Teen Driver Crashes Killing Other People

The majority of people killed in teen driver crashes continue to be people other than teen drivers themselves, according to an updated analysis of 10 years of crash data by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

The analysis shows that about one-third of people killed in crashes involving drivers ages 15 to 17 are teen drivers themselves. Nearly two-thirds are passengers, occupants of other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users.

“For every teen driver killed in a crash, almost twice as many other people die, which underscores the link between teen driver safety and the safety of everyone on the road,” said AAA Chicago Regional President Brad Roeber.

Nationally, between 1998 and 2007, crashes involving 15-, 16- and 17-year-old drivers killed 28,138 people, of whom 10,388 (36.9%) were teen drivers themselves.

The remaining 17,750 (63.1%) deaths included 8,829 passengers of the teen drivers, 6,858 occupants of other vehicles operated by adult drivers, and 2,063 non-motorists and others. A previous analysis in 2006 found that between 1995 and 2004, crashes involving 15-, 16- and 17-year-old drivers claimed the lives of 30,917 people, of whom 36.2 percent were teen drivers themselves and 63.6 percent were others.

In Illinois, between 1998 and 2007, crashes involving 15-, 16- and 17-year-old drivers killed 1,078 people, of whom 379 (35%) were teen drivers themselves. The remaining 699 (65%) included 350 passengers of the 15- to 17-year-old drivers, 260 occupants of other vehicles operated by adult drivers, 89 non-motorists and others.

In Indiana, between 1998 and 2007, crashes involving 15-, 16- and 17-year-old drivers killed 783 people, of whom 319 (41%) were teen drivers themselves. The remaining 464 (59%) included 232 passengers of the 15- to 17-year-old drivers, 188 occupants of other vehicles operated by adult drivers, 44 non-motorists and others.