Despite widespread increases in education and awareness, the incidences of teens driving while under the effects of drugs and/or alcohol have increased in recent years.
Road crashes continue to be a leading cause of death among teenagers. The statistics for motor vehicle crashes and impairment-related crashes among young drivers are alarming.
- Young people have the highest rates of traffic death and injury per capita among all age groups and the highest death rate per kilometre driven among all drivers under 75 years of age. More 19-year-olds die or are seriously injured than any other age group.
- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 16 to 25 year olds, and alcohol and/or drugs are a factor in 55% of those crashes.
- 16-25-year-olds constituted 13.6% of the population in 2010, but made up almost 33.4% of the impairment-related traffic deaths.
Also disturbing to note is that research conducted by the
Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) revealed an increase in fatally injured drivers aged 16 - 19 testing positive for drug use. Cannabis is the most common drug found in the systems of fatally injured teen drivers, and males account for a higher total of fatal accidents.
Sit down with your teen today to discuss the importance of driving alcohol and drug-free. Make sure they understand the dangers of impaired driving.