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Teenage driving facts & statistics

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When it comes to big life changes — like your teen learning to drive 🚗 — it’s important to feel prepared. That’s why understanding the latest teen driving facts helps you (and your child) prepare for this next milestone stage.

Teen driving fun facts

Remember what it felt like to drive for the first time? Freedom, excitement, nerves… It’s normal to feel all of those emotions as a teen. And it’s normal to feel some of those emotions and more — as a parent.

Learning to drive gives teens a much-needed sense of independence and autonomy. They can drive to school, work, grocery store runs, or even a fun trip with friends once they’re ready. But as a group, young drivers (ages 15-20) also face some unique driving challenges that parents should know to help everyone stay safe. The upshot? Teen driving is getting safer. But - younger drivers also tend to get into more accidents.

Here are some teen driver facts to help you prepare your teen for safer driving:

Teen drivers make up 5.2% of all drivers in the United States.
More than 60% of teen drivers get their licenses before age 18, up 12% since 2012.
The overall number of young drivers with licenses dropped by 4.7% from 2019 to 2020. This could indicate fewer teens are interested in learning to drive than ever before – and underscores the importance of driver education.
Due to numerous factors including vehicle safety advancements, young driver-related fatalities have drastically decreased since the early 2000s.

Teen driving accident statistics

As teens learn to be more independent, they also need to learn to be responsible and safe behind the wheel.

At Greenlight, we know that information and safety tools help the whole family feel prepared. That’s why we’re here to provide both.

Be aware of these important teenage driver safety facts so you can help set your teen driver up for success (and safety!):

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of teen deaths in the U.S. The good news is that young driver fatalities have come down significantly over the last few decades. But it underscores the importance of driver’s education and safety tools and training.
The risk of crashing is higher during the first few months of having a license. Males and teens with other teen passengers are also at higher risk for vehicle crashes. Car safety apps can offer another layer of protection – more on that below.

5 safety rules of the road

While you can’t control everything on the road, there are countless ways to make sure your teen is driving safely — here are five.

1. Take a driving course

Most states require that students take a driver’s ed class, but even if yours doesn’t, it’s important to take an official course. This gives them a baseline driving education with trusted, educated adult drivers and helps ensure they know the rules of the road.

Consider opting in if your local driver’s ed classes offer in-car instruction. Practicing with an instructor in the car lets young drivers gain real-time experience with expert guidance.

Greenlight tip: Educating your teen on safe driving principles benefits everyone’s safety AND your savings. Some car insurance companies provide savings for taking a driving course.

2. Use a car safety app

Car safety apps are a great way to keep the whole family informed and safe. Car safety apps like Greenlight Infinity monitor driving behavior for signs of car crashes, speeding, and quick stops. Keep reading to learn more about what Greenlight Infinity offers to keep your loved ones safe on the road.

3. Never drive when tired or under the influence

No one should ever drive — or get in the car with someone — who is tired or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Talk to your teen about this issue, so they know to call you if they’re ever in an uncomfortable situation. Knowing they can count on you in an emergency will help keep them safe.

4. Set passenger and distraction guidelines

Changing the music. Reading a quick text. Talking to passengers. Sometimes your teen driver might be distracted on the road — without even realizing it. Greenlight Infinity’s driving reports and alerts let you know how often they interacted with their phone on a drive to help steer them away from unsafe driving habits. It will even tell you where on the route they were distracted, helping parents facilitate more specific conversations.

In many states and localities, hands-free driving is now the law, and just like wearing a seatbelt, it keeps you safe. Encourage your teen to set their phone to “do not disturb” while driving. This will limit the temptation to text and drive at the same time. Plus, many phones will automatically enable “do not disturb” while driving once you set it up. Similarly, know your state’s license restriction laws around passengers and consider limiting the number of passengers your teen drives.

5. Practice, practice, practice – in all driving conditions

Environmental elements like weather, time of day, and road conditions can be difficult to navigate, even for experienced drivers. Most states require supervised driving hours after a student completes driver's education, including at night and on different road types (highways, etc.). Even if your teen has had driver’s ed, offer tips and practice together to help them learn to drive safely and calmly in all situations.

Greenlight Infinity families who take advantage of Driving Reports can also get a weekly email with updates on driving progress and must-know driving tips — like how to avoid hydroplaning or maintain a safe stopping distance. Regular check-ins help lock in learning and build safe driving habits over time.

Introduction to car safety apps

Car safety apps are a game-changer for safe driving. They monitor the driver’s habits, including phone usage, hard stops, speed, and acceleration, to give feedback and safe-driving suggestions.

Enter Greenlight — the essential app for families with car crash detection. AKA peace of mind for the whole family, with driving reports and real-time driving alerts. Plus, all users — passengers and drivers — can switch on crash detection to dispatch 911 if an accident occurs. Plus, the app will notify all emergency contacts of your location.

Recommended safety features: Location sharing and SOS alerts

Whether you use a car safety app or not, setting up location sharing and SOS alerts for your family is a good idea. This could look like sharing locations between phones and adding each other as “ICE” — In Case Of Emergency — contacts.

Greenlight Infinity rolls all these features into one app. Each family member can turn on location sharing within the app and easily toggle between “family view” and “individual view” to see where everyone is.

New from Greenlight: Driving Reports and real-time trip alerts

Get even more peace of mind with Driving Reports. Keep an eye on their trips with real-time alerts and review trip timelines for any safety concerns. Get a weekly Snapshot of their driving habits to facilitate conversations about safe driving and see progress over time.

Greenlight is more than a safety app

Keeping your family safe is the number one priority. Your kids learn to navigate life while you stay connected through Greenlight. Independence for them. Peace of mind for you.

With the Greenlight Infinity plan, you get family location sharing, SOS alerts, crash detection, driving reports, and banking services — including 1% cash back on purchases and a 5% reward on savings. To empower your teens to take responsibility in all areas of life. Learn more about the Greenlight Infinity app today.

Already an Infinity member? Sign up for Driving Reports to get real-time alerts, scores for every drive, and weekly snapshots of driving habits.

This blog post is provided "as is" and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. Some content in this post may have been created using artificial intelligence; however, every blog post is reviewed by at least two human editors.