- There were 12.6 million licensed drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 on the nation's roads, accounting for 6.6 percent of all drivers.
- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15 to 20 year olds. 3,827 young people were killed and an additional 324,000 were injured.
- The estimated economic cost of police-reported crashes involving drivers between 15 and 20 years old was $40.8 billion.
- Drivers are less likely to use restraints when they have been drinking. Sixty-nine percent of the young drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes who had been drinking were unrestrained. Of the young drivers who had been drinking and killed in crashes, 77 percent were unrestrained.
- The highest intoxication rates in fatal crashes were recorded for drivers 21-24 year old (33 percent).
- The 21-year-old minimum drinking age laws have saved an estimated 21,887 lives since 1975. In 2002 alone, these laws saved an estimated 917 lives.
- All 50 states and the District of Columbia have 21-year old minimum drinking age and zero tolerance laws.
2001 National Youth Fatal Crash and Alcohol Facts
2000 National Youth Fatal Crash and Alcohol Facts
Sources:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Traffic Safety, December 2003
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