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THE STATISTICS ON TEENS AND CHILDREN
- Young people ages 15 through 20 are 6.7 percent of the driving population yet are 14 percent of the drivers in fatal crashes.
- The fatality rate for teenage drivers is about four times as high as that for drivers ages 25 through 69.
- Teenage drivers put their teenage passengers at risk. Two out of every three teens who die as passengers were in a vehicle with a teenage driver at the wheel.
- In 1997, more than 2,200 teens were killed in alcohol-related crashes.
- Young people ages 16 to 29 – especially males – are one of the population groups at highest risk of fatigue-related crashes.
- Black and Hispanic teens travel fewer miles than their white counterparts but are twice as likely to die in a crash.
- In 1997, more than one-fourth of the children between ages 5 and 9 killed in traffic crashes were pedestrians.
- In 1997, about one-third of the bicyclists killed in traffic crashes were between 5 and 15 years old, giving this age group much higher fatality and injury rates than for bicyclists in general.
- For Hispanic children under age 15, pedestrian injuries were the second leading cause of hospitalized and fatal injuries.
- Less than 20 percent of bicyclists report wearing bike helmets, and helmet use among teens is extremely low.
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School’s Out! Messages
It’s summer – are the residents of your community and state thinking about the impact of school recess on safety? Here are some basic messages tailored to specific audiences, followed by, where applicable, related NHTSA programs and materials that provide more information. Promote these messages to the appropriate audiences: in newsletters, payroll stuffers, interviews and presentations, billboards, or school assemblies. Health care providers can discuss these topics with their patients and leave tip sheets in their waiting rooms. Be creative!
For Children:
- Always wear your helmet while bicycling or in-line skating.
- Don’t wear your bike helmet on the playground, climbing trees, or at other types of play.
- When crossing streets, remember to look left, right, then left again, before you step off the curb.
- Don’t play, walk or bicycle along railroad tracks.
- Before riding your bike, do a quick maintenance check of the bike, including brakes, tires, air pressure, chain, handlebars and loose parts. Whether you use your bike a lot or are just dusting it off, do a maintenance check every time you ride.
For specific information about pedestrian and bicyclist safety for toddlers, preschoolers and children in grades K-3, see the new Child Safety Transportation Tips 10 and 11 and camera-ready child pedestrian safety ad slicks in English and Spanish, included in this Planner.
For Parents:
- Buying a car for the new graduate? Think safety when choosing a vehicle; remember that a vehicle’s engine power and appearance may influence how your teen will drive it. See Buying a Safer Car in the Program Publications for Planner 19.
- Review the bicycle and pedestrian safety rules with your children. See Program Publications for Planner 19 for pedestrian safety materials in both English and Spanish and for bicycle safety materials.
- Check the fit of your child’s bike helmet. If it’s time for a new helmet, remember to get one meeting the new Consumer Product Safety Commission standard. See What’s New About Bicycle Helmets?, Use Your Head Before You Buy a Bicycle Helmet and Your Bicycle Helmet: A Correct Fit in Program Publications for Planner 19 for how-to-fit information.
For Motorists:
- School’s out! Slow down and pay attention when traveling in neighborhoods and near parks, schools and playgrounds.
- Be alert for bicyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians – they’re harder to see.
- Watch for kids at play – children on foot and on bikes are unpredictable and may dart out into traffic.
- Remember that the longer daytime hours mean that children may be outside playing later than usual.
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