Types of Cars Driven by Teenagers in Fatal Crashes

Per mile driven, the crash rate (nonfatal and fatal) is three times higher for teenaged drivers than for adult drivers in the U.S. Drivers of heavier and better-designed cars are less likely to die in a crash.

Investigators used data from the U.S. Fatality Analysis Reporting System to characterize differences in the types of motor vehicles driven by teens aged 15 to 17 years (2420) compared with adults aged 35 to 50 years (18,975) who died in car crashes on public roads between 2008 and 2012.

Teenagers were significantly more likely than adults to have been driving a mini or small car (29% vs. 20%) and significantly less likely to have been driving a large pickup truck (10% vs. 17%). Teenagers were also more likely to have been driving older …