Study Reveals Age Groups Most Likely to Cause Fatal Crashes

A recent study has identified 22-year-olds as the most at-risk drivers on U.S. roads, with 1,382 fatal crashes involving drivers of this age in 2022.

The analysis, conducted by personal injury law specialists John Foy & Associates, utilized data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to determine the number of drivers involved in crashes across different age groups and generations.

The study found that 22-year-old drivers were involved in 294,483 crashes throughout 2022, ranking them third in terms of incident rates, behind 19-year-olds (299,376 crashes) and 18-year-olds (295,280 crashes). This age group also accounted for 11.19% of all Gen Z drivers involved in crashes.

Following closely, 31-year-olds were the second most at-risk age group, with 1,338 driver fatalities and 234,280 reported crashes in 2022. The third most at-risk age group were 23-year-olds, with 1,312 driver fatalities and 265,324 crashes.

The study also highlighted that 24-year-olds and 30-year-olds were among the top five most at-risk ages, with 1,298 and 1,293 driver fatalities respectively. These five age groups collectively accounted for 11.02% of all driver fatalities in 2022.

In terms of generational risk, Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) were identified as the most dangerous generation on the roads, with a rate of 50,291 drivers in crashes per 1 million population, accounting for 30.26% of all crashes.

Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012) followed, with a rate of 38,221 drivers in crashes per 1 million population, representing 23% of all crashes. Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) placed third, with a rate of 36,799 drivers in crashes per 1 million population, accounting for 22.15% of all crashes.