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(*reprinted with permission from MADD Canada’s Youth website, www.maddyouth.ca)

Although there has been a significant decline in road fatality and injury rates among teens over the last two decades, progress in the recent past has stalled. Road crashes still remain the leading cause of death among teenagers and more 19 year olds die or are seriously injured than any other age group.

Studies conclude that young drivers are over-represented in road crashes for two primary reasons: inexperience and immaturity. 40% of teenage drivers who are killed in road crashes have been drinking. Although young people are the least likely to drink and drive, the ones who do are at a very high risk of collision.

Characteristics of the Drinking and Driving Problem with Young People

Older Teens: Of all the young drinking drivers who are killed or seriously injured, the smallest proportion is 16 years of age. The largest proportion is 19 years of age.

Males: Account for 87% of the young fatally injured drinking drivers and 89% of the seriously injured drinking drivers.

Summertime: Young drinking drivers are most likely to be killed or injured in the summer (32.4% and 40.8%, respectively) and least likely to be killed or injured in the winter (8.0% and 11.4%, respectively).

Weekend: A large percentage of young drinking drivers die or are seriously injured on the weekend.

Night time: The vast majority of young drinking drivers die or are seriously injured in crashes at night.

Automobiles: Most young drinking drivers are killed or seriously injured when driving an automobile.

Single-vehicle: Young drinking drivers are most likely to be involved in single-vehicle crashes.

At fault: In nearly 2/3 of the alcohol involved multiple vehicle crashes it was the fatally injured teen driver who had been drinking and not the other driver.

Crashes: By the time a driver reaches a blood alcohol content of 0.10 he or she is 51 times more likely than a non-drinking driver to be involved in a fatal crash.