How Many Young Drivers Die in Crashes Each Year?

Quick answer: 2,162 young drivers died in traffic crashes in the United States in 2024. That is a slight increase from 2,156 in 2023. Crashes involving young drivers killed 5,247 people in total in 2024, and an estimated 184,129 young drivers were injured.

How many young drivers died in 2024

In 2024, 2,162 young drivers died in traffic crashes in the United States. In this fact sheet, young drivers means drivers ages 15–20. The number was a slight increase from 2,156 young drivers who died in 2023.

The number of young drivers injured also rose. An estimated 184,129 young drivers were injured in 2024, up 2% from 180,218 in 2023.

Young drivers were also involved in many crashes that did not turn fatal. In 2024, 1,279,893 young drivers were involved in police-reported crashes. That was up less than 1% from 1,276,453 in 2023.

At the same time, the number of young drivers involved in fatal crashes fell. In 2024, 4,873 young drivers were involved in fatal crashes, down 6% from 5,160 in 2023. The fall in fatal-crash involvement happened even as the number of young drivers who died rose slightly, because many fatal crashes involve more than one driver or more than one death.

In total, 39,254 people died in traffic crashes in the United States in 2024. For deaths by state, see United States crash deaths by state.

Who else dies in crashes involving young drivers

Crashes involving young drivers kill more than young drivers alone. In 2024, 5,247 people died in crashes involving young drivers. That was down from 5,617 in 2023, or about 7% lower.

The breakdown of the 5,247 deaths in 2024 was:

• 2,162 young drivers, or 41% of the total
• 893 passengers of young drivers
• 1,526 occupants of other vehicles
• 666 nonoccupants

Of the 893 passengers of young drivers who died, 66% were also aged 15–20. That is 593 young passengers.

Road safety for young drivers matters beyond the drivers themselves, because passengers, people in other vehicles, and people outside vehicles all share the risk.

The longer trend also matters. Fatalities in crashes involving young drivers rose from 4,744 in 2015 to 5,247 in 2024. The 2024 total was lower than in 2023, but still above the 2015 level.

Why young drivers are at higher risk

Young drivers make up a small share of licensed drivers, but a larger share of drivers in fatal crashes. In 2024, young drivers were 5.2% of licensed drivers but about 9% of drivers in fatal crashes.

The fatal-crash involvement rate per 100,000 licensed drivers shows the same gap. In 2024, the rate was 56.72 for young males and 20.27 for young females. That means the rate for young males was almost three times higher than the rate for young females.

New drivers have less experience behind the wheel, with less time to learn how to spot danger early and how to react when something goes wrong. Many new drivers are subject to graduated driver licensing programmes as they learn. These programmes set staged rules for new drivers as they gain experience.

US National Teen Driver Safety Week runs 18–24 October 2026. The week is a reminder that learning to drive safely takes time, practice, and support from parents and carers.

Alcohol, seat belts and speeding

Two factors stand out in the deaths of young drivers: seat belt use and alcohol.

Among young drivers of passenger vehicles killed with known restraint use, 53% were unrestrained. For all passenger-vehicle drivers killed, the share was 49%. That gap matters because seat belts are one of the simplest ways to lower the risk of death in a crash.

Alcohol also played a part, even though drinking under the age of 21 is illegal in the United States. Among young drivers killed, 29% had a blood alcohol concentration of .01 g/dL or higher. 25% had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 g/dL or higher.

NHTSA charts show young drivers speeding in fatal crashes at higher rates than any other age group. Speeding leaves less time to react and makes a crash more severe when it happens. For young drivers, speed adds risk on top of limited experience.

Wearing a seat belt on every trip, never driving after drinking, and keeping speed within the limit can all lower the risk.

Motorcycles and young riders

Young motorcycle riders face a high risk too. In 2024, 583 young motorcycle riders ages 15–20 were killed. That was up 20% from 485 in 2023. An estimated 10,113 young motorcycle riders were injured in 2024, up 44% from 7,044 in 2023.

Licensing was also an issue. Among young motorcycle riders in fatal crashes, 41% were unlicensed or invalidly licensed. For all motorcycle riders in fatal crashes, the share was 35%. Riding without a valid licence often means riding without the training and testing that a licence requires.

Young riders need full training, a valid licence, and protective gear before they ride.

How these numbers were counted

These figures come from NHTSA, Young Drivers: 2024 Data, based on the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. The 2024 figures come from the Annual Report File. The 2023 figures come from the Final File. The latest year can be revised as records are checked and completed.

Young drivers means drivers ages 15–20 in this fact sheet. Fatalities in crashes involving young drivers include young drivers, passengers of young drivers, occupants of other vehicles, and nonoccupants. Injury figures are estimates based on police-reported crashes. Restraint and alcohol figures cover cases where that information was known and recorded.