Final answer:
The leading cause of death among teenagers is traffic accidents, with teenagers having twice the rate of these accidents compared to adults. While drug overdoses have increased, they are not as common as traffic accidents in this age group.
Step-by-step explanation:
The leading cause of death among teenagers is traffic accidents, and teenagers have twice the rate of these than adults. Traffic accidents are a particularly tragic cause of mortality as they are often preventable. The factors contributing to the high rate of traffic accidents among teens include inexperienced driving, driving under the influence, distracted driving, and not using seatbelts. While in adults, traffic accidents are also a common cause of death, teenagers are at a heightened risk due to the aforementioned factors.
It is important to note that while drug overdoses have significantly increased among teenagers over the years, particularly due to the rise in the misuse of opioids and heroin, they do not surpass traffic accidents in terms of frequency. Educational campaigns, legal enforcement, and community strategies focusing on safe driving can help reduce the incidence of traffic accidents among teenagers.