Sam's+Driving+Research

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as other drivers on the road. In fact, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers

Even for the most experienced drivers, driving at night poses an increased risk. For teenagers, however, the risk of having an accident is considerably higher when driving at night rather than during the day. This goes back to the general lack of skill a teenager has yet to learn through years of driving experience. Teenagers are also less likely to understand the risk of driving while they are sleep-deprived. Of course, the combination of alcohol and recreational driving becomes a greater risk during the nighttime hours.

Teenage drivers, for the most part, are overconfident in their driving abilities and this leads to risky driving scenarios that a more-seasoned driver would recognize as being dangerous. Running red lights, failing to yield to other drivers or pedestrians and even passing dangerously-close to other vehicles are just a few examples of risky behavior related to overconfident driving. Drugs and alcohol can inhibit a driver’s ability to judge distances and perceive possible risks which is why so many accidents are alcohol or drug-related. Do you really want your car to look like this? Didn’t think so. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year olds, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. National studies of graduated licensing found that strong laws were associated with substantially lower fatal crash rates and substantially lower insurance claim rates among young teen drivers covered by the laws. Strong restrictions on nighttime driving and teen passengers, as well as raising the licensing age, reduced rates of fatal crashes and insurance collision claims.


 * A total of 2,823 teenagers ages 13-19 died in motor vehicle crashes in 2012. This is 68 percent fewer than in 1975 and 7 percent fewer than in 2011.
 * About 2 out of every 3 teenagers killed in crashes in 2012 were males. Since 1975 teenage crash deaths have decreased more among males (72 percent) than among females (56 percent).
 * In 2012, teenagers accounted for 8 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths. They comprised 10 percent of passenger vehicle (cars, pickups, SUVs, and vans) occupant deaths among all ages, 6 percent of pedestrian deaths, 3 percent of motorcyclist deaths, 11 percent of bicyclist deaths and 13 percent of all-terrain vehicle rider deaths.
 * Seventy-nine percent of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths in 2012 were passenger vehicle occupants. The others were pedestrians (10 percent), motorcyclists (5 percent), bicyclists (3 percent), riders of all-terrain vehicles (1 percent) and people in other kinds of vehicles (2 percent).

It's that lack of experience—and perhaps hormones—that tend to translate into trouble for drivers between 16 and 19. They have a tendency to rack up more tickets, get involved in more collision, and experience a higher fatality rate than older motorists.

A 16-year-old will cause the typical premium to go up 99 percent, a figure that dips to 90 percent for a 17-year-old, 82 percent for a driver aged 18, and 65 percent for someone aged 19.

The average male teen driver will sock the family with a 96 percent increase in car insurance premiums while females cause premiums to rise a more modest 72 percent.

The survey found that premiums will, on average, more than double in 10 states, from Arkansas' 116 percent jump to the 101 percent increase in New Hampshire and Louisiana.