Study shows Kentucky leads nation in teen driving fatalities

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – The deaths of two Central Hardin High School students are part of some statewide statistics that show Kentucky leads the nation in teen driving fatalities.
That’s more of a conversation now that the Commonwealth has lowered the age for teens to get their learner’s permit from 16 to 15. The bill had an emergency clause and went into effect immediately and the state’s website should reflect that change by Wednesday at the latest.
According to the driving education platform Zutobi, over the last three years, Kentucky has had the most teen driving fatalities in the country at about 70 deaths per 100,000 teenage drivers. The next worst states are Wyoming and Arkansas.
One of the reasons Kentucky is seeing so many fatalities is that teens aren’t wearing seatbelts. The group Arrive Alive Tour says 63% of teens killed in driving crashes are not buckled up.