"Here's the truth: For most parents, nothing you will deal with as a parent will be more important, more life-and-death, than how your teenager uses -- and misuses -- a motor vehicle"

Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVAs) are the leading cause of death in people age 16 to 20. MVAs account for about 1/3 of deaths of people in this age group.

People age 16 to 20 make up only 5% of drivers and drive only 3% of all miles driven by all drivers. And yet they are involved in 15% of all traffic deaths.

About 5,000 teenagers of driving age die in automobile accidents every year.

MVAs are the leading cause of disability related to head and spinal cord injuries.

16 year olds are 20 times more likely to have an MVA than the general population.

17 year olds are 6 times more likely to have an MVA than the general population.