Adults are more likely to be killed by heart disease, cancer or stroke than in an accident. It's another story for teenagers -- one of the most dangerous places for them is behind the wheel or in the car with their friends.

Preston Raban, a Utah Highway Patrol spokesman, said there are many causes for teenagers' car accidents, but lack of experience is at the top of the list.

"I think it'll always be a new driver thing," he said.

Utah County is fifth in the state for the percentage of accidents involving teen drivers. On Aug. 24, a Lehi High School student was killed in an accident on his way to school.

In Utah in 2005, teens accounted for only 7 percent of the drivers, but were involved in 27 percent of all motor vehicle crashes and 18 percent of all fatal crashes. That's nothing new. And teenagers not buckling up makes the problem worse.

Unbelted vehicle occupants are 33 times more likely to die in an accident than those wearing seat belts, according to the state department of public safety.

Kevin Condra, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Health's Violence and Injury Prevention Program, said surveys in which people ages 15-19 were asked if they wore a seat belt show 90 percent say they are buckling up. But an observation study done by the department came back with different results.

In 2006, health department officials watched teens as they entered vehicles at schools and other places. They found that only 67 percent of teenagers put on a seat belt when they got in a car.

Condra said the numbers are going up, but there is still room to improve. He wants the numbers to be 90 percent or more, because seat belts save lives.

The Lehi boy killed in an accident in August was wearing a seat belt. Police think speed was a factor in the crash.

Utah law requires that everyone in a car wear a seat belt or sit in a child safety seat. Not wearing a seat belt is a primary offense -- meaning an officer can pull over a car for that violation -- for people ages 19 and younger (the driver is responsible.) Those older than 19 can be cited for a seat belt violation if they are pulled over for something else.

Studies show that nearly 90 percent of drivers in Utah and passengers of all ages wear seat belts. Condra said that he thinks fewer teens wear seat belts because they feel peer pressure not to wear one. They also might think they're invincible, and that an accident won't happen to them.

"Teenagers nowadays seem to have an attitude of 'It's not going to happen to me,' " said UHP Sgt. Blaine Robbins.

Robbins, who works with high school students to teach them about the dangers of not buckling up, said the only thing that will change the statistics are the teenagers themselves.

"I think it has to be an attitude change," Robbins said. "Every time you get in that car, buckle up because you do not know what's going to happen."

Teenagers are inexperienced drivers, with fewer hours behind the wheel than other age groups, and they've got plenty of distractions. Raban said teenagers have more distractions than they ever have before: friends in the car, the radio, an MP3 player, a cell phone and more. That can be dangerous.

Utah law prohibits teenage drivers from having passengers in their cars for the first six months unless there is driver over the age of 21 in the front seat, or he or she has a note from the passenger's parent or guardian.

Robbins said parents can help prevent teen crashes by practicing good habits themselves.

Brittani Lusk can be reached at 344-2549 or at blusk@heraldextra.com.

Scary statistics from 2005:

Teenage drivers represented 7.4 percent of the licensed drivers in Utah, and were involved in more than one-quarter (26.8 percent) of all motor vehicle crashes.

Teenage drivers (ages 15-19 years) were involved in 14,701 motor vehicle crashes, which resulted in 9,711 injured people and 53 fatalities.

* Approximately 1 in every 6 (17.9 percent) fatal crashes in Utah involved a teenage driver.

* A crash involving a teenage driver occurred every 36 minutes in Utah.

* Crashes where a teenager was driving with three or more others were 5 times more likely to be fatal.

Source: Utah Department of Public Safety

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B1.