There were 202.8 million licensed drivers in the United States in 2006 (2007 data not available). Young drivers, between 15 and 20 years old, accounted for 6.4 percent (13.0 million) of the total, a 7.2-percent increase from the 12.1 million young drivers in 1996. In 2007, 6,982 15-to 20-year-old drivers were involved in fatal crashes — a 12-percent decrease from the 7,936 involved in 1997. Driver fatalities for this age group decreased by 12 percent between 1997 and 2007. For young males, driver fatalities decreased by 3 percent, compared with a 13-percent decrease for young females. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15-to 20-year-olds (based on 2005 figures, which are the latest mortality data currently available from the National Center for Health Statistics). In 2007, 3,174 15-to 20-year-old drivers were killed and an additional 252,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting