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Fatal Crash Statistics Involving Young and Teenage Drivers

The Davis Law Group has represented many families who have tragically suffered the wrongful death of a loved one as a result of negligent drivers on Washington state roadways.

Sadly, studies have shown that many of these drivers are between the ages of 16 to 25, which represents the least experienced cohort of drivers who are at highest risk of being injured in an accidentDavis Law Group actively promotes safe driving behavior in hopes to reach the new drivers on our roads who are negligently driving. The infographic below illustrates the startling facts and statistics regarding young driver fatal accident statistics.

fatal crash statistics involving young drivers infographic
 

Summary of Infographic Statistics:

Fatal driving accidents among young drivers is a serious issue that continues to grow. The statistics show that in just four years, 1,142 lives were taken by the negligence of a young driver. Whether the cause is from texting, speeding or driving impaired, we must work together to prevent this driving behavior. Although there are new laws regarding texting and talking on your cell phones while driving, it has not prevented people from committing these foolish acts that have become increasingly popular. Davis Law Group encourages you to help us to promote safe driving.

How significant is the problem?

  • On Washington roadways, there were 1003 fatal crashes involving a driver aged 16-25.
  • These crashes resulted in a total of 1142 deaths, which is an average of 228 deaths per year.
  • This accounts for approximately 39% of all traffic deaths during the fire-year period.

Day of the Week

  • Nearly half of the deaths occurred during the weekend, between 6:00 pm Friday and 5:59 am Monday.

Month of the Year

  • Over 20% of deaths occurred in July and August

Vehicle Type

  • 71.6% of young drivers were operating a passenger auto, SUV or van.

Crash Type

  • Two out of five deaths were single-vehicle crashes.
  • Over half of young drivers involved in fatal crashes were alone in the vehicle.
  • About 36% had one or two passengers.

The Driver

  • 1075 young drivers involved in fatal crashes.
  • Over 75% of these driver were male.

Seat Belt Use

  • More than one-third of young male passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes were not using a seat belt.
  • Just one-sixth of young female drivers involved in fatal crashes were not using a seat belt.

References

  • Washington State Analysis Reporting System
  • Washington Traffic Safety Commission
  • Traffic Research and Data Center 

NOTE: Fatal crash statistics involving young drivers by Davis Law Group is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.