U.S. Records More Than 10,000 Nighttime Teen Driving Fatalities
Key Takeaways
- Montana has the highest nighttime teen driving fatality rate in the U.S., at 22.6 per 100,000 teens aged 15–19, compared with 4.3 in New York.
- The difference between Montana and New York represents a 425% gap in nighttime teen driving fatality rates nationwide, with Montana’s rate more than five times higher.
- New York ranks as the safest state for teen nighttime driving despite having over 1.2 million teen residents.
For teenagers across the United States, the danger of driving at night depends heavily on what state they call home. A new 50-state analysis finds that nighttime teen driving fatality rates vary by as much as 425% from the most dangerous state to the safest, exposing a stark divide in teen driving safety that puts young lives at significantly greater risk in certain parts of the country.
An analysis by Kuzyk Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers examined nighttime driving fatalities among teens aged 15–19 across all 50 states from 2020 to 2024, using crash data from the NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Average annual nighttime fatalities were calculated and adjusted per 100,000 teen residents to produce a comparable fatality rate for every state.
Top 10 Most Dangerous States for Teen Drivers at Night
States With the Highest Nighttime Teen Driving Fatality Rates
| State | Teen Population (15–19) | Avg Annual Nighttime Fatalities | Rate Per 100K Teen Residents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 68,907 | 15.6 | 22.6 | 1 |
| New Mexico | 142,565 | 26.6 | 18.7 | 2 |
| Mississippi | 217,036 | 37.8 | 17.4 | 3 |
| Delaware | 63,600 | 10.4 | 16.4 | 4 |
| Wyoming | 39,319 | 6.2 | 15.8 | 5 |
| South Carolina | 352,018 | 53.8 | 15.3 | 6 |
| Florida | 1,283,982 | 182.0 | 14.2 | 7 |
| Alabama | 341,759 | 47.8 | 14.0 | 8 |
| Tennessee | 447,844 | 62.4 | 13.9 | 9 |
| Missouri | 408,103 | 56.4 | 13.8 | 10 |
Montana leads the nation with a nighttime teen driving fatality rate of 22.6 per 100,000 teen residents, followed by New Mexico at 18.7 and Mississippi at 17.4. Delaware and Wyoming round out the top five at 16.4 and 15.8, respectively. Florida, despite having the largest teen population among the top 10, still ranks seventh with a rate of 14.2, recording an average of 182 nighttime teen fatalities per year.
Looking at the study, David Rosen, COO and CSO at Kuzyk Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, commented,
“The variation across states is striking. Teens in the highest-risk states face nighttime fatality rates more than five times greater than those in the safest states. While factors like rural road conditions and speed limits play a role, these numbers suggest that stronger graduated driver licensing laws, nighttime driving restrictions for new teen drivers, and improved road infrastructure in high-risk states could save lives. Every state has an opportunity to do more to protect its youngest drivers after dark.”
Top 10 Safest States for Teen Drivers at Night
States With the Lowest Nighttime Teen Driving Fatality Rates
| State | Teen Population (15–19) | Avg Annual Nighttime Fatalities | Rate Per 100K Teen Residents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 1,204,160 | 51.2 | 4.3 | 1 |
| New Hampshire | 85,576 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 2 |
| Massachusetts | 457,808 | 22.6 | 4.9 | 3 |
| Rhode Island | 73,335 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 4 |
| New Jersey | 577,468 | 30.4 | 5.3 | 5 |
| Minnesota | 376,481 | 21.2 | 5.6 | 6 |
| Hawaii | 77,636 | 4.4 | 5.7 | 7 |
| Pennsylvania | 835,051 | 48.2 | 5.8 | 8 |
| Maryland | 392,984 | 23.6 | 6.0 | 9 |
| Connecticut | 242,835 | 14.8 | 6.1 | 10 |
New York ranks as the safest state with a nighttime teen driving fatality rate of just 4.3 per 100,000, followed by New Hampshire and Massachusetts, each at 4.9. Rhode Island (5.2), New Jersey (5.3), and Minnesota (5.6) also rank among the safest. Connecticut rounds out the top 10 safest at 6.1, a rate still nearly four times lower than Montana’s. New York’s low rate of 4.3 compared to Montana’s 22.6 represents a 425% gap, highlighting major differences in nighttime teen driving safety and protections nationwide.
Methodology
The study analyzed nighttime driving fatalities among teens aged 15–19 across all 50 states over a five-year period from 2020 to 2024. Fatality data was sourced from the NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) via the Crash Data Analysis Network (CDAN), filtered for nighttime crashes involving teen drivers. State teen population estimates were drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 five-year estimates. Average annual fatalities were calculated for each state and divided by teen population, then multiplied by 100,000 to produce a per capita rate. States were ranked from highest to lowest rate. The findings are intended to highlight differences in nighttime teen driving safety outcomes across the country.
Data Sources
Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), NHTSA Crash Data Analysis Network (CDAN): https://cdan.dot.gov/query
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) Population by Age by State: https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2024.S0101?q=population+by+age+by+state
Research Dataset: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lZ0HoI3yg2BwJ5HISYopSmZoGxelIdfOHRjlKe0Umaw/edit?gid=0#gid=0
Study By: https://kuzyklaw.com/bakersfield/bakersfield-personal-injury-lawyers
About Kuzyk Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers
Kuzyk Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers is a California-based personal injury law firm specializing in intersection accidents and traffic-injury cases. The firm represents victims of negligent driving and unsafe roadway design while using data-driven research to inform public discussion and promote safer transportation systems nationwide.
The post U.S. Records More Than 10,000 Nighttime Teen Driving Fatalities appeared first on BNO News.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
