Teenagers

Fatality Facts: Teenagers

Q&As

Teenagers: general

Teenagers: graduated driver licensing

Teenagers: underage drinking

State laws

Licensing systems for young drivers

Graduated driver licensing calculator

Estimate GDL benefits by state — For every state and D.C., the Institute has estimated the effects of strengthening or weakening five key components of GDL laws: permit age, practice driving hours, license age, and night driving and passenger restrictions.

Informational videos

In-vehicle teen driver monitoring

Consumer video available for purchase

Young drivers: the high-risk years — Car crashes are the number one killer of teenagers, and the risk is much greater for 16 year-olds than for other teens. This video documents the problem, describes a program that's saving young people's lives, and tells what parents can do to minimize the risk for their children.

Consumer brochure

Beginning teenage drivers (Also available in Spanish) — facts about young drivers and the licensing programs that protect them while learning to drive

Research papers

Motor vehicle fatal crash profiles of 13-15-year-olds; Allan F. Williams, Julie Tison, March 2012

Graduated licensing laws and fatal crashes of teenage drivers: a national study; Anne T. McCartt, Eric R. Teoh, Michele Fields, Keli A. Braitman, Laurie A. Hellinga, June 2010

Graduated driver licensing laws and insurance collision claim frequencies of teenage drivers; Rebecca E. Trempel, November 2009

Selected research bibliography

Highlights from the Institute's research since 1969

Presentation

October 9, 2007 Protecting teens from the dangers of alcohol use and abuse: wishful thinking versus science; convened by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, American Medical Association, National Transportation Safety Board, and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to support 21 minimum drinking age; presentation by Adrian Lund, IIHS president

News releases

May 31, 2012 States could sharply reduce teen crash deaths by strengthening graduated driver licensing laws

September 9, 2008 Put off driver licensure to save lives

June 9, 2008 Teen drivers often ignore bans on using cellphones and texting

August 31, 2006 Teen drivers' crash rates go down significantly under provisions of California's graduated licensing law

February 24, 2005 Fewer 16 year-olds are getting involved in crashes; big decline in crash rates of beginning drivers over a decade

May 22, 2002 Many teenagers don't buckle safety belts — even when adults driving them are using belts

December 20, 2000 Best & worst state traffic safety laws: some states do a better job than others

September 21, 1999 Joint news release from IIHS and Insurance Information Institute: Does your teenager drive a safe car? Vehicle choice is particularly important for young drivers

January 20, 1999 Crash risk is lower among teens subject to core provisions of graduated licensing

December 14, 1998 Black and Hispanic children, teenagers at high risk of motor vehicle crash death

April 14, 1998 Driver death rate among 16 year-olds has nearly doubled while going down among other drivers, even 17-19 year-olds

Status Report newsletter special issues

Vol. 44, No. 5, May 7, 2009: Special issue: teenage drivers

Vol. 42, No. 5, May 12, 2007: Special issue: one day of crashes — the stories of some of the 119 people killed in crashes on June 7, 2005

Vol. 35, No. 10, December 20, 2000: Special issue: state traffic safety laws: includes information on young driver licensing

Vol. 34, No. 10, December 4, 1999: Special issue: graduated licensing: Bandwagon moving fast, states accelerate pace of graduated licensing laws • Teen passenger restriction will save lives, study predicts • Parents' enthusiasm for graduated plan grows with experience • Nova Scotia: big reduction in crashes accompanies graduated licensing

Status Report newsletter articles

Vol. 47, No. 8, October 25, 2012: Graduated driver licensing benefits older beginners in Australia

Vol. 47, No. 7, September 20, 2012: U.S. surface transportation reauthorization law includes provisions for LATCH, belt reminders, teen driver laws and impaired driving research

Vol. 47, No. 4, May 31, 2012: How to make young driver laws even better

Vol. 47, No. 2, March 6, 2012: Teenage passenger death rate starts to climb at age 13 as young teens ride with friends who have licenses

Vol. 46, No. 11, December 15, 2011: N.J. teen driver decal law is unpopular and hasn’t raised teens' compliance with GDL restrictions • Crashes and near crashes are more common in the first 6 months after 16 year-olds begin driving

Vol. 46, No. 10, November 17, 2011: Teenagers have higher claim rates when they drive supersport motorcycles or sports cars

Vol. 46, No. 4, April 26, 2011: Teen driver DVD discusses ways to keep young beginners safe

Vol. 45, No. 7, August 3, 2010: Parents favor strict rules for teenage drivers and support raising the licensing age for beginners

Vol. 45, No. 3, March 31, 2010: New Jersey cuts beginners' crash risk with combination of older licensing age and restrictions on all beginners

Vol. 43, No. 11, December 27, 2008: 21 drinking age laws in US states are effective, multiple studies indicate • Changes in drinking age laws • New groups question effectiveness of 21, ignoring decades of research

Vol. 43, No. 7, September 9, 2008: Licensing teenagers later reduces their crashes • Comparison of licensing ages

Vol. 43, No. 6, July 24, 2008: College town alcohol campaign lowers nighttime drinking and driving among target group of teens and young adults

Vol 43, No. 4, June 9, 2008: Teenage drivers continue to use cellphones despite a North Carolina ban

Vol. 42, No. 7, June 15, 2007: Teen drivers' crash rates have declined sharply since 1996 • Many teens still get permits as soon as possible • Parents know safety is important but they don't always pick the safest vehicles for their teens

Vol. 42, No. 1, January 27, 2007: Why beginners crash and the kinds of crashes they get into

Vol. 41, No. 10, December 19, 2006: Going to and from school is prime time for teens to crash • Legislators beef up young driver laws

Vol. 41, No. 9, November 21, 2006: Fatality Facts — teen deaths decline

Vol. 41, No. 7, September 7, 2006: California's licensing program reduces crashes; findings refute previous study reporting no benefits

Vol. 40, No. 10, December 17, 2005: Teens and parents in Guilford County, N.C. respond to stepped-up enforcement of graduated licensing provisions, but the gains are modest

Vol. 40, No. 9, November 19, 2005: More evidence that teenage passengers increase the risk for teen drivers

Vol. 40, No. 6, July 16, 2005: Crash risk at midday is about three times higher when schools allow students to leave during lunch • Graduated licensing in a number of states is beefed up with new restrictions

Vol. 39, No. 8, August 28, 2004: Cars teenagers are driving often aren't the best choices for young beginners

Vol. 39, No. 4, March 27, 2004: North Carolina's graduated licensing restrictions: are teenagers complying? • Tennessee parents don't increase their involvement in the licensing process when prompted to do so

Vol. 38, No. 9, September 25, 2003: State legislative update: graduated driver licensing

Vol. 37, No. 8, September 14, 2002: Nova Scotia's graduated licensing system reduces crashes in the learner and intermediate stages; lowest student death rates are on school buses, while highest rates are in cars driven by teens and on bicycles

Vol. 37, No. 6, June 8, 2002: Teenagers' safety belt use rates are low, even when adult drivers in the same cars are buckled up; video on young beginning drivers focuses on ways to reduce their crashes by limiting higher risk driving

Vol. 37, No. 3, March 16, 2002: Some state licensing and DUI/DWI laws have been strengthened, but no safety belt laws have been changed to primary

Vol. 36, No. 6, June 30, 2001: Awareness of zero tolerance laws is limited among young drivers • Parents and many teens in California favor graduated licensing law

Vol. 36, No. 2, February 17, 2001: First few months of driving unsupervised are the most hazardous • Kentucky, Michigan, and North Carolina post lower crash rates among new drivers after adopting graduated licensing • Rural versus urban debate about graduated licensing • Teen passengers increase the risk associated with young beginning drivers

Vol. 35, No. 3, March 11, 2000: Change in Connecticut's licensing law reduces crashes among 16 year-olds • Michigan parents like provisions of graduated licensing law

Vol. 35, No. 1, January 15, 2000: Youngest and oldest drivers favor curbs on driving privileges, even when the restrictions limit their own driving

Vol. 34, No. 7, July 17, 1999: Teenagers' crashes and traffic violations track their parents' records

Vol. 34, No. 2, February 6, 1999: Florida's new licensing law reduces crashes among 15, 16, and 17 year-olds • Presence of passengers increases teenage drivers' risk of crashing • Recommendations for an ideal graduated licensing law • Teenagers' activities aren't cramped by delaying licensure

Vol. 34, No. 1, January 16, 1999: Black and Hispanic children and teens are at high risk of dying in crashes

Vol. 33, No. 6, June 6, 1998: Sixteen-year-old drivers' death rates rising at an alarming rate • Cars driven by teens are often picked for price instead of safety • Teens still not buckling up as often as other drivers and passengers

Vol. 33, No. 3, April 4, 1998: Graduated licensing's key components standardized

Vol. 32, No. 10, December 27, 1997: Graduated licensing has strong support among Nova Scotia parents, teens

Vol. 32, No. 5, May 10, 1997: North Carolina adopts strong new graduated licensing law

Vol. 32, No. 1, January 11, 1997: Driver education does not lower teenagers' crash rate • European driver ed programs also found insufficient • Liquor stores, bars continue to sell alcohol to young people

Regulatory comments

Comment to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concerning proposed minimum qualification criteria for State GDL Incentive Grant program authorized under MAP–21 (Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0137), October 19, 2012

Comment to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration concerning the proposal for younger commercial driver pilot training program (Docket No. FMCSA 2000-8410), May 21, 2001

Comment to the Federal Highway Administration providing research showing the crash risks associated with young drivers of commercial vehicles (Docket No. FHWA-99-5942), September 15, 1999

Testimony

Statement before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Transportation Committee regarding Pennsylvania seat belt requirements and distracted driving issues, Eric R. Teoh, April 13, 2010

Statement before the Maryland Senate Committee on Judicial Proceedings, Passenger and nighttime restrictions for young drivers, Stephen L. Oesch, February 24, 2009

Statement before the Maryland House Committee on Environmental Matters, Passenger and nighttime restrictions for young drivers, Stephen L. Oesch, February 10, 2009

Statement before the Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee, Passenger restrictions for young drivers, Anne T. McCartt, July 24, 2007

Statement before the Maryland House Committee on Environmental Matters, Passenger restrictions for young drivers, Stephen L. Oesch, February 9, 2005

Statement before the Transportation Committee, State of Hawaii House of Representatives, Young drivers and graduated licensing, Allan F. Williams, February 7, 2003