Eyes on the road, kids. Study ranks most dangerous states for teen drivers. How's Florida?

C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·2 min read

Florida is not the deadliest state for teen drivers, according to a new study.

We're the ninth.

A study by Florida personal injury lawyers Anidjar & Levine that looked at car crashes reported between 2017 and 2021 found that in 19 states across the country, teen drivers were the most likely to be involved in fatal road accidents. Of those 19 states, Florida was No. 9, with more than 110 deaths for every 100,000 licensed drivers. The national average is 88 fatalities per 100,000 drivers.

Teen drivers are 64% more likely to be part of an accident than older, more experienced drivers in the Sunshine State, the report said. In 2020, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death nationwide among 13- to 19-year-old females and one of the leading causes of death among 13- to 19-year-old males, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

This is especially important going into the holidays when the chances for drunk driving crashes spike. "During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, from 2017-2021, over 830 people died in crashes involving a drunk driver," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said.

Many of the people killed in traffic crashes during the 2021 Thanksgiving holiday weekend weren't wearing seat belts, the NHTSA said. Of the 361 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed, 52% of those killed at night were unbuckled and 46% of the people killed during the day were unbuckled.

"During the 2017-2021 December months, there were more than 4,500 people killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. In December 2021 alone, 1,013 people died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes," the NHTSA said.

The deadliest state for drivers 19 and under was Kentucky, with over 280 deaths per 100,000 licensed drivers, one-fifth of all lethal car crashes in the country.

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What are the deadliest states for drivers aged 19 and under?

  1. Kentucky: 283.5 driver fatalities per 100k licensed drivers

  2. Mississippi: 225.9 driver fatalities per 100k licensed drivers

  3. Montana: 152.5 driver fatalities per 100k licensed drivers

  4. Wyoming: 146.6 driver fatalities per 100k licensed drivers

  5. New Mexico: 146.2 driver fatalities per 100k licensed drivers

  6. Arkansas: 143.8 driver fatalities per 100k licensed drivers

  7. North Carolina: 129.6 driver fatalities per 100k licensed drivers

  8. Louisiana: 125.4 driver fatalities per 100k licensed drivers

  9. Florida: 110.1 driver fatalities per 100k licensed drivers

  10. Texas: 110.1 driver fatalities per 100k licensed drivers

All numbers have been rounded up.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida ranks in top ten list of most deadly states for teen drivers