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.
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 | |
|---|---|---|
215,852 | 5.3% | |
20,078 | 3.8% | |
176,457 | 3.2% | |
77,822 | 3.5% | |
789,585 | 2.9% | |
160,570 | 3.7% | |
91,024 | 3.5% | |
37,197 | 4.5% | |
786 | 0.2% | |
470,595 | 3.0% | |
314,777 | 4.3% | |
22,825 | 2.4% | |
72,271 | 5.5% | |
394,155 | 4.7% | |
191,873 | 4.2% | |
157,498 | 6.8% | |
118,791 | 5.7% | |
57,941 | 1.9% | |
128,454 | 3.8% | |
33,876 | 3.2% | |
125,620 | 2.8% | |
160,943 | 3.3% | |
336,671 | 4.5% | |
223,858 | 5.6% | |
95,155 | 4.7% | |
194,394 | 4.5% | |
38,233 | 4.6% | |
76,403 | 5.3% | |
54,813 | 2.6% | |
37,369 | 3.2% | |
226,624 | 3.5% | |
52,807 | 3.6% | |
267,522 | 2.2% | |
217,798 | 2.8% | |
29,550 | 5.3% | |
342,679 | 4.2% | |
149,214 | 5.9% | |
101,552 | 3.4% | |
300,162 | 3.3% | |
24,468 | 3.2% | |
219,284 | 5.6% | |
46,531 | 7.1% | |
228,028 | 4.5% | |
691,218 | 3.8% | |
147,759 | 6.9% | |
16,511 | 3.4% | |
209,994 | 3.6% | |
207,618 | 3.5% | |
51,241 | 4.5% | |
191,084 | 4.4% | |
20,974 | 4.9% |
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% |
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 |
Teenage drivers and alcohol-related accidents by state
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% |
Teenage drivers involved in speeding-related accidents
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% |
Table shows the days of the week where teenage drivers were involved in the highest proportion of fatal crashes.
