- Office of the Child Advocate
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Ari Fertig, Press Contact
Boston — The Massachusetts Child Fatality Review Program has released its FY25 Annual Report, which examines motor vehicle-related deaths among Massachusetts teenagers ages 15 to 17 and identifies opportunities to prevent similar deaths in the future.
The report calls for stronger and more accessible driver education, improvements to the Junior Operator License (JOL) system, addressing high-risk driving behaviors including low rates of seatbelt usage, and expanded transportation options for teenagers who cannot or do not drive. The report examines the state of teen driving in Massachusetts — including driver education, driving behaviors modeled by adults, and transportation alternatives to driving.
Between 2018 and 2023, 41 Massachusetts teenagers ages 15 to 17 died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes. Teens in this age group accounted for the largest share of motor vehicle fatalities among children in Massachusetts over the past six years, with deaths reaching a six-year high of 12 in 2023.
Of the 23 teens who died while driving, 17 — nearly three-quarters — held a Junior Operator License (JOL). Eight additional teens died as passengers in vehicles driven by someone with a JOL. The findings point to driver education, including the JOL period, as a critical opportunity for prevention.
“Learning to drive is an important life skill that can provide young people with greater independence and access to school, work, family and community,” said Marisol García, the Child Advocate for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. “Teenagers cannot master this skill without more support. We have the responsibility to give young people the education and help they need to drive safely, and to create environments that make safe choices possible.”
Massachusetts has already established strong restrictions for young drivers, including limits on nighttime driving, passengers, and cellphone use, but the report stresses that more can be done both in the classroom and during behind-the-wheel instruction. Once children reach the probationary JOL period where they first are able to drive independently, reinforced safe habits and stronger JOL restriction enforcement can create a safer learning environment.
The report identifies nighttime driving, speeding, low rates of seatbelt use, and inexperience as longstanding risk factors in teen motor vehicle deaths, while also highlighting evolving challenges including distracted, cannabis-impaired, and drowsy driving. All Massachusetts drivers can help teens by modeling safe behaviors when children are in the car, and for new teen drivers who are sharing the roadway.
Finally, driving should not be the only way for young people to get where they need to go. The report calls for greater attention to transportation alternatives for teenagers who do not have a license or who may not be able or willing to drive in certain conditions, including at night or during snow and severe weather. Ensuring the mass transit options in Massachusetts meet the needs of teens can make the choice to use an alternative an easy one.
The report’s recommendations include:
- Strengthening skill building through increased access to a standardized driver education curriculum
- Addressing high-risk behaviors through enforcement of positive roadway norms for all adult drivers
- Expanding safe, affordable public transit options for teens
The Massachusetts Child Fatality Review Program conducts multidisciplinary reviews of child deaths and uses those reviews to identify opportunities to prevent future deaths and improve systems serving children and families. The FY25 Annual Report draws on fatal crash data from 2018 through 2023, research, national best practices, and input from local experts and partners.
The full report is available here. The Massachusetts Child Fatality Review Program is staffed and, as of November 5th co-chaired, by the Office of the Child Advocate along with the Department of Public Health.
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About the Office of the Child Advocate
The Office of the Child Advocate is an independent executive branch state agency with oversight and ombudsperson responsibilities, established by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2008. The OCA’s mission is to ensure that children receive appropriate, timely and quality state services, with a particular focus on ensuring that the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable and at-risk children have the opportunity to thrive. Through collaboration with public and private stakeholders, the OCA identifies gaps in state services and recommends improvements in policy, practice, regulation, and/or law. The OCA also serves as a resource for families who are receiving, or are eligible to receive, services from the Commonwealth.
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