Because of their inexperience, teens are slower to recognize they're in danger, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Plus, they naturally think of themselves as immortal and seek the thrills of driving at high speed.

That results in similar style accidents for the age group:

Driver Error:
The institute reports that 82 percent of 16-year-old drivers in fatal crashes made at least one mistake that contributed to the crash. That compares with 68 percent of 17- to 19-year-old drivers and 52 percent 25- to 49-year-old drivers.

Speeding:
Police reports say 36 percent of all 16-year-old drivers in fatal crashes during 1996 were speeding or going too fast for road conditions. That compares to 21 percent of 25- to 49-year-old drivers.

Single-Vehicle Crashes:
The biggest fatal crash type for 16-year-olds in 1996 was single-car accidents -- 41 percent of fatal accidents involved only the teen's vehicle. The vehicle generally left the road and overturned or struck an object, such as a tree or pole. That compares to 27 percent for 25- to 49-year-olds.

Alcohol Involvement:
For their inexperience and immaturity, 16-year-old drivers have few alcohol-related accidents. Only 15 percent of all 16-year-old drivers killed in 1996 crashes had blood alcohol concentrations above 0.10 percent. That compares with 32 percent 17- to 19-year-olds, and 53 percent 25- to 49-year-olds.

Safety Belt Use:
Many 16-year-olds in fatal crashes aren't using belts. In high school surveys, the institute found that a higher proportion of teenagers don't use belts compared with older drivers.

Passenger Deaths:
Sixty-three percent of teenage passenger deaths in 1996 occurred in crashes in which another teenager was driving. In 1996, 36 percent of crashes involving 16-year-old drivers happened when there were three or more people in the vehicle. Twenty percent of passenger deaths of people of all ages in 1996 occurred when a teenager was driving.