Using blood alcohol level data from fatal crashes involving youthful drivers in the United States from 1982 through 1997, the authors performed a pooled cross-sectional time-series analysis to evaluate the effects of laws establishing lower blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits and restricting alcohol usage for these youths. After accounting for differences among the 50 states in various background factors, changes in demographic factors within states over time, and the effects of other related laws, results indicate substantial reductions in alcohol-positive involvement in fatal crashes attributable to these youth-specific laws. (A)
Abstract