NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

DOT HS 810 597 A Brief Statistical Summary July 2006 

Most Fatalities in Young (15- to 20-Year-Old) Driver Crashes Are Young 

Drivers and Their Young Passengers 

Most of the people killed in crashes involving young drivers (15 through 20 years of age) are the young drivers themselves or 

passengers in the vehicles driven by the young drivers. Most of these passengers are in the same age group as the young drivers. 

These data are from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). 

Of the 8,738 people killed in crashes involving young drivers in 2004, 3,620 (41%) were the young drivers themselves and 2,391 

(27%) were passengers in the vehicles driven by the young drivers (see Chart 1). The remaining 2,727 (31%) were occupants of 

other vehicles, nonoccupants and occupants of vehicles not in transport. Among the 2,391 passengers killed in vehicles driven by 

young drivers, 1,523 (64%) were passengers in the same age group (see Chart 2). Thus, of all the people killed in crashes 

involving young drivers, a majority (5,143 or 59%) were 15- to 20-year-olds. 

Table 1 shows that this same pattern exists over the period 2000 – 2004. Table 2 shows fatalities in crashes involving 15- to 20-

year-old drivers by person type and State for 2004. The breakdown of passengers by age group is shown both in number and 

percent. 

Table 1 

Fatalities in Crashes Involving a 15- to 20-Year-Old Driver by Person Type and Year

Passenger of Young Driver, by Age 

Year 

Young 

Driver 

(Age 15-20) <15 (%) 15-20 (%) >20+ (%) Unk. Total (%)

All 

Others Total 

2000 3,621 308 (12) 1,629 (64) 589 (23) 9 2,535 (100) 2,941 9,097 

2001 3,617 284 (11) 1,615 (64) 623 (25) 7 2,529 (100) 2,918 9,064 

2002 3,838 274 (11) 1,679 (65) 604 (24) 8 2,565 (100) 2,848 9,251 

2003 3,675 297 (12) 1,522 (63) 576 (24) 4 2,399 (100) 2,653 8,727 

2004 3,620 312 (13) 1,523 (64) 548 (23) 8 2,391 (100) 2,727 8,738 

Source: NCSA, FARS 2000-2003 (Final), 2004 (ARF) Unk. - Unknown 

Definitions: Passengers – people who were traveling in the vehicle with the young driver at the time of the crash; All Others – 

occupants of other vehicles, and nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists). 

FARS annually collects data on fatal crashes from the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. FARS data is made 

available by the NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA). 

Chart 2: Passenger Fatalities in a Vehicle 

Driven by a Young Driver in 2004

548, 23%

1,523, 

64%

312, 13%

Under 15 15-20 21 & Older

Chart 1: People Killed in Crashes Involving a 

Young Driver in 2004

2,391, 27%

2,727, 31% 3,620, 41%

Young Drivers Passengers All Others
 NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

Table 2 - Fatalities in 2004 in Crashes Involving a 15-20 Year Old Driver by Person Type and State 

Passenger of Young Driver, by Age State Young Driver <15 (%) 15-20 (%) 21+ (%) Unk. Total (%) 

All Others Total 

Alabama 108 10 (14) 45 (62) 17 (24) 0 72 (100) 78 258 

Alaska 6 0 (0) 4 (100) 0 (0) 0 4 (100) 7 17 

Arizona 83 6 (9) 38 (56) 23 (34) 1 68 (100) 76 227 

Arkansas 64 8 (19) 25 (58) 10 (23) 0 43 (100) 45 152 

California 278 32 (13) 159 (66) 50 (21) 0 241 (100) 248 767 

Colorado 59 5 (9) 35 (66) 13 (25) 0 53 (100) 58 170 

Connecticut 28 4 (24) 8 (47) 5 (29) 0 17 (100) 12 57 

Delaware 16 4 (44) 5 (56) 0 (0) 0 9 (100) 11 36 

Dist of Columbia 3 0 (0) 3 (100) 0 (0) 0 3 (100) 7 13 

Florida 235 20 (15) 76 (56) 40 (29) 0 136 (100) 241 612 

Georgia 126 15 (19) 43 (54) 20 (25) 1 79 (100) 124 329 

Hawaii 13 1 (13) 3 (38) 4 (50) 0 8 (100) 12 33 

Idaho 21 2 (11) 6 (32) 11 (58) 0 19 (100) 12 52 

Illinois 95 8 (11) 50 (71) 12 (17) 0 70 (100) 90 255 

Indiana 98 9 (14) 46 (71) 10 (15) 0 65 (100) 54 217 

Iowa 31 8 (32) 12 (48) 5 (20) 0 25 (100) 26 82 

Kansas 48 5 (25) 13 (65) 2 (10) 0 20 (100) 30 98 

Kentucky 95 4 (8) 33 (67) 12 (24) 0 49 (100) 56 200 

Louisiana 80 7 (14) 35 (69) 9 (18) 0 51 (100) 67 198 

Maine 22 1 (7) 12 (80) 2 (13) 0 15 (100) 14 51 

Maryland 54 3 (11) 23 (82) 2 (7) 0 28 (100) 29 111 

Massachusetts 40 3 (10) 23 (77) 4 (13) 0 30 (100) 27 97 

Michigan 104 11 (14) 55 (71) 12 (15) 0 78 (100) 79 261 

Minnesota 57 6 (15) 20 (51) 12 (31) 1 39 (100) 47 143 

Mississippi 95 10 (20) 26 (51) 15 (29) 0 51 (100) 61 207 

Missouri 117 9 (14) 45 (71) 9 (14) 0 63 (100) 64 244 

Montana 23 1 (8) 11 (85) 1 (8) 0 13 (100) 6 42 

Nebraska 27 1 (5) 14 (70) 5 (25) 0 20 (100) 20 67 

Nevada 22 1 (7) 10 (71) 3 (21) 0 14 (100) 24 60 

New Hampshire 18 0 (0) 5 (45) 6 (55) 0 11 (100) 13 42 

New Jersey 48 0 (0) 17 (71) 7 (29) 0 24 (100) 40 112 

New Mexico 39 1 (4) 19 (79) 4 (17) 0 24 (100) 28 91 

New York 119 3 (5) 52 (80) 9 (14) 1 65 (100) 88 272 

North Carolina 157 10 (13) 46 (58) 23 (29) 1 80 (100) 114 351 

North Dakota 8 1 (33) 1 (33) 1 (33) 0 3 (100) 3 14 

Ohio 123 15 (17) 54 (61) 18 (20) 1 88 (100) 86 297 

Oklahoma 73 4 (7) 36 (67) 14 (26) 0 54 (100) 65 192 

Oregon 40 2 (9) 15 (65) 6 (26) 0 23 (100) 29 92 

Pennsylvania 139 12 (15) 60 (75) 8 (10) 0 80 (100) 104 323 

Rhode Island 8 0 (0) 7 (70) 3 (30) 0 10 (100) 2 20 

South Carolina 80 7 (15) 29 (60) 12 (25) 0 48 (100) 45 173 

South Dakota 13 3 (25) 6 (50) 3 (25) 0 12 (100) 9 34 

Tennessee 134 19 (24) 41 (53) 18 (23) 0 78 (100) 62 274 

Texas 275 31 (13) 135 (57) 69 (29) 1 236 (100) 241 752 

Utah 15 0 (0) 8 (62) 5 (38) 0 13 (100) 29 57 

Vermont 11 0 (0) 6 (100) 0 (0) 0 6 (100) 6 23 

Virginia 94 4 (7) 39 (71) 12 (22) 0 55 (100) 50 199 

Washington 51 2 (5) 31 (76) 7 (17) 1 41 (100) 28 120 

West Virginia 38 0 (0) 11 (85) 2 (15) 0 13 (100) 14 65 

Wisconsin 79 4 (13) 19 (63) 7 (23) 0 30 (100) 41 150 

Wyoming 10 0 (0) 8 (57) 6 (43) 0 14 (100) 5 29 

NATIONAL 3,620 312 (13) 1,523 (64) 548 (23) 8 2,391 (100) 2,727 8,738 

Puerto Rico 39 3 (14) 14 (67) 4 (19) 0 21 (100) 39 99 

Source: NCSA, FARS 2004(ARF) Unk. - Unknown 

For questions regarding the above reported data, contact Cherian Varghese at 202-366-1114 or Umesh G. Shankar at 202-366-5558. This issue of 

Crash•Stats and other general information on highway traffic safety may be accessed by Internet users at: wwwnrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/AvailInf.html