DANGERS BEHIND THE WHEEL: THE NUMBERS

• From 2001 to 2006, 804 people were killed in racing-related crashes. California accounted for 188 of those deaths; Texas had 128.

• After declining in the first half of the decade, street-racing deaths are on the rise, climbing from 111 in 2005 to 150 in 2006.

• For every 1,000 people involved in illegal street racing in the United States, 49 are injured.

• Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for young people ages 16 to 20.

• In 2005, 4,544 U.S. teens ages 16 to 19 died from motor vehicle crashes.

• In 2005, teenagers accounted for 10 percent of the U.S. population and 12 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths.

Sources: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention