Road safety across the United States is under renewed scrutiny as a new study reveals the states where fatal crashes caused by speeding teen drivers vastly outnumber deaths linked to high-speed police pursuits. The findings expose dramatic disparities, highlighting a largely overlooked public safety crisis driven by inexperience, risk-taking behavior, and inadequate prevention strategies.
The research by Florida-based Personal Injury lawyer Blakeley Law Firm analyzed five years of federal crash data spanning 2019 to 2023, calculating the percentage point difference between fatal crashes involving speeding teens and those involving police pursuits.
Colorado leads with a 6.28 percentage point gap, where speeding teens caused 46 annual fatal crashes compared to just 7 from police pursuits, a nearly seven-to-one ratio that represents the nation’s starkest disparity between teenage recklessness and law enforcement chases.
Delaware ranks second at 6.04 percentage points, recording 8 annual teen speeding deaths against only 1 pursuit fatality, an eight-to-one ratio that reveals how the small state’s teen driver problem far eclipses pursuit-related risks.
Utah claims third place with a 5.96 percentage point difference, averaging 19 fatal teen speeding crashes yearly versus just 3 from pursuits, more than six times higher on the state’s expansive highway system.
Looking at the study, a spokesperson for Blakeley Law Firm commented:
“What’s most striking about this data isn’t just that Colorado, Delaware, and Utah top the list; it’s the sheer magnitude of the disparity. We’re talking about teen speeders causing fatal crashes at rates six to eight times higher than reckless police pursuits in these states.
“While police chases understandably generate headlines and intense public scrutiny, our findings reveal that the far more pervasive, and preventable, threat comes from teenagers who lack both the experience and judgment to handle high speeds.
“The data demands that lawmakers, parents, and law enforcement shift resources toward graduated licensing enforcement, mandatory speed monitoring technology for teen drivers, and aggressive public education campaigns.”
Table for Extended Results:
| Top 10 U.S. States Where Speeding Teen Driver Fatal Crashes Exceed Police Pursuit Fatal Crashes the Most (2019–2023) | ||
| U.S. State | Where Speeding Teen Driver Fatal Crashes Exceed the Most | Rank |
| Colorado | 6.28% | 1 |
| Delaware | 6.04% | 2 |
| Utah | 5.96% | 3 |
| Hawaii | 5.88% | 4 |
| Alaska | 5.84% | 5 |
| Montana | 5.83% | 6 |
| Missouri | 5.67% | 7 |
| Wyoming | 5.57% | 8 |
| Vermont | 5.54% | 9 |
| North Dakota | 5.39% | 10 |
What People Should Know About States Where Teen Speeders Are Deadliest
Road safety experts highlight these key priorities:
- Focus enforcement resources on high-gap states such as Colorado, Delaware, and Utah, where teen speeding fatalities vastly exceed pursuit-related deaths
- Prioritize graduated driver licensing enforcement and speed monitoring technology over reactive pursuit policies
- Invest in targeted education campaigns that emphasize the disproportionate risks posed by inexperienced teen drivers at high speeds
- Redirect public safety funding from pursuit-focused initiatives to teen driver intervention programs in states showing the widest fatality gaps.
Methodology
The study was conducted by Blakeley Law Firm, a Florida-based personal injury law firm representing clients injured in motor vehicle accidents or those who have lost loved ones due to negligence. The firm focuses exclusively on personal injury and wrongful death claims.
The research analyzed five years of federal crash data spanning 2019 to 2023, calculating the percentage point difference between fatal crashes involving speeding teens and those involving police pursuits.
Data Sources
- Crash Data: https://cdan.dot.gov/query
- Research Dataset: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sE7uNEjhELX5fdi48UpSRukmFv_8atzQQECcWPdV9-w/edit?gid=0#gid=0
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