NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
Trafc Safety Facts
2020 Data
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590
June 2022
DOT HS 813 313
In this fact sheet for 2020 the
information is presented as
follows.
• Overview
• Drivers
• Restraint Use
• Speeding
• Alcohol
• Motorcycles
• State
• Important Safety Reminders
Young Drivers
e term young driver refers to a person 15 to 20 years old operating a motor vehicle. People in
this age group generally obtain their licenses for the rst time and many are under graduated
driver licensing (GDL) programs as they learn driving skills. Young, inexperienced drivers
have higher crash rates than older, more experienced drivers in the United States.
Key Findings
■
In 2020 there were 1,885 young drivers
who died in trac crashes, a 17-percent
increase from 1,616 in 2019.
■
e number of licensed young drivers
decreased by 4.7 percent from 2019 to
2020.
■
In 2020 there were an estimated 189,950
young drivers injured in trac crashes,
a decrease of 7 percent from 204,862 in
2019.
■
Young drivers accounted for 8.5 percent
of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in
2020. However, young drivers were only
5.1 percent of all licensed drivers in 2020.
■
Young drivers involved in police-
reported crashes decreased by 20 percent
from 1,378,604 in 2019 to 1,105,471 in
2020. However, young drivers involved
in fatal crashes increased by 14 percent
from 3,999 in 2019 to 4,561 in 2020.
■
e rate of drivers involved in fatal
crashes per 100,000 licensed drivers for
young female drivers was 21.54 in 2020.
For young male drivers in 2020 the
involvement rate was 56.59, more than
twice that of young female drivers.
■
Of the young drivers killed with
known restraint use, 52 percent were
unrestrained at the time of the crashes in
2020, which is similar to the percentage
of all drivers of passenger vehicles killed
(51%).
■
Although people under 21 are legally
prohibited from drinking alcohol, 29
percent of young drivers 15 to 20 years
old who were killed in crashes in 2020
had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs)
of .01 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or
higher; 82 percent of those young drivers
who had alcohol in their systems also
had BACs of .08 g/dL or higher.
■
During 2020 there were 219 motorcycle
riders 15 to 20 years old killed in crashes,
and an additional estimated 6,472 in that
age group were injured.
is fact sheet contains information on fatal motor vehicle trac crashes based on data from
the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and non-fatal motor vehicle trac crashes
from the Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS). A change instituted with the release of 2020
data is rounding estimates to the nearest whole number instead of the nearest thousand for
all police-reported crashes, including injury estimates. Refer to the end of this publication for
more information on FARS and CRSS.
2 NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTS YOUNG DRIVERS
|
2020 DATA
A motor vehicle trac crash is dened as an incident that involved one or more motor vehicles in transport that originated on a
public tracway, such as a road or highway. Crashes that occurred on private property, including parking lots and driveways, are
excluded. e terms “motor vehicle trac crash” and “trac crash” are used interchangeably.
Overview
ere were 228.2 million licensed drivers in the United States
in 2020. Young drivers accounted for 11.6 million (5.1%) of
all licensed drivers in 2020, an 8.3-percent decrease from the
12.6 million young licensed drivers in 2011, but a 4.7-percent
decrease from 2019. Population for this age group decreased
by 3.6 percent from 2011 to 2020.
1
Motor vehicle trac crashes are a leading cause of death for
15- to 20-year-olds.
2
In 2020 there were 1,885 young drivers
who died in trac crashes, a 17-percent increase from the 1,616
young drivers who died in 2019. Additionally, an estimated
189,950 young drivers were injured in trac crashes in 2020, a
decrease of 7 percent from 204,862 in 2019.
Fatalities in crashes involving young drivers increased over
the 10-year period from 4,782 in 2011 to 5,037 in 2020, as seen
in Table 1. e 5,037 fatalities in 2020 is the highest number of
fatalities in crashes involving young drivers over that 10-year
period.
In fatal crashes involving young drivers for the 10-year period
from 2011 to 2020:
■
Fatalities among young drivers decreased by 5 percent.
■
Fatalities among the passengers of young drivers decreased
by 9 percent.
■
Occupant fatalities of other vehicles increased by 32
percent.
■
Nonoccupant (pedestrians, pedalcyclists, or other nonoc-
cupants) fatalities increased by 24 percent.
■
Total fatalities in crashes involving young drivers increased
by 5 percent.
In fatal crashes involving young drivers in the most recent
year from 2019 to 2020:
■
Fatalities among young drivers increased by 17 percent.
■
Fatalities among the passengers of young drivers increased
by 22 percent.
■
Occupant fatalities of other vehicles increased by 8 percent.
■
Nonoccupant fatalities increased by 14 percent.
■
Total fatalities in crashes involving young drivers increased
by 15 percent.
Table 1
Fatalities in Crashes Involving Young Drivers, by Person Type, 2011-2020
Year
Young Drivers
(15–20)
Passengers of Young Drivers by Age
Occupants of
Other Vehicles Nonoccupants Total*<15 15–20 21+ Total*
2011 1,993 118 777 298 1,194 1,122 473 4,782
2012 1,880 88 682 286 1,060 1,230 502 4,672
2013 1,696 120 633 313 1,069 1,133 469 4,367
2014 1,723 75 671 268 1,015 1,093 454 4,285
2015 1,903 101 622 258 982 1,326 533 4,744
2016 1,916 94 665 270 1,033 1,348 598 4,895
2017 1,844 97 651 237 986 1,396 574 4,800
2018 1,729 70 586 261 919 1,318 562 4,528
2019 1,616 87 574 226 888 1,373 514 4,391
2020 1,885 113 679 285 1,081 1,486 585 5,037
Source: FARS 2011-2019 Final File, 2020 Annual Report File (ARF)
*Includes passengers of young drivers with unknown ages.
1
Licensed Drivers – Federal Highway Administration; Population – Census Bureau.
2
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System. Available at
https://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcause.html
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
3
TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTSYOUNG DRIVERS
|
2020 DATA
Figure 1 displays the percentage of fatalities in crashes involving young drivers by person type and year.
In 2020:
■
Young drivers involved in fatal crashes made up 37 percent
of the fatalities in those crashes.
■
Fatalities for occupants of other vehicles increased from 23
percent in 2011 to 30 percent in 2020.
■
Of the passengers of young drivers who died in crashes, 63
percent (679 of 1,081 from Table 1) were also 15 to 20 years
old.
■
e percentage of nonoccupants has been gradually
increasing over the years.
Figure 1
Percentage of Fatalities in Crashes Involving Young Drivers, by Person Type, 2011-2020
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
2015
Percentage of Fatalities
37%
31%
20%
12%
37%
30%
21%
12%
42%
25%
23%
10%
40%
26%
23%
11%
39%
26%
24%
11%
40%
26%
24%
11%
40%
28%
21%
11%
39%
28%
21%
12%
38%
29%
21%
12%
38%
29%
20%
12%
2016 2017 2018 2019
2011
2012 2013 2014 2020
Young Drivers
Occupants of Other Vehicles
Passengers of Young Drivers
Nonoccupants
Source: FARS 2011-2019 Final File, 2020 ARF
Drivers
ere were 4,561 young drivers involved in fatal crashes in
2020 – a 5-percent increase from the 4,362 involved in 2011.
However, drivers of all ages involved in fatal crashes increased
by 23 percent in the same time period. Table 2 shows both
involvement of young drivers in fatal crashes as well as young
driver fatalities in crashes in 2011 and 2020.
In 2020:
■
Young drivers involved in fatal crashes increased by 9
percent for males and decreased by 7 percent for females
from 2011.
■
e 2-year comparison of total driver involvement in
fatal crashes increased by 5 percent from 51,302 in 2019
to 53,890 in 2020. During this same period, young driver
involvement increased by 14 percent from 3,999 in 2019 to
4,561 in 2020.
■
Total drivers involved in police-reported crashes decreased
by 25 percent from 12,119,611 in 2019 to 9,125,456 in
2020. Young drivers involved in police-reported crashes
decreased by 20 percent from 1,378,604 in 2019 to 1,105,471
in 2020.
■
Twelve percent of all drivers involved in police-reported
crashes and 8.5 percent of all drivers involved in fatal
crashes were young drivers. However, young drivers were
only 5.1 percent of all licensed drivers in 2020.
4 NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTS YOUNG DRIVERS
|
2020 DATA
Table 2
Involvement of Young and All Drivers in Fatal Crashes, by Sex, 2011 and 2020
Sex
2011 2020 Percentage Change, 2011 to 2020
Total
(All Drivers)
Ages
15–20
Percentage
ofTotal
Total
(All Drivers)
Ages
15–20
Percentage
ofTotal
Total
(All Drivers)
Ages
15–20
Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes
Male 31,918 3,039 9.5% 39,393 3,326 8.4% +23% +9%
Female 11,265 1,322 11.7% 13,033 1,230 9.4% +16% -7%
Total* 43,840 4,362 9.9% 53,890 4,561 8.5% +23% +5%
Driver Fatalities
Male 15,912 1,428 9.0% 19,387 1,461 7.5% +22% +2%
Female 4,899 565 11.5% 5,374 423 7.9% +10% -25%
Total* 20,815 1,993 9.6% 24,787 1,885 7.6% +19% -5%
Source: FARS 2011 Final File, 2020 ARF
*Includes unknown sex.
e rate of drivers involved in fatal crashes per 100,000
licensed drivers was higher for young drivers compared to
older drivers, as seen in Figure 2. For young male drivers 15
to 20 years old, the driver involvement rate in 2020 was 56.59
per 100,000 licensed drivers. For young female drivers 15 to
20 years old, the driver involvement rate in 2020 was 21.54 per
100,000 licensed drivers.
Figure 2
Driver Involvement Rates per 100,000 Licensed Drivers in Fatal Crashes, by Age Group and Sex, 2020
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
15–20
Rate per 100,000 Licensed Drivers
Age Group
25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+21–24
56.59
39.36
21.54
50.62
34.78
18.42
44.83
29.91
14.95
35.41
23.28
11.33
32.05
20.69
9.47
29.04
18.50
8.33
22.17
14.53
7.44
Male Female Total
Sources: FARS 2020 ARF; Licensed Drivers – Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
e 15- to 20-year-old age group accounted for 10.0 percent
of all drivers involved in single-vehicle fatal crashes in 2020,
compared to 7.9 percent in multiple-vehicle fatal crashes, as
shown in Table 3.
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
5
TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTSYOUNG DRIVERS
|
2020 DATA
Table 3
Percentage of Population, Licensed Drivers, and Drivers Involved in Traffic Crashes, by Age Group, 2020
Age Group
<15 15–20 21–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65–69 70+
Population 18.3% 7.7% 5.2% 14.0% 12.8% 12.3% 12.9% 5.4% 11.5%
Licensed Drivers — 5.1% 6.2% 17.5% 16.7% 16.4% 17.3% 7.3% 13.6%
Drivers Involved in
Property-Damage-Only Crashes
0.1% 12.3% 10.6% 23.0% 17.3% 14.3% 12.2% 4.1% 6.3%
Drivers Involved in Injury Crashes 0.2% 11.9% 10.8% 23.6% 16.9% 14.2% 12.2% 3.9% 6.3%
Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes
0.2% 8.7% 9.3% 22.8% 17.0% 14.8% 13.9% 4.5% 8.7%
— Single-Vehicle 0.3% 10.0% 10.2% 23.8% 16.8% 13.8% 13.3% 4.2% 7.6%
— Multiple-Vehicle 0.1% 7.9% 8.8% 22.2% 17.1% 15.4% 14.3% 4.7% 9.4%
Sources: FARS 2020 ARF; CRSS 2020; Population – Census Bureau; Licensed Drivers – FHWA
Notes: Percentages are based on known values. Licensed drivers age 15 to 20 may include drivers under 15, because individual age data are not available for under 16.
Among young drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2020, there
were 15.5 percent (157 out of 1,015) of those who did not have
valid driver licenses who also had previous license suspensions
or revocations within 5 years from the date of the crashes, as
seen in Table 4.
Table 4
Young Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes, by Previous 5-Year Driving Record and License Compliance, 2020
Driving Records of
Young Drivers (Ages 15–20)
License Compliance
Total*Valid Invalid
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total Drivers Involved
3,409 100.0% 1,015 100.0% 4,561 100.0%
No Previous Driving Record
2,139 62.7% 652 64.2% 2,796 61.3%
Previous Recorded Crashes
522 15.3% 92 9.1% 615 13.5%
Previous Recorded Suspensions or Revocations
133 3.9% 157 15.5% 290 6.4%
Previous DWI Convictions
12 0.4% 17 1.7% 29 0.6%
Previous Speeding Convictions
552 16.2% 111 10.9% 663 14.5%
Previous Other Harmful or Moving Convictions
405 11.9% 107 10.5% 514 11.3%
Source: FARS 2020 ARF
*Includes drivers with unknown previous records.
Note: Sum of percentages may exceed 100 percent as drivers can have multiple driving records of different types.
Restraint Use
Of the 4,139 young drivers of passenger vehicles (passenger
cars and light trucks) involved in fatal crashes in 2020, the
restraint use of those drivers is known for all but 404 drivers.
Of the young drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal
crashes in 2020 with known restraint use:
■
Fiy-two percent of those who died were unrestrained,
which is similar to the percentage of all drivers of passenger
vehicles who died (51%).
■
Seventeen percent of those who survived were unrestrained
compared to 11 percent of all drivers who survived fatal
crashes.
6 NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTS YOUNG DRIVERS
|
2020 DATA
Speeding
NHTSA considers a crash to be speeding-related if any driver
in the crash was charged with a speeding-related oense
or if a police ocer indicated that racing, driving too fast
for conditions, or exceeding the posted speed limit was a
contributing factor in the crash. In 2020 young male and
female drivers were speeding at the time of the fatal crashes
more than any other age group except when compared to
females age 21 to 24, as shown in Figure 3. Males in general
were more likely to be speeding than females in these crashes.
Figure 3
Percentage of Speeding Drivers in Fatal Crashes, by Age Group and Sex, 2020
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
15–20
Percentage of Speeding Drivers
Age Group
25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65–74 75+
35%
18%
32%
18%
28%
17%
22%
13%
16%
10%
13%
8%
9%
11%
6%
5%
21–24
Male Female
Source: FARS 2020 ARF
Alcohol
All 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have
set a threshold making it illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 g/
dL or higher. Note: Utah set a lower threshold of .05 g/dL or
higher that went into eect on December 30, 2018. In addition,
people under 21 are legally prohibited from drinking alcohol.
Alcohol involvement includes a fatal crash in which a driver
had a BAC of .01 g/dL or higher. A driver is considered to be
alcohol-impaired when the driver’s BAC is .08 g/dL or higher.
In 2020:
■
Twenty-nine percent of the young drivers who were killed
in crashes had BACs of .01 g/dL or higher; 24 percent had
BACs of .08 g/dL or higher, as shown in Table 5.
■
Of the 545 young drivers killed who had alcohol in their
systems, 448 (82%) were at .08 g/dL or higher.
Table 5
Alcohol Involvement Among Young Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes, by Survival Status, 2011 and 2020
Survival
Status
Total
Drivers
No Alcohol (BAC=.00 g/dL) BAC=.01+ g/dL Alcohol-Impaired (BAC=.08+ g/dL)
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
2011
Survived 2,369 1,951 82% 418 18% 328 14%
Killed 1,993 1,350 68% 643 32% 525 26%
Total 4,362 3,301 76% 1,061 24% 852 20%
2020
Survived 2,676 2,231 83% 445 17% 342 13%
Killed 1,885 1,340 71% 545 29% 448 24%
Total 4,561 3,571 78% 990 22% 790 17%
Source: FARS 2011 Final File, 2020 ARF
Note: Percentages are computed based on unrounded estimates.
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
7
TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTSYOUNG DRIVERS
|
2020 DATA
e number of young drivers involved in fatal crashes who
had BACs of .01 g/dL or higher dropped by 7 percent, from
1,061 in 2011 to 990 in 2020. Twenty-two percent of these
drivers had alcohol in their systems in 2020 as compared to
24 percent in 2011.
Table 6 shows alcohol involvement for young drivers who
were killed, by their age in 2020. Among young drivers killed
in fatal crashes in 2020, there were 541 killed at the age of 20
– highest among the young drivers; 32 percent of these drivers
had alcohol in their systems at the time of the crash. e table
also shows that of those young drivers killed, the percentage
that involved alcohol generally increases as age increases.
Table 6
Young Drivers Killed, by Age and Alcohol Involvement,
2020
Age
Total
Drivers Killed
Drivers With BAC=.01+ g/dL
Number Percent
15 52 13 25%
16 149 28 18%
17 260 62 24%
18 410 110 27%
19 473 157 33%
20 541 176 32%
Source: FARS 2020 ARF
Note: Percentages are computed based on unrounded estimates.
For young drivers in fatal crashes, alcohol involvement is
higher among males than among females. Twenty-four per-
cent of the young male drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2020
had some alcohol at the time of the crash, compared with 17
percent of the young female drivers involved in fatal crashes.
Drivers involved in fatal crashes are less likely to use restraints
when they have been drinking. Forty-seven percent of the
young drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes
in 2020 who had been drinking were unrestrained (based
on known restraint use). Of the young drivers who had
been drinking and were killed in crashes, 62 percent were
unrestrained (based on known restraint use). In comparison,
of the non-drinking young drivers killed, 48 percent were
unrestrained, as seen in Table 7.
Table 7
Young Drivers of Passenger Vehicles in Fatal Crashes, by
Restraint Use and Alcohol Involvement, 2020
Restraint Use
No Alcohol
(BAC=.00 g/dL) BAC=.01+ g/dL
Number Percent Number Percent
Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes
Restrained 2,189 74% 414 53%
Unrestrained 763 26% 369 47%
Driver Fatalities
Restrained 516 52% 163 38%
Unrestrained 485 48% 261 62%
Source: FARS 2020 ARF
Notes: Based on known restraint use. Percentages are computed based on unrounded
estimates.
NHTSA estimates that the 21-year-old minimum-drinking-
age laws have helped reduce alcohol trac fatalities and have
saved 31,959 lives since 1975 based on 2017 data (latest data
available), as shown in Figure 4. In 2017 an estimated 538 lives
were saved by minimum-drinking-age laws.
3
3
National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2019, March). Lives saved in 2017 by restraint use and minimum-drinking-age laws (Trac Safety Facts
Crash•Stats. Report No. DOT HS 812 683). National Highway Trac Safety Administration. Available at https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/
ViewPublication /812683
8 NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTS YOUNG DRIVERS
|
2020 DATA
Figure 4
Estimated Total of Lives Saved by Minimum-Drinking-Age Laws, 2008-2017
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
486
556
538
542
2008
Lives Saved
2009
Estimated Total of 31,959 Lives Saved by
Minimum-Drinking-Age Laws Since 1975
2010
2011
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
716
636
560
543
537
507
Source: National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2019, March). Lives saved in 2017 by restraint use and minimum-drinking-age laws (Traffic Safety Facts Crash•Stats. Report
No. DOT HS 812 683). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Available at https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812683
Motorcycles
e term motorcycle rider refers to the operator of the
motorcycle only and the term passenger refers to any occupant
not including the rider. e term motorcyclist refers to any
occupant of a motorcycle, either the rider or the passenger.
In 2020 there were 219 young motorcycle riders killed in
crashes, an increase of 1 percent from 216 young motorcycle
riders killed in 2019. An additional estimated 6,472 young
riders were injured in 2020, a 10-percent increase from an
estimated 5,869 in 2019.
Helmets are estimated to be 37-percent eective in preventing
fatalities among motorcycle riders and 41-percent eective
among motorcycle passengers. NHTSA estimates that helmets
saved the lives of 1,872 motorcyclists of all ages in 2017 (latest
data available), and that if all motorcyclists had worn helmets,
an additional 749 lives could have been saved.
4
Twenty-seven percent of the motorcycle riders 15 to 20 years old
who were killed in crashes were not wearing helmets (based on
known helmet use) compared to 39 percent of all motorcycle
riders who were killed in 2020 as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5
Helmet Use of Motorcycle Riders Killed in Crashes, by
Age Group, 2020
0%
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Riders
15-20
Years Old
All Riders
39% 61%
27% 73%
Unhelmeted Helmeted
Source: FARS 2020 ARF
Note: Based on known helmet use.
Of the young motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes,
50 percent were either unlicensed or operating with invalid
licenses compared to 36 percent of all motorcycle riders
involved in 2020.
4
National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2019, December). Lives and costs saved by motorcycle helmets, 2017 (Trac Safety Facts Crash•Stats
Report No. DOT HS 812 867). National Highway Trac Safety Administration. Available at https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/
ViewPublication/812867
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
9
TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTSYOUNG DRIVERS
|
2020 DATA
State
Figure 6 shows a heat map of the fatalities in crashes involving
young drivers as a percentage of total fatalities within the
State. Table 8 presents the number of young drivers killed, as
well as the numbers of passengers of young drivers, occupants
of other vehicles, and nonoccupants killed in young-driver
crashes for each State and the District of Columbia in 2020.
Also included in Table 8 is Puerto Rico, which is not included
in the U.S. total.
In 2020:
■
Trac fatalities in crashes involving young drivers ranged
from 5 (the District of Columbia) to 558 (Texas).
■
e number of young drivers who died in crashes ranged
from 3 (the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Rhode Island,
and Vermont) to 207 (Texas).
■
e percentages of trac fatalities in crashes involving
young drivers ranged from a low of 8.7 percent (New
Hampshire) to 17.8 percent (Idaho), compared to 13.0
percent nationwide.
Figure 6
Percentage of Traffic Fatalities in Crashes Involving Young Drivers, by State, 2020
14.6%
(MT)
10.0%
(ND)
11.7%
(WI)
14.0%
(IN)
12.1%
(KY)
15.4% (TN)
13.6%
(MS)
13.4%
(AL)
12.8%
(OH)
10.5%
(PA)
10.7%
(VA)
10.4%
(NY)
12.2%
(ME)
10.5
%
(WV)
16.6%
(IA)
12.8%
(MO)
12.7%
(AR)
17.8%
(ID)
11.6%
(CA)
13.2%
(NV)
11.7%
(AZ)
11.0%
(WY)
12.8%
(SD)
14.6%
(NE)
12.0%
(KS)
15.0%
(OK)
14.8%
(WA)
14.6%
(OR)
14.9%
(UT)
15.0%
(CO)
13.1%
(IL)
13.0%
(GA)
13.3%
(SC)
14.2% (NC)
13.0% (
FL)
12.3%
(MI)
13.8%
(NM)
14.4%
(TX)
12.8%
(LA)
14.7% (DE)
10.2% (MD)
12.0% (NJ)
13.9% (DC)
13.2% (CT)
14.5%
(VT)
8.7% (NH)
10.8% (MA)
11.9% (RI)
10.6% (HI)
15.2%
(MN)
14.1%
(AK)
12.2% – 13.9%
> 13.9%
< 12.2%
10.7% (PR)
Source: FARS 2020 ARF
10 NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTS YOUNG DRIVERS
|
2020 DATA
Table 8
Total Fatalities and Fatalities in Crashes Involving Young Drivers, by State and Person Type, 2020
State
Total
Fatalities
Fatalities in Crashes
Involving Young Drivers
Fatalities Involving
Young Drivers by Person Type
Number Percentage of Total
Young
Drivers
Passengers in Young
Drivers’ Vehicles
Occupants of
Other Vehicles Nonoccupants
Alabama 934 125 13.4% 54 23 33 15
Alaska 64 9 14.1% 5 1 0 3
Arizona 1,054 123 11.7% 51 17 35 20
Arkansas 638 81 12.7% 35 23 19 4
California 3,847 446 11.6% 171 103 113 59
Colorado 622 93 15.0% 30 25 28 10
Connecticut 295 39 13.2% 12 11 12 4
Delaware 116 17 14.7% 9 1 6 1
District of Columbia 36 5 13.9% 3 0 0 2
Florida 3,331 434 13.0% 136 92 131 75
Georgia 1,664 216 13.0% 77 51 73 15
Hawaii 85 9 10.6% 3 3 1 2
Idaho 214 38 17.8% 18 7 11 2
Illinois 1,194 156 13.1% 61 37 45 13
Indiana 897 126 14.0% 54 35 31 6
Iowa 337 56 16.6% 19 11 21 5
Kansas 426 51 12.0% 15 7 24 5
Kentucky 780 94 12.1% 38 21 28 7
Louisiana 828 106 12.8% 38 15 37 16
Maine 164 20 12.2% 10 5 4 1
Maryland 567 58 10.2% 28 8 9 13
Massachusetts 343 37 10.8% 24 5 5 3
Michigan 1,084 133 12.3% 40 24 50 19
Minnesota 394 60 15.2% 23 18 12 7
Mississippi 752 102 13.6% 42 23 29 8
Missouri 987 126 12.8% 57 30 36 3
Montana 213 31 14.6% 17 6 2 6
Nebraska 233 34 14.6% 15 7 10 2
Nevada 317 42 13.2% 10 14 10 8
New Hampshire 104 9 8.7% 4 1 4 0
New Jersey 584 70 12.0% 20 15 21 14
New Mexico 398 55 13.8% 21 11 13 10
New York 1,046 109 10.4% 38 23 31 17
North Carolina 1,538 219 14.2% 93 45 64 17
North Dakota 100 10 10.0% 7 1 0 2
Ohio 1,230 157 12.8% 50 34 57 16
Oklahoma 652 98 15.0% 36 19 35 8
Oregon 508 74 14.6% 26 19 21 8
Pennsylvania 1,129 118 10.5% 49 18 42 9
Rhode Island 67 8 11.9% 3 2 1 2
South Carolina 1,064 141 13.3% 46 30 46 19
South Dakota 141 18 12.8% 8 1 8 1
Tennessee 1,217 188 15.4% 61 46 63 18
Texas 3,874 558 14.4% 207 114 166 71
Utah 276 41 14.9% 20 11 10 0
Vermont 62 9 14.5% 3 2 3 1
Virginia 850 91 10.7% 35 14 28 14
Washington 560 83 14.8% 28 19 20 16
West Virginia 267 28 10.5% 8 9 10 1
Wisconsin 614 72 11.7% 21 22 23 6
Wyoming 127 14 11.0% 6 2 5 1
U.S. Total 38,824 5,037 13.0% 1,885 1,081 1,486 585
Puerto Rico 242 26 10.7% 13 2 8 3
Source: FARS 2020 ARF
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
11
TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTSYOUNG DRIVERS
|
2020 DATA
Important Safety Reminders
For Young Drivers:
■
Always wear a seat belt and make sure all passengers do
as well.
■
Underage drinking is illegal. It is never safe to ride in a
vehicle with someone who has been drinking or using
drugs. Call a parent/guardian or other trusted adult if
you need a ride.
■
Speeding is against the law and unsafe for everyone.
■
Put your phone and other electronic devices away and
don’t use them while driving.
■
Understand the components of your State’s graduated
driver licensing (GDL) system and laws.
• No speeding
• No distractions
• No extra passengers
• No alcohol
• No drugs
• No driving during restricted hours, which are dierent
from State to State
■
Like anything else, a variety of practice improves your
performance behind the wheel.
■
Know what to do in the event of an emergency or a crash.
■
Study the functions of your vehicle. Know what
technologies are included and how they work.
■
Do not be reliant on in-vehicle technologies. Be engaged
in the task of driving and in control of your vehicle at all
times.
For Parents/Guardians of Young Drivers:
■
Your teen is in the driver seat, but you’re in control.
■
Create a parent/guardian/teen contract and talk about
your expectations oen.
■
Establish the rules of the road. Share the rules. Enforce
the rules.
• Make sure your teen knows speeding is unacceptable.
• Teens driving other teens can be a dangerous
combination and is restricted in many States. Know
the laws in your State and enforce them with your teen
driver
• Underage drinking is not only illegal for those under
21, it is dangerous for anyone to drive aer drinking
alcohol or to ride in a vehicle with a driver who has
been drinking.
• Driving while impaired by any substance, legal or
illegal, prescribed or over-the-counter, can aect
driving skills and abilities. Know the side-eects of
any medication before getting behind the wheel.
■
Know the risk factors associated with teen driving.
■
Take an active role with your teen’s driver education
program and drive with them aer they complete driver
education.
■
Know your State’s GDLs and the consequences if your
teen fails to abide by these laws.
■
Be a good role model by displaying good driving habits.
For more information see www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/teen-
driving. Additional Teen Driver Safety Ads are available on
www.tracsafetymarketing.gov.
— NHTSA’s Research and Program Development
12 NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTS YOUNG DRIVERS
|
2020 DATA
Fatality Analysis Reporting System
FARS contains data on every fatal motor vehicle trac
crash within the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and
Puerto Rico. To be included in FARS, a trac crash must
involve a motor vehicle traveling on a public tracway that
results in the death of a vehicle occupant or a nonoccupant
within 30 days of the crash. e Annual Report File (ARF)
is the FARS data le associated with the most recent
available year, which is subject to change when it is nalized
the following year to the nal version known as the Final
File. e additional time between the ARF and the Final
File provides the opportunity for submission of important
variable data requiring outside sources, which may lead to
changes in the nal counts. More information on FARS can
be found at www.nhtsa.gov/crash-data-systems/fatality-
analysis-reporting-system.
e updated nal counts for the previous data year will
be reected with the release of the recent year’s ARF. For
example, along with the release of the 2020 ARF, the 2019
Final File was released to replace the 2019 ARF. e nal
fatality count in motor vehicle trac crashes for 2019 was
36,355, which was updated from 36,096 in the 2019 ARF.
e number of young driver fatalities from the 2019 Final
File was 1,616, which was updated from 1,603 from the 2019
ARF.
e 2017 and 2018 Final Files have been amended, but this
amendment did not change the overall number of fatal
crashes or fatalities.
Crash Report Sampling System
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
(NCSA) redesigned the nationally representative sample of
police-reported trac crashes, which estimates the number
of police-reported injury and property-damage-only crashes
in the United States. e new system, called CRSS, replaced
the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) General
Estimates System (GES) in 2016. More information on
CRSS can be found at www.nhtsa.gov/crash-data-systems/
crash-report-sampling-system-crss.
In calendar year 2020, NCSA changed the methodology
of estimating people nonfatally injured in motor vehicle
trac crashes. e new approach combines people
nonfatally injured from both FARS and NASS GES/CRSS.
is is done by extracting people nonfatally injured in
fatal crashes from FARS with people nonfatally injured in
police-reported injury crashes from NASS GES/CRSS. e
old approach extracted people nonfatally injured from only
NASS GES/CRSS, regardless of crash severity. is change
in methodology caused some estimates of people injured to
change for prior years.
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
13
TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTSYOUNG DRIVERS
|
2020 DATA
e suggested APA format citation for this document is:
National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2022, June). Young
drivers: 2020 data (Trac Safety Facts. Report No. DOT HS
813 313). National Highway Trac Safety Administration.
For More Information:
Motor vehicle trac crash data are available from the National Center for Statistics and Analysis
(NCSA), NSA-230. NCSA can be contacted at NCSARequests@dot.gov or 800-934-8517. NCSA
programs can be found at www.nhtsa.gov/data. To report a motor vehicle safety-related problem
or to inquire about safety information, contact the Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 or
www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/.
e following data tools and resources can be found at https://cdan.nhtsa.gov/.
■ Fatal Motor Vehicle Crash Data Visualizations
■ Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST)
■ State Trac Safety Information (STSI)
■ Trac Safety Facts Annual Report Tables
■ FARS Data Tables (FARS Encyclopedia)
■ Crash Viewer
■ Product Information Catalog and Vehicle Listing (vPIC)
■ FARS, NASS GES, CRSS, NASS Crashworthiness Data System (CDS), and Crash
Investigation Sampling System (CISS) data can be downloaded for further analysis.
Other fact sheets available from NCSA:
■ Alcohol-Impaired Driving
■ Pedestrians
■ Bicyclists and Other Cyclists
■ Rural/Urban Comparison of Trac
Fatalities
■ Children
■ School-Transportation-Related Crashes
■ Large Trucks
■ Motorcycles
■ Speeding
■ State Alcohol-Impaired-Driving
Estimates
■ Occupant Protection in Passenger
Vehicles
■ State Trac Data
■ Older Population
■ Summary of Motor Vehicle Crashes
■ Passenger Vehicles
Detailed data on motor vehicle trac crashes are published annually in Trac Safety Facts: A
Compilation of Motor Vehicle Crash Data. e fact sheets and Trac Safety Facts annual report
can be found at https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/.
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