Most crashes–for teens and adults–occur during heavily traveled time periods, when the risk of striking another vehicle is higher. When the exposure to other vehicles is greatest, that’s when most crashes occur.

For young drivers age 15–18, the highest frequency of fatal crashes in Missouri occurs over the weekend. In fact, from 1995–1999, more than 52 percent of teen-age fatal crashes occurred from Friday–Sunday. The most crashes occurred on Saturday during the five-year period, with 20 percent of the motor vehicle deaths happening sometime that day.

In addition, traffic crashes among the 15–18 age group appear to peak around 4 p.m, just as they do for all drivers. In fact, more than 20 percent of fatal teen crashes in 1995–1999 occurred on Missouri roads between 3 p.m.–6 p.m. (compared with 27 percent for all drivers).

Another significant amount of crashes in which teen-agers died, more than 19 percent, occurred between midnight and 6 a.m. Comparatively, less than one-third that number–about 6 percent–of all drivers were involved in crashes in the same time period.

Missouri’s new licensing law is designed in part to avert many of those late night/early morning crashes. Under the law, teen drivers with an Intermediate license are not allowed to drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. except under limited circumstances (see chart on: Three Stages of Missouri GDL).

Next: Rural vs. Urban Traffic Crashes