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Teenage driving and accident statistics (2024)

We analyzed data to find out how dangerous the roads are for the over eight million teenage drivers in the U.S.

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By

Andrew HurstSenior Editor & Licensed Auto Insurance ExpertAndrew Hurst is a senior editor at Policygenius who has spent his entire career writing about life, disability, home, auto, and health insurance. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Forbes, USA Today, NPR, Mic, Insurance Business Magazine, and Property Casualty 360.

Edited by

Anna SwartzAnna SwartzSenior Managing EditorAnna Swartz is a senior managing editor who specializes in home, auto, renters, and disability insurance at Policygenius. Previously, she was a senior staff writer at Mic and a writer at The Dodo. Her work has also appeared in Salon, HuffPost, MSN, AOL, and Heeb.

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Teen drivers are more likely to be in car accidents than their more experienced counterparts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teens ages 16 to 19 are about three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than someone in their 20s.

Here are some other statistics about teenage driving that you should know if you’re a newly-licensed driver or have a teen in your household.

Teenage driving and accident statistics at a glance

  • As of 2022 there were 8.6 million teenage drivers in the U.S., about 3.6% of the country’s licensed drivers.

  • From 2018 to 2022, 16,920 teenage drivers were involved in fatal crashes — about 6.1% of all crashes.

  • During this time period, 41% of teenage drivers involved in fatal crashes were killed (6,877).

  • Teen drivers were involved in 10% of fatal crashes involving speeding, 6.5% involving distracted drivers, and 4.9% involving drunk drivers.

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Methodology: How we calculated our teenage driver statistics

We used driving and accident data from the Federal Highway Administration (FWA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This data is for 2022 and is the most up-to-date dataset as of April 2024.

Number of teenage drivers by state

From 2018 to 2022 there were an average of 8.6 million teenage drivers in the U.S. in a given year. Young drivers (19 and under) made up about 3.8% of the total number of drivers during this period.

Broken down by state, teen drivers made up the largest percentage of licensed drivers in Utah, where they were 6.9% of the state’s licensed drivers.

Number of teenage drivers

Share of total drivers

Alabama

215,852

5.3%

Alaska

20,078

3.8%

Arizona

176,457

3.2%

Arkansas

77,822

3.5%

California

789,585

2.9%

Colorado

160,570

3.7%

Connecticut

91,024

3.5%

Delaware

37,197

4.5%

District of Columbia

786

0.2%

Florida

470,595

3.0%

Georgia

314,777

4.3%

Hawaii

22,825

2.4%

Idaho

72,271

5.5%

Illinois

394,155

4.7%

Indiana

191,873

4.2%

Iowa

157,498

6.8%

Kansas

118,791

5.7%

Kentucky

57,941

1.9%

Louisiana

128,454

3.8%

Maine

33,876

3.2%

Maryland

125,620

2.8%

Massachusetts

160,943

3.3%

Michigan

336,671

4.5%

Minnesota

223,858

5.6%

Mississippi

95,155

4.7%

Missouri

194,394

4.5%

Montana

38,233

4.6%

Nebraska

76,403

5.3%

Nevada

54,813

2.6%

New Hampshire

37,369

3.2%

New Jersey

226,624

3.5%

New Mexico

52,807

3.6%

New York

267,522

2.2%

North Carolina

217,798

2.8%

North Dakota

29,550

5.3%

Ohio

342,679

4.2%

Oklahoma

149,214

5.9%

Oregon

101,552

3.4%

Pennsylvania

300,162

3.3%

Rhode Island

24,468

3.2%

South Carolina

219,284

5.6%

South Dakota

46,531

7.1%

Tennessee

228,028

4.5%

Texas

691,218

3.8%

Utah

147,759

6.9%

Vermont

16,511

3.4%

Virginia

209,994

3.6%

Washington

207,618

3.5%

West Virginia

51,241

4.5%

Wisconsin

191,084

4.4%

Wyoming

20,974

4.9%

Collapse table

Number of drivers ages 19 and under represents an average of yearly reporting from 2018 to 2022.

Total number of accidents involving teenage drivers

We found that from 2018 to 2022 a total of 16,920 teen drivers were involved in fatal car accidents, an average of 3,849 per year. Of these teen drivers involved in a fatal car accident, 6,877, or 41%, were killed.

During the same period a total of 278,799 drivers of all ages were involved in fatal crashes. Teen drivers represented 6.1% of this total.

Teen drivers involved in fatal accidents

Total number of drivers involved in fatal accidents

Share of all drivers involved in a fatal accident

2018

3,098

51,905

6.0%

2019

3,012

51,302

5.9%

2020

3,346

54,165

6.2%

2021

3,849

61,379

6.3%

2022

3,615

60,048

6.0%

Number of teenage drivers involved in fatal accidents from 2018 to 2022.

Age of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes

From 2018 to 2022 there were a total of 5,781 19-year-old drivers involved in a fatal crash — 14% higher than the number of 18-year-old drivers involved in fatal accidents.

Year

Fatal crashes involving 15-year-old drivers

Fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers

Fatal crashes involving 17-year-old drivers

Fatal crashes involving 18-year-old drivers

Fatal crashes involving 19-year-old drivers

2018

84

359

667

933

1,055

2019

78

361

596

916

1,061

2020

121

417

652

1,016

1,140

2021

103

450

804

1,182

1,310

2022

124

474

764

1,038

1,215

Age of teenage drivers involved in an accident from 2018 to 2022.

Accidents involving teenage drivers by state

Texas, the state with the highest number of licensed teens on the road, had 1,832 teenage drivers involved in a fatal accident during this time, 6.4% of all drivers involved in fatal accidents in Texas.

In Montana, 112 teenagers were in a fatal accident during the same period. That accounts for 9.2% of all drivers in a fatal accident in Montana from 2018 to 2022, the highest percentage of any state.

Teen drivers involved in fatal accidents

Share of all drivers involved in fatal accidents

Alabama

463

6.9%

Alaska

34

7.0%

Arizona

459

5.9%

Arkansas

250

6.0%

California

1,445

5.1%

Colorado

332

7.0%

Connecticut

129

6.1%

Delaware

72

7.6%

District of Columbia

8

3.4%

Florida

1,445

5.9%

Georgia

709

6.0%

Hawaii

33

4.7%

Idaho

122

7.6%

Illinois

532

6.4%

Indiana

441

6.8%

Iowa

174

7.4%

Kansas

209

7.4%

Kentucky

304

5.7%

Louisiana

335

5.8%

Maine

49

4.8%

Maryland

182

4.6%

Massachusetts

145

5.6%

Michigan

460

6.0%

Minnesota

209

7.2%

Mississippi

341

7.3%

Missouri

450

6.6%

Montana

112

9.2%

Nebraska

144

8.4%

Nevada

128

5.1%

New Hampshire

38

4.5%

New Jersey

221

5.1%

New Mexico

200

6.9%

New York

365

5.1%

North Carolina

656

6.0%

North Dakota

55

7.9%

Ohio

524

6.0%

Oklahoma

339

7.0%

Oregon

192

5.3%

Pennsylvania

433

5.2%

Rhode Island

22

5.4%

South Carolina

456

6.0%

South Dakota

70

8.4%

Tennessee

545

6.3%

Texas

1,832

6.4%

Utah

179

8.6%

Vermont

29

6.6%

Virginia

357

5.7%

Washington

265

6.1%

West Virginia

88

4.7%

Wisconsin

279

6.8%

Wyoming

59

7.4%

Collapse table

Total number of teenage drivers involved in a fatal accident from 2017 to 2022.

Teenage drivers involved in crashes where alcohol was present

Alcohol can be a problem for teenage drivers. The CDC notes that teenagers who are under the influence have a higher risk of being involved in a crash compared to an older adult with the same blood-alcohol concentration, and that in 2020, 29% of teenagers killed in car accidents had been drinking.

From 2018 to 2022 there were 4,037 teenage drivers involved in a fatal car crash where alcohol was present.

Age of driver

Total number of fatal crashes involving alcohol

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

15

95

9

14

24

19

29

16

391

64

59

70

91

107

17

789

136

115

141

185

212

18

1230

203

210

238

286

293

19

1532

269

251

306

348

358

Of all drivers involved in alcohol-related fatal crashes, 4.9% were teenagers. From 2018 to 2022, the number of teenagers involved in an alcohol-related fatal crash compared to all drivers was highest in Kansas, where teen drivers were involved in nearly 8% of all alcohol-related accidents.

State

Teen drivers involved in fatal accidents

Share of all drivers involved in fatal accidents

Alabama

86

5.0%

Alaska

7

6.0%

Arizona

116

4.7%

Arkansas

40

4.0%

California

362

4.2%

Colorado

96

6.8%

Connecticut

45

5.5%

Delaware

13

5.3%

District of Columbia

2

2.7%

Florida

296

4.6%

Georgia

128

4.4%

Hawaii

9

3.9%

Idaho

27

6.4%

Illinois

138

5.1%

Indiana

90

5.6%

Iowa

42

5.9%

Kansas

47

7.9%

Kentucky

42

3.9%

Louisiana

58

3.6%

Maine

14

4.8%

Maryland

30

2.4%

Massachusetts

37

4.6%

Michigan

90

4.5%

Minnesota

39

5.5%

Mississippi

66

6.5%

Missouri

89

4.9%

Montana

36

7.7%

Nebraska

34

7.6%

Nevada

31

4.0%

New Hampshire

7

2.6%

New Jersey

41

3.8%

New Mexico

49

5.6%

New York

95

4.3%

North Carolina

144

5.0%

North Dakota

14

6.8%

Ohio

133

4.4%

Oklahoma

50

4.4%

Oregon

61

4.8%

Pennsylvania

91

4.2%

Rhode Island

8

5.1%

South Carolina

105

4.5%

South Dakota

14

6.0%

Tennessee

103

4.7%

Texas

722

6.1%

Utah

23

5.4%

Vermont

5

4.8%

Virginia

80

4.5%

Washington

98

6.5%

West Virginia

18

4.5%

Wisconsin

53

4.5%

Wyoming

15

7.1%

Collapse table

Speed is a frequent factor in fatal crashes involving teenagers. We found that teenage drivers were involved in about 10% of speed-related fatal crashes from 2018 to 2022. 

The state where teenage drivers were involved in the highest share (16.2%) of all speed-related accidents from 2018 to 2022 was Vermont.

Year

Teenage drivers involved in a fatal speeding accident

Percent of speed-related accidents involving teen drivers

2018

829

9.4%

2019

827

9.3%

2020

1,054

10.1%

2021

1,232

10.8%

2022

1,124

10.1%

Teenage drivers involved in drowsy-driving accidents

There were 4,754 drowsy-driving-related fatal accidents from 2018 to 2022, and teenage drivers were involved in 328 of them, nearly 7%. 

The state where the most teenage drivers were involved in a fatal crash that involved drowsy driving during that period was Texas with 67.

Year

Teenage drivers involved in a fatal drowsy-driving accident

Percent of drowsy-driving accidents involving teen drivers

2018

71

6.8%

2019

66

6.7%

2020

58

6.7%

2021

77

8.2%

2022

56

6.0%

Which day of the week is the most dangerous for teen drivers?

Teenagers are most likely to be involved in fatal crashes on Sunday — teenage drivers were involved in 6.8% of Sunday crashes from 2018 to 2022. But Saturday was the day of the week with the highest total number of fatal crashes involving teen drivers.

Day of the week

Teenage drivers involved in a fatal crash

Percentage of all fatal crashes on this day involving teen drivers

Sunday

2,788

6.8%

Monday

2,157

5.9%

Tuesday

2,054

5.7%

Wednesday

2,101

5.8%

Thursday

2,242

5.9%

Friday

2,587

5.8%

Saturday

2,991

6.4%

Collapse table

Table shows the days of the week where teenage drivers were involved in the highest proportion of fatal crashes.

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We don't sell your information to third parties.

Author

Andrew Hurst is a senior editor at Policygenius who has spent his entire career writing about life, disability, home, auto, and health insurance. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Forbes, USA Today, NPR, Mic, Insurance Business Magazine, and Property Casualty 360.

Editor

Anna Swartz is a senior managing editor who specializes in home, auto, renters, and disability insurance at Policygenius. Previously, she was a senior staff writer at Mic and a writer at The Dodo. Her work has also appeared in Salon, HuffPost, MSN, AOL, and Heeb.

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