Young drivers, male drivers, and people driving at night are involved in more car crashes than other groups. The single highest-risk demographic is teen drivers aged 16 to 19, who have a fatal crash rate nearly three times that of drivers aged 20 and older per mile driven. Men account for a disproportionate share of crash deaths, and alcohol plays a far bigger role for some age groups than others.
An estimated 39,345 people died in traffic crashes in the United States in 2024, down 3.8% from the year before. That decline is encouraging, but the fatality rate of 1.20 deaths per 100 million miles driven is still higher than the pre-COVID average of 1.13. The risks are not spread evenly across the population.
Teen Drivers Have the Highest Crash Rate
Drivers aged 16 to 19 are the most crash-prone group on the road when you account for how much they actually drive. Their fatal crash rate per mile is roughly three times higher than drivers aged 20 and older. Within that teen bracket, 16-year-olds are especially vulnerable: their per-mile crash rate is about 1.5 times higher than 18- and 19-year-olds. In 2020, approximately 2,800 teens aged 13 to 19 were killed and around 227,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes.
Several factors pile up for this age group. Inexperience is the obvious one: teens haven’t yet developed the hazard-recognition skills that come from years behind the wheel. But distraction compounds the problem significantly. Among fatal crashes involving distracted drivers in 2019, a higher percentage of drivers aged 15 to 20 were distracted compared to older drivers. Nine percent of teen and young adult drivers in fatal crashes were distracted at the time. A 2019 survey of U.S. high school students found that 39% of those who had driven in the past month texted or emailed while driving on at least one of those days.
Nighttime is particularly dangerous for teens. The fatal crash rate at night for 16- to 19-year-olds is about three times as high as that of adult drivers aged 30 to 59, per mile driven. This reflects a combination of less experience driving in the dark, fatigue, and a higher likelihood of having passengers in the car who create distractions.
Men Crash More Often and More Severely
Men are overrepresented in nearly every category of serious crash. In 2006 NHTSA data, male drivers accounted for 29,722 total crash fatalities compared to 12,747 for female drivers. That’s more than a two-to-one ratio. Part of this gap reflects exposure: men drive considerably more miles each year. Federal Highway Administration data shows the average male driver logs about 16,550 miles annually, compared to 10,142 for the average female driver.
But mileage alone doesn’t explain the full gap. Men are also more likely to engage in risky driving behavior. For every one female drunk driver involved in a crash, there are four male drunk drivers. Men are more likely to speed, less likely to wear seatbelts, and more likely to drive aggressively. These behavioral differences push the fatality numbers well beyond what the mileage gap would predict on its own.
Young Adults Lead in Drunk Driving Crashes
Drivers aged 21 to 24 consistently have the highest involvement in alcohol-impaired fatal crashes of any age group. In 2009, more than one-third of 21- to 24-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes were alcohol-impaired. The most recent NHTSA data from 2023 confirms this pattern: the 21-to-24 age group still has the highest percentage of drunk drivers with a blood alcohol level at or above the legal limit.
Time of day matters enormously here. Between midnight and 3 a.m., 55% of drivers in fatal crashes were alcohol-impaired, and two-thirds of all motor vehicle deaths during those hours involved a drunk driver. From 6 p.m. to midnight and 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., the percentages remain elevated. Overall, the rate of alcohol-impaired drivers in fatal crashes is four times higher at night than during the day.
Older Drivers Crash Less but Die More Often
Drivers over 70 present a different kind of risk. They don’t crash as frequently as teens or young adults, but when they do crash, they’re far more likely to die. CDC data shows that drivers aged 70 and older have higher crash death rates per 1,000 crashes than middle-aged drivers (35 to 54). This isn’t because they drive more recklessly. It’s because aging bodies are more vulnerable to the forces involved in a collision: bones fracture more easily, organs are more susceptible to trauma, and recovery is slower.
Older drivers also tend to self-limit their driving. Those aged 65 and older average about 7,646 miles per year, roughly half of what drivers in the 35-to-54 age range log. Women over 65 drive even less, averaging just 4,785 miles per year. So while the total number of crashes involving older adults is relatively low, the consequences per crash are disproportionately severe.
How Mileage Skews the Numbers
Raw crash totals can be misleading without considering how much each group drives. A 40-year-old man commuting 19,000 miles a year has far more opportunities to be in a crash than a 17-year-old driving 7,600 miles. That’s why researchers use crash rates per mile driven to compare groups fairly.
When you look at it that way, the picture sharpens. Teens and the very oldest drivers have the highest crash rates per mile. Middle-aged drivers (35 to 54) have the lowest. Men drive about 63% more miles per year than women on average, which inflates their raw crash numbers but doesn’t fully account for their higher fatality rates. The behavioral factors, including higher rates of drunk driving, speeding, and seatbelt non-use, add risk on top of the additional exposure.
The Groups at Greatest Risk
- 16-year-old drivers: Highest crash rate per mile of any age group, 1.5 times higher than even 18- and 19-year-olds.
- Males aged 21 to 24: The peak demographic for alcohol-impaired fatal crashes, combining high mileage, frequent nighttime driving, and risky behavior.
- Male drivers overall: Account for roughly 70% of crash fatalities despite representing about half of all drivers.
- Drivers over 70: Lower crash frequency but the highest fatality rate per crash due to physical vulnerability.
- Nighttime drivers (any age): Fatal crash risk spikes after 6 p.m., peaking between midnight and 3 a.m. when alcohol impairment is most prevalent.
If you’re a parent of a teen driver, the data supports graduated licensing restrictions that limit nighttime driving and the number of passengers. If you’re a young adult, the single biggest risk reduction is never driving after drinking, even after just a couple of drinks. And for older adults, the priority shifts to choosing safer vehicles and recognizing when declining vision or reaction time may warrant adjusting driving habits.