Does setting limits save lives? The case of 0.08 BAC laws

Abstract

Nineteen states have established laws that make it illegal per se to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08. The controversy over extending this stricter definition throughout the nation has focused largely on whether the state laws have been effective at saving lives. Prior evidence on this question has been mixed as well as criticized on several methodological grounds. This study presents novel, panel‐based evaluations of 0.08 BAC laws, which address the potential methodological limitations of previous studies. The results of this study indicate that 0.08 BAC laws have been effective in reducing the number of traffic fatalities, particularly among younger adults. These estimates suggest that the nationwide adoption of 0.08 BAC laws would generate substantial gains, reducing the annual count of traffic fatalities by at least 1200. © 2001 by the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management.

How alcohol-related crashes of different severity interrelate and respond to local spatial characteristics:An evaluation of a common site sales ban on alcohol and gasoline

“…In most studies today, a fixed effects model accounts for these differences by adding a dummy variable for each state or region. Examples include Benson et al (1999), Evans et al (1991), Young andLikens (2000) and Dee (2001). Yet this common strategy assumes that enough homogeneity exists within a state so that differences in driving conditions that occur in various locations within the state do not measurably alter the evaluation of the law nationally, across the states.…”

“…Dee (2001) notes that lower blood alcohol content (BAC) ''laws were almost never in effect without administrative license revocations … [so] the 'direct' effects of 0.08 standards cannot be effectively distinguished from its potentially interactive effects with administrative license revocations'' (Dee,p.113). Indeed the benefits of a lower BAC were more modest than thought; so it stands to reason that other driving safety laws beyond drunk-driving rules also will matter.…”

Alcohol, antitrust, and the 21st Amendment: An empirical examination of post and hold laws

“…58 See, e.g., Conlin, Disckert-Conlin, and Pepper (2005), Chesson, Harrison, and Kassler (2000); Grossman and Markowitz (1998), Dee (2001), Chatterji, Dave, Kaestner, and Markowitz (2004), Levitt and Porter (2001) and Markowitz (2000Markowitz ( , 2005. 59 For example, Saffer and Grossman (1987) and Kenkel (1993) report negative relationships between alcohol prices and drunk-driving.…”

Effects of lowering the legal BAC to 0.08 on single-vehicle-nighttime fatal traffic crashes in 19 jurisdictions

“…The few studies that have pooled results across states to identify effects of 0.08 laws have shown 5-8% reductions in alcohol-related fatal traffic crashes (Dee, 2001;Hingson et al, 2000;Voas et al, 2000). Hingson et al (2000), for example, found a 5% reduction in alcohol-related fatal traffic crashes following the implementation of 0.08 laws in six states.…”

“…Voas et al (2000) found an eight percent reduction in alcohol-related traffic fatalities in 16 states that enacted 0.08 BAC laws prior to 1 January 1998. Similarly, Dee (2001) found a 7% reduction in traffic fatality rates associated with 0.08 laws in the 14 states that introduced 0.08 laws prior to 1999.…”