Teen Driving Statistics
Now and for the next several months teens have the greatest risk of being seriously injured or killed in an automobile accident. When they have a passenger in the car that risk doubles. This doesn't necessarily mean they were doing something wrong either. In a split second while they are laughing with their friend or glance at a cell phone someone could hit them! This could happen to any one of us however, teens are inexperienced operators.
Here are some more staggering statistics that every parent need to know:
- Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens and about 1/4 involve an underage drinking driver
- Kids who start drinking young are seven times more likely to be in an alcohol related crash
- High school students who use alcohol or other substances are five times more likely to drop out of school.
- Teen alcohol use kills about 4,700 people each year, more than all illegal drugs combined.
- n 2011, 226 children were killed in drunk driving crashes. Of those, 122 (54%) were riding with a drunk driver.
- The rate of drunk driving is highest among 21-25 year olds
- One in six teens binge drink. Only 1 in 100 parents believes his or her teen binge drinks.
- Almost one in three 8th graders has tried alcohol.
- Almost every 90 seconds, a person is injured in a drunk driving crash.
- In 2012, 10,322 people died in drunk driving crashes - one every 51 minutes