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Teen Driving Statistics (2026)

By the FindMyAccidentLawyer Data Team · Updated October 19, 2026 · 27 sourced statistics · CSV · JSON · Cite this page

In 2024, 2,162 drivers ages 15 to 20 died in U.S. traffic crashes, according to NHTSA. An estimated 184,129 drivers that age were injured. IIHS counts 2,899 deaths among teenagers ages 13 to 19, a different group. Age definitions differ by source, so compare counts with care.

The numbers at a glance

  • 2,162In 2024, 2,162 drivers ages 15 to 20 died in U.S. traffic crashes, a slight increase from 2,156 in 2023. Source
  • 184,129An estimated 184,129 drivers ages 15 to 20 were injured in U.S. traffic crashes in 2024. Source
  • 5,247In 2024, 5,247 people died in U.S. crashes involving a driver ages 15 to 20. Source
  • 2,8992,899 teenagers ages 13 to 19 died in U.S. motor vehicle crashes in 2024, 67 percent fewer than in 1975. Source
  • 9%Drivers ages 15 to 20 were 9 percent of drivers in fatal U.S. crashes in 2024 but only 5.2 percent of licensed drivers. Source
  • 53%In 2024, 53 percent of killed passenger vehicle drivers ages 15 to 20 with known restraint use were unrestrained, versus 49 percent of all passenger vehicle drivers killed. Source
  • 29%29 percent of drivers ages 15 to 20 killed in U.S. crashes in 2024 had a BAC of .01 g/dL or higher, and 25 percent had a BAC of .08 or higher. Source
  • 644Texas had the most deaths in crashes involving a driver age 15 to 20 of any state in 2024 (644), followed by California (496) and Florida (388). Source

How many teen drivers die in U.S. crashes?

NHTSA counts drivers ages 15 to 20, not just teenagers. Its tables also track everyone else killed in those crashes. Our overview of U.S. crash statistics has the national totals.

Why do sources report different teen death counts?

IIHS counts teenagers ages 13 to 19. CDC uses ages 13 to 19 for some figures and 16 to 19 for others. NHTSA counts drivers ages 15 to 20. Do not compare these numbers directly.

How risky is teen driving compared with other ages?

Young drivers are a small share of licensed drivers but a larger share of fatal crashes. Per-mile rates, single-vehicle crashes and teen passengers all matter here. Motorcycle deaths in this age group rose too; see motorcycle accident statistics.

When do fatal teen crashes happen?

Weekends and nighttime stand out in IIHS and CDC data. The two sources measure different things, so read each figure on its own terms.

Do teens who die in crashes wear seat belts?

Both NHTSA and CDC report restraint use among teens killed in crashes. Their age groups and years differ.

How often is alcohol involved in teen driver deaths?

Drinking under 21 is illegal in all states. NHTSA still recorded alcohol in a share of fatally injured young drivers. IIHS reports a long decline for drivers ages 16 to 17. Our drunk driving statistics cover all ages.

Which states have the most teen driver crash deaths?

Population size shapes raw counts, and a per-person rate changes the order. A state table follows this section. Local detail for the top state is on our Texas page.

Which states have the most deaths in crashes involving drivers 15 to 20?

The 15 states with the most deaths in crashes involving drivers 15 to 20 in 2024, with the rate per 100,000 residents. All 50 states and D.C. are on the state-by-state page.

deaths in crashes involving drivers 15 to 20 by state, 2024
#State2024 countPer 100,000 people
1Texas6442.06
2California4961.26
3Florida3881.66
4North Carolina2181.97
5Arizona1902.51
6Georgia1781.59
7Tennessee1642.27
8Illinois1591.25
9Missouri1452.32
10South Carolina1422.59
11Ohio1401.18
12Michigan1311.29
13Alabama1302.52
14Pennsylvania1220.93
15New York1150.58

Source: FindMyAccidentLawyer analysis of the NHTSA FARS 2024 data file (Annual Report File) and U.S. Census Bureau 2024 population estimates.

Frequently asked questions

How many teen drivers die in crashes in the U.S.?

NHTSA reports 2,162 drivers ages 15 to 20 died in U.S. traffic crashes in 2024. That is a slight increase from 2,156 in 2023. NHTSA defines young drivers as ages 15 to 20.

How many teen drivers are injured in crashes?

NHTSA estimates 184,129 drivers ages 15 to 20 were injured in U.S. crashes in 2024. The figure is an estimate from the Crash Report Sampling System, not a full count.

How many people die in crashes involving a young driver?

NHTSA counted 5,247 deaths in 2024 crashes involving a driver ages 15 to 20, down from 5,617 in 2023. That year, 4,873 young drivers were involved in fatal crashes. The rest of the deaths are not all drivers, as the next answer shows.

Who dies in crashes involving a teen driver?

Young drivers themselves made up 41 percent of the people killed in 2024, according to NHTSA. The 5,247 deaths included 2,162 young drivers, 893 passengers, 1,526 occupants of other vehicles and 666 nonoccupants.

Are teen passengers also teenagers?

Often, yes. Of the 893 passengers of young drivers who died in 2024, 66 percent (593) were also ages 15 to 20, per NHTSA. IIHS found 58 percent of teenage passenger deaths in passenger vehicles were in vehicles driven by another teenager, versus 13 percent of passenger deaths of all ages.

Which age has the most teen driver deaths?

Among drivers ages 15 to 20 killed in 2024, 581 were age 19, the highest of any single age, according to NHTSA.

Why do NHTSA and IIHS report different numbers?

They count different people. NHTSA counts drivers ages 15 to 20, which gave 2,162 deaths in 2024. IIHS counts all teenagers ages 13 to 19 from FARS data, including passengers, which gave 2,899. The figures are not comparable.

How much riskier are teen drivers per mile?

IIHS reports the fatal crash rate per mile driven for 16- to 19-year-olds is just over 3 times the rate for drivers ages 20 and over. CDC reports the nighttime fatal crash rate for drivers ages 16 to 19 is about 3 times that of drivers ages 30 to 59. Neither page gives a data year for its ratio.

Do teen boys crash more than teen girls?

NHTSA's 2024 fatal-crash involvement rate was 56.72 per 100,000 licensed male drivers ages 15 to 20, versus 20.27 for female drivers. CDC found the 2020 motor vehicle crash death rate for male drivers ages 16 to 19 was three times as high as for females the same age.

What share of drivers in fatal crashes are teens?

Drivers ages 15 to 20 were 9 percent of drivers in fatal U.S. crashes in 2024 but only 5.2 percent of licensed drivers, per NHTSA. That is 12.4 million licensed drivers ages 15 to 20 out of 239.8 million total.

How many teens killed in crashes were not wearing seat belts?

NHTSA found 53 percent of killed passenger vehicle drivers ages 15 to 20 with known restraint use were unrestrained in 2024, versus 49 percent of all passenger vehicle drivers killed. CDC reports 56 percent of teen drivers and passengers ages 16 to 19 killed in 2020 were not wearing a seat belt.

How often is alcohol involved in teen driver deaths?

NHTSA reports 29 percent of drivers ages 15 to 20 killed in 2024 had a BAC of .01 g/dL or higher, and 25 percent had a BAC of .08 or higher. By age, 34 percent of 20-year-olds had a BAC of .01 or higher, versus 20 percent of 15-year-olds. IIHS estimates 20 percent of fatally injured drivers ages 16 to 17 had BACs at or above 0.08 percent, down from 41 percent in 1982.

When do most fatal teen crashes happen?

IIHS reports 51 percent of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths in 2024 happened on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. CDC reports the fatal crash rate at night for drivers ages 16 to 19 is about 3 times that of drivers ages 30 to 59, per mile driven.

Which states have the most teen driver crash deaths?

Texas had the most deaths in crashes involving a driver ages 15 to 20 in 2024 at 644, followed by California (496) and Florida (388). Per person, Mississippi had the highest rate at 3.84 per 100,000 people. Both rankings are our calculations from NHTSA FARS data.

How many teens die in crashes each day?

CDC says about eight U.S. teens died every day from motor vehicle crashes in 2020. CDC also reports about 2,800 teens ages 13 to 19 were killed and about 227,000 were injured that year.

Can I use these statistics?

Yes. The statistics on this page are free to use under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license. Credit FindMyAccidentLawyer and link back to this page. The underlying figures come from the publishers named in each stat card.

Cite or link to this page

Free to use under CC BY 4.0. Please credit FindMyAccidentLawyer with a link. Updated October 19, 2026.

FindMyAccidentLawyer. (2026, October 19). Teen Driving Statistics (2026). https://findmyaccidentlawyer.com/data/car-accident-statistics/teen-drivers

Methodology and sources

NHTSA figures cover 2024 and define young drivers as ages 15 to 20. NHTSA's injury count is an estimate from the Crash Report Sampling System. IIHS counts teenagers ages 13 to 19 from FARS, so its totals do not match NHTSA's. CDC figures are from 2020 and use ages 13 to 19 or 16 to 19, and two per-mile ratios have no stated data year. The state rankings are our calculation from the FARS 2024 Annual Report File and Census population estimates.

Every number on this page links to the official report it came from. We checked each figure against the source text before publishing, and we recheck the sources every month. The page date changes only when a number changes. Spotted an error? Email profile@findmyaccidentlawyer.com.

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