Minimum Drinking Age of 21 Saves Lives

A comprehensive study on the minimum drinking age found that laws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol by people under the age of 21 have significantly reduced alcohol-related fatal vehicle crashes.

In states that have passed laws making it illegal to possess or purchase alcohol by anyone under 21, the researchers found an 11% drop in alcohol-related traffic deaths among those under that age.

They also found that states that have strong laws against fake identification have 7% fewer alcohol-related fatalities among drivers under the age of 21.

Raising the Minimum Drinking Age

In 1984, the U.S. Congress passed legislation aimed at setting a uniform minimum legal drinking age of 21 throughout the nation. The law promised to withhold federal transportation funds if states did not comply.

Consequently, by 1988 every state and the District of Columbia passed laws making it illegal to buy alcohol for anyone under 21 years of age. By 1995, the number of alcohol-related fatalities for young adults age 15 and older had dropped from 4,187 to 2,212 -- a decrease of 47%.

Large Decrease in Fatalities

The decrease in alcohol-related traffic deaths was attributed to a wide variety of factors, including improved safety features in cars, better roadways, tougher adult drunk driving laws, as well as the reduced minimum drinking age.

James C. Fell, M.S., of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) and lead author of the study, said his new research controlled for more variables that previous studies, accounting for regional and economic differences, improvements in road and vehicles, and laws that lowered the illegal blood alcohol content for driving to .08.

11% Is a 'Conservative' Estimate

"There has been evidence since the 1980s that an increase in the drinking age to 21 was having an impact on traffic deaths," Fell said. "But this is the first time we've been able to tease out the real effect, free of the variables that had been used to question the validity of the evidence."

Fell said that even when you account for all of the other contribution factors, the 11% drop in youth alcohol-related fatalities is a "conservative" figure.

Sanctions Against Fake IDs

The researchers also found that tough penalties for using fake ID cards was the second most effective tool states have in reducing drunk driving deaths among underage drinkers.

"States that merely confiscate a fake ID, or just give a slap on the wrist to the user, are passing up a significant opportunity to save lives," said Fell in a news release. "We found a seven percent drop in youth alcohol-related fatalities in states that are willing to take strong actions, such as automatically suspending the driver's license of a young person caught with a fake ID."

What Lawmakers Can Do

The minimum drinking age of 21 (MLDA 21) and stronger fake ID laws are only two components of a group of "core laws" that legislators can pass to help reduce youth alcohol-related traffic deaths. According to Fell's research no state has passed all the pieces of legislation that make up the core laws.

Other components of the core MLDA 21 laws include:

• Laws targeting outlets that sell alcohol to minors.
  
• Laws targeting adults who provide alcohol to minors.
  
• Laws aimed at minors for possessing or consuming alcohol.
  
• Laws requiring the registration of beer kegs.
  
• Laws making hosts responsible for underage drinking guests.
  
• Zero-tolerance blood-alcohol levels for underage drivers.

The authors of the study, which was funded by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, believe states could save more lives by adopting all of the core laws related to underage drinking.

_Source:

Fell, JC, et al. "The relationship of underage drinking laws to reductions in drinking drivers in fatal crashes in the United States." Accident Analysis & Prevention July 2008.