Crashes are the leading cause of death among American teens

THE EPIDEMIC (excerpted from Allstate Website)

No other kind of hazard comes close to claiming as many teenage lives, including teenage homicides (13%) and suicides(11%). (2002 figures). Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among American teenagers, killing between
5,000 and 6,000 teenagers every year.

A TEENAGER’S ODDS
Teenage drivers account for 12.6% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes. The fatal crash rates among 16 to 19-year-olds is four times that of older drivers. Risk is the highest at age 16, when the fatal crash rate is 40% higher than for 18 year olds and 30% higher than for 19 year-olds.

THE ENEMIES: CELL PHONES
• 56% of teens said they make and answer phone calls while driving. Talking on a cell phone can double the likelihood
of an accident and can slow a young driver’s reaction time to that of a 70-year-old.
• 13% of teens said they send and respond to text messages while driving.

for additional info: http://www.allstate.com/content/refresh-attachments/TeenDriving_facts.pdf