. 
• Speeding: A recent study from GHSA found that from 2015 to 2019, teen drivers and passengers had a greater proportion of speeding-related fatalities (43%) than all other age groups (30%), with 4,930 teen drivers and passengers dying in speeding-related crashes. 
• Distracted driving: Speaking on a mobile phone while driving increases crash risk by 2 times, while texting increases the crash risk by up to 6 times.

Is there any difference between men and women?

Male teen drivers are three times as likely to be involved in a fatal driving accident compared to female teen drivers. 1,461 boys and 423 girls killed in car crashes in 2020. 

How can this be improved?

Studies have shown that teenage drivers are much more likely to be involved in a serious road accident from the moment they start driving without the supervision of a licensed driver. Many of these accidents can be attributed to distracted driving, speeding, and lack of scanning. This suggests a changed behavior when driving alone, which may be due to overconfidence and insufficient (or bad) driver education, among other reasons.

Commenting on the report, Leo Waldenback, co-founder of Zutobi.

“Teenage drivers need to understand the reason why they must follow driving safety practices, not just the fact that they exist. Furthermore, teenage drivers should study to become safe and responsible drivers, not just to pass the permit test. Creating a proper foundation at an early stage is pivotal when it comes to making safe drivers and reducing the number of teenagers killed in driving accidents. 

At Zutobi, we want everyone to be safe on the roads. Our mission is not only to prepare our users for the DMV permit test and driving test, but to prepare for a life on the roads and educate responsible drivers”.

Methodology

Most of the injury data has been gathered using the NHTSA crash data tool, and the Fatality and Injury Reporting System (FIRST). To find the number of licensed teen drivers, we looked at data from the Federal Highway Administration.

Zutobi is an easy and affordable online Driver Education resource that teaches new drivers everything there is about driving and driver safety. We want everyone to be safe on the roads, and the best way to do that is to make sure that everyone has access to quality driver’s education. 

Our courses are gamified, to make them fun and engaging. All Zutobi’s courses are created by experts in education, and our methods are scientifically proven to increase memory retention and learning. 

Courtesy of zutobi Drivers Ed