Teen Driving Deaths in the U.S. Average 11.57 Lives for Every 100,000 Drivers: Report

Findings suggest that teen crash fatalities are on the rise, with Western and Southern states home to the worst teen drivers in the U.S.

A new study suggests that while traffic fatalities overall have been declining nationwide in recent years, teen drivers continue to face elevated risks of fatal crashes.

According to a Consumer Affairs report published earlier this year, there were more than 2,500 fatalities involving teen drivers in the U.S. in 2022, averaging 11.57 fatalities per 100,000 teenagers. This represents an increase from the average fatality rate between 2012 and 2022, which was 10.87 per 100,000 teenagers.

Although the change may appear modest, the difference between the highest and lowest fatality rates is about 2.5 deaths per 100,000 teens. Even these shifts are meaningful, the report emphasizes, as each figure reflects real lives lost and families impacted.

In the report, the Consumer Affairs Research Team analyzed fatal crash data using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) involving drivers aged 15 to 19, considering factors such as reckless driving, speeding, and driving under the influence to identify the states with the highest rates of teen driver-related fatalities.

The findings indicate that eight of the ten most dangerous states for teen drivers are located in the West and South, with Montana ranking worst overall. The state reported the highest teen driver fatality rates, largely tied to impaired and reckless driving. 

Montana’s risk is further compounded by some of the nation’s most lenient distracted driving laws, including the absence of a statewide ban on cellphone use behind the wheel.

Wyoming, Delaware, Missouri and Oklahoma followed Montana to round out the top five states with the worst teen drivers. New Jersey had the lowest rate of traffic fatalities involving teen drivers, at 3.73 per 100,000 teenagers.

Researchers noted that unsafe driving behaviors in the worst-ranked states were not limited to teenagers. These states also tended to rank poorly in other driver safety categories, including overall driver quality, rates of drunk driving, fatal car crashes and the prevalence of road rage.

To help keep teens safe, leading specialists at AAA suggest limiting the number of passengers in the vehicle, taking extra precautions at night, gradually increasing driving responsibilities, exploring safe insurance coverage options, and selecting safe vehicles for teens.

“The quality of the practice driving the teen does can outweigh sheer quantity of practice, so my advice to families is to ensure that the teen gets a chance to drive on all different kinds of roads, in different levels of traffic and varied weather and light conditions.”

-Rebecca Weast, senior research scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)

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