From 2013-2015:15 percent of traffic crashes in Ohio involved teen drivers

 ZANESVILLE, Ohio- The state highway patrol said teen drivers remain one of Ohio’s most at risk groups.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in teens, ahead of all other types of injury, diseases, or violence. Sergeant Kevin Kelly with the highway patrol said, young drivers who are 15 to 19 years old were involved in 15 percent of all traffic crashes in Ohio from 2013 to 2015.

“Of those 15 percent, 73 percent of the time the teen driver was at fault for the crash and unfortunately this resulted into 271 fatalities during that time frame and 40,000 injuries,” Sergeant Kelly said.

Sergeant Kelly said speed, failing to yield, running stop signs and red lights, and distractive driving have been a major cause of crashes with teen drivers.

“There are laws in place to prevent thing like that from happening. If you’re 16 you can only have one person in the vehicle. You can’t operate your cell phone for any purpose at anytime. We just need young people to realize those laws are there to help them not to punish them,” Kelly said.

For a statistical map regarding teen drivers and a county by county breakdown of where patrol citations have been issued, visit tstatepatrol.ohio.Gov/doc/teendrivers_bulletin_2016.pdf.