Teenager Car Accident Statistics – What You, As a Parent, Must Know

Teenager car accident statistics are frightening. It is no surprise that parents are often a nervous wreck when the time comes for their teen to get their driver’s license. The statistics show some very devastating trends involving teen drivers. By looking at the statistics, a parent and others involved with teen drivers can more easily see what they need to do to prevent further teen car accidents.
Basic National Statistics
There are plenty of statistics that point to the dangers of teen driving. In the category of teen drivers are those between the ages of 15 and 20. In 2004, over 7,000 teenagers were killed in car accidents. These teen drivers accounted for almost 13 percent of all drivers in fatal car accidents in 2006.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that the cost of teenager car accidents is over $40 billion a year.
During the first 500 miles that a teenager drives, crashes are 10 times more likely than for an adult driver. Teen drivers make up about 7 percent of licensed drivers, but they account for 14 percent of the fatalities in accidents. Of teen driver deaths, over 50 percent occur on the weekend. Motor vehicle death is the number one cause of death for teenagers.
What Has Been Learned
From statistics much helpful information has been learned that can be used to prevent future teenager car accidents. For instance, since it has been shown that newly licensed drivers of age 16 are the group that has the highest accident rate, many states have started a graduated licensing program. These programs require a variety of different steps of learning and training that must be completed before a driver is fully licensed. Graduated drivers license programs have helped to lower teenage car accident rates by almost 7 % from the time between 1995 to 2005.
Other statistics have helped increase the knowledge of the importance of education for teen drivers about issues regarding seat belts and drinking and driving. The statistics show that two-thirds of teenage fatalities in car accidents were not wearing a seat belt. Additionally one-third of teen accidents involved alcohol. With increased education about wearing seat belts and drinking and driving there is hope of lowering those numbers.
There are other statistics that have been able to give insight into what makes teen drivers so prone to car accidents. The Allstate Foundation did a survey in 2005 and found that half of teen drivers use their cell phone while driving. Cell phones have been shown to be very distracting to a driver and has been named as a leading cause of car accidents. This survey also found that speeding is prominent among teen drivers.
The results of this survey and the other statistics show that parents and educators need to be more strict in what they teach teen drivers. Teen drivers need to be alerted tot he risks of distracted driving and the risks of speeding. There needs to be an increase of education and more standards in place to assure that teen drivers stop making the same mistakes that have lead to teenager car accidents.