Despite large gains in auto safety technology, such as anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and air bags, young drivers are not immune to crashes. In fact, evidence indicates in their first two to three years of driving, teens are three to four times more likely to be involved in a crash than the driving population at large–a statistic that has changed little in the past 15 years.

On a national basis, more than 7,900 teens lost their lives in 1998 traffic crashes, and an estimated 595,000 teens were injured, with thousands of them permanently paralyzed and dependent on others for the remainder of their lives.

Unfortunately, Missouri has contributed vastly to these shocking statistics. In fact, 628 teens age 15–18 were killed in crashes on state roads from 1995–1999. Also startling are the number of youth injured in wrecks. In the same time period, a total of 60,350 teens sustained injuries when the vehicles they were driving or riding in crashed.

When the number of deaths and injuries are combined and analyzed, one young person was killed or injured every 43.1 minutes in Missouri traffic crashes during this five-year period.

The figures are even more distressing when considering the total number of persons killed in Missouri traffic crashes involving 15–18 year old drivers. In 1999, a total of 169 people were killed in such crashes, including the teens themselves, their passengers, and occupants of other motor vehicles. Also, 17,523 people were injured in such crashes in the same year.

Even a cursory review of the numbers shows there are a considerable and unacceptable number of harmful–and often deadly–crashes involving teen-agers. It's painfully clear that crashes involving this age group exact a large toll on Missouri's roads.

While the numbers themselves paint a dire picture of the situation, few people truly understand the problem. In a recent AAA poll, half of all respondents indicated they thought drug addiction was the greatest threat to teens. Only one in five correctly ranked traffic crashes as the No. 1 threat.

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