Teen Safety Statistics

Every day, around 3,000 teenagers die in the U.S, adding up to around 1.2 million teen deaths a year. Most of these deaths are due to accidents that could have been prevented.

Drinking and Driving
On an average weekend, it’s estimated that car crashes are responsible for the death of one teen every hour. In over 45 percent of these crashes, alcohol is somehow involved. In 2010, one in five teens involved in fatal car accidents had alcohol in their system. Of these teens, 81 percent had BACs (blood alcohol content) higher than the legal limit for adults. According to a survey by cdc.gov in 2010, 85 percent of teenagers who report drinking and driving also binge drink, which is defined as having five or more alcoholic drinks in a span of a few hours.

Other Drugs
Much like alcohol, drugs cause many teen deaths. Drugs can cause health issues such as heart problems, HIV/AIDS, lung damage, seizures, cancer, anxiety, poor judgement, impaired memory and psychosis. In 2015, 4,235 people from the ages of 15 to 24 died from drug overdoses. From that, 442 of those overdosed on cocaine, 2,343 on heroin (and other illicit opioids), while 1,551 died from abuse of prescription pain relievers and sedatives. According to a survey by dosomething.org, about 50 percent of high school seniors didn’t think trying crack cocaine once or twice is harmful, while 40 percent didn’t think it would be harmful to try heroin once or twice. According to drugabuse.gov, about 948,000 Americans, mostly between the ages of 18 and 25, reported using heroin during 2016.

Texting and Driving
Not only is texting and driving illegal and dangerous, it can also lead to fines, license suspension, higher auto insurance rates and jail time. In 2014, 26 percent of all car crashes involved cell phone use. According to a survey by DMV.org, done in 2015, about 42 percent of teens admitted they have texted while driving. Reports from DMV.org, show that at least nine people die every day in the United States because of distracted drivers, while more than 1,000 people are injured. Texting and driving is the leading cause of death in teens.

Drowning
Even though swimming is fun, it comes with some risks. In 2016, 780 people aged 5 through 24 died from drowning in America, and 530 of those were in the ages of 15 to 24, according to nsc.org. Some safety tips include:
• Don’t swim alone
• Don’t go in water without knowing how to swim
• Have awareness of water currents and depth
• If caught in a current don’t fight it; stay calm and float with it
• Don’t dive in unfamiliar areas
• Don’t do drugs or drink alcohol; alcohol is involved in about half of all male teen drownings. Drugs and alcohol can impair one’s judgement, so someone under the influence may think that it’s safe to swim, when in reality it isn’t.