Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death in Canada for persons aged 15-24 (Public Health Agency of Canada 2012, p.10). This fact sheet, sponsored by State Farm, summarizes the characteristics of fatally injured teen drivers (aged 16-19) from 2000 to 2012. It also provides an update of an earlier fact sheet which examined trends among fatally injured teen drivers from 2000 to 2010 (Traffic Injury Research Foundation 2013). The data that were analyzed to inform this 2015 fact sheet and the previous 2013 fact sheet are based upon the Traffic Injury Research Foundation’s (TIRF) National Fatality Database. There are some differences in the data in this 2015 fact sheet compared to the 2013 edition. Fatality data from British Columbia for 2011 and 2012 were not available at the time the 2015 fact sheet was prepared. As a result, Canadian data presented in this fact sheet have been re-calculated to exclude this jurisdiction and make equitable comparisons. It is well-recognized that a variety of factors are associated with teen driver crashes including the non-use of safety equipment, speed, distraction, fatigue and the use of alcohol and drugs. To gain insight into progress in reducing teen driver crashes, State Farm has sponsored this fact sheet that contains the latest data about trends, the characteristics of teens involved in young driver crashes, and the role of contributing factors. This fact sheet summarizes the number and percent of 16-19 year old drivers killed in road crashes compared to drivers aged 20 and older. It also examines driver characteristics such as sex, age and temporal factors, as well as contributing factors in teen driver collisions. Trends and characteristics examined in this fact sheet span a 13-year period (2000 to 2012). Fatally injured drinking drivers are defined as individuals who test positive for alcohol as measured by blood alcohol concentration (BAC). (Author/publisher)
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