There were 194.3 million licensed drivers in the United States in 2002 (2003 data not available). Young drivers, between 15 and 20 years old, accounted for 6.4 percent (12.5 million) of the total, a 7.0 percent increase from the 11.7 million young drivers in 1992. In 2003, 7,884 15- to 20-year-old drivers were involved in fatal crashes — a 5 percent increase from the 7,484 involved in 1993. Driver fatalities for this age group increased by 13 percent between 1993 and 2003. For young males, driver fatalities rose by 9 percent, compared with a 25 percent increase for young females. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15 to 20 year olds (based on 2002 figures, which are the latest mortality data currently available from the National Center for Health Statistics). In 2003, 3,657 drivers 15 to 20 years old were killed, and an additional 308,000 were injured, in motor vehicle crashes.
Abstract