In general, males are more likely than females to die of any type on injury. In this group, males are about 2.5 times more likely to die of any unintentional injury and 5 times more likely to die of homicide or suicide. The gender difference is most pronounced in drowning, where males are 10.6 times more likely to die than females of the same age. Among adolescents 15-19 years old, one in every four deaths is caused by a firearm. The largest proportion of adolescent injuries are due to motor vehicle crashes.
Adolescents are far less likely to use seat belts than any other age group.
When adolescents drive after drinking alcohol, they are more likely than adults to be in a crash, even when drinking less alcohol than adults. 2 Adolescents also cause a disproportionate number of deaths among nonadolescent drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. 2 References 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Advance Data No. 231.