Frequently Asked Questions About 16 Year Old Car Accidents:

FAQ: What factors can put teens at risk?

From the CDC:

Inexperience:

• Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate or not be able to recognize dangerous situations.8,9 Teens are also more likely than adults to make critical decision errors that can lead to serious crashes.10

Nighttime and Weekend Driving:

• Nighttime driving is riskier than daytime driving for drivers of all ages but is particularly dangerous for teen drivers.

• Data from the 2016–2017 National Household Travel Survey indicate that teen drivers aged 16–19 years were almost 3 times as likely to be involved in fatal nighttime crashes than adult drivers aged 30–59 years per mile driven.2

• In 2019, 40% of motor vehicle crash deaths among teens aged 13–19 occurred between 9 pm and 6 am, and 52% occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.2

Not Using Seat Belts:

• Compared with other age groups, teens and young adults often have the lowest seat belt use rates.11 For example, results from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) Controlled Intersection study from 2016–2019 indicate that seat belt use in the front seat among teens and young adults (16–24 years of age) was approximately 87% each year, whereas seat belt use among adults (25 years of age or older) in the front seat was about 90% or higher for each year during the same period.11

• In 2019, 43.1% of U.S. high school students did not always wear a seat belt when riding in a car driven by someone else.12

• Among teen drivers and passengers 16–19 years of age who died in car crashes in 2019, almost half were unrestrained at the time of the crash (when restraint use was known).2

Distracted Driving:

• Distraction negatively affects driving performance for all drivers but can be especially dangerous for young, inexperienced drivers.

• Results from the 2019 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealed that, among U.S. high school students who drove, 39.0% texted or e-mailed while driving at least once during the 30 days before the survey.12

Speeding:

• Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next).13

• In 2019, 31% of male drivers aged 15–20 years and 17% of female drivers aged 15–20 years who were involved in fatal crashes were speeding.14

Alcohol Use:

• Drinking any amount of alcohol before driving increases crash risk among teen drivers.2,15 Teen drivers have a much higher risk for being involved in a crash than older drivers at the same blood alcohol concentration (BAC), even at BAC levels below the legal limit for adults.15

• Results from the 2019 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey12 revealed the following:

  • Among U.S. high school students who drove, 5.4% drove when they had been drinking alcohol at least once during the 30 days before the survey.12

  • Driving after drinking alcohol was higher among students who were older, male, Hispanic, or had lower grades.12

  • 16.7% of U.S. high school students rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol at least once during the 30 days before the survey.12

  • Riding with a drinking driver was higher among Hispanic students or students with lower grades.12

  • Students who engaged in any of the other transportation risk behaviors measured by the survey were approximately 3–13 times as likely to have also engaged in driving after drinking alcohol at least once during the 30 days before the survey.12

• Drinking alcohol is illegal for people less than 21 years of age, as is driving after drinking any amount of alcohol. Despite this, in 2019, 24% of drivers aged 15–20 who were killed in fatal motor vehicle crashes had been drinking.14

• In 2019, 15% of drivers aged 15–20 involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes had a BAC of 0.08% or higher – a level that is illegal for adults aged 21 or older in all U.S. states (Note: Utah has a BAC limit of 0.05%).14

• In 2019, 60% of drivers aged 15–20 who were killed in motor vehicle crashes after drinking and driving were not wearing a seat belt (based on known restraint use).14

• For young drivers involved in fatal crashes, alcohol involvement is typically higher among male drivers than among female drivers. In 2019, 20% of male drivers aged 15–20 years and 14% of female drivers aged 15–20 years involved in fatal crashes had been drinking prior to the crash.14

Drug/Substance Use:

• Driving while impaired by any substance (including alcohol, marijuana, other illicit drugs, prescription medications, or over-the-counter medications) is dangerous and illegal.16,17

• Many types of drugs/substances have the potential to impair a teen’s ability to drive safely.16

• After alcohol, marijuana is the most common drug associated with impaired driving.16,18

• Marijuana has negative effects on judgment, motor coordination, decision-making, and reaction time—all of which are important skills for safe driving.16,19–21

• Regardless of age, acute cannabis intoxication has been associated with an increased risk for motor vehicle crashes.20–22

• Results from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealed that in 2017, among U.S. high school students who drove, about 13% drove when they had been using marijuana during the 30 days before the survey.23,24

• Risk for motor vehicle crashes appears to be higher when driving after using both marijuana and alcohol as compared with driving after using either marijuana by itself or alcohol by itself.

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