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Minimum Drinking Age of 21 Saves Lives, Study Finds

One of the most comprehensive studies on the minimum drinking age shows that laws aimed at preventing consumption of alcohol by those under 21 have significantly reduced drinking-related fatal car crashes

Specifically, the study, which will be published in the July 2008 issue of the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, found that laws making it illegal to possess or purchase alcohol by anyone under the age of 21 had led to an 11% drop in alcohol-related traffic deaths among youth; secondly, they found that states with strong laws against fake IDs reported seven per cent fewer alcohol-related fatalities among drivers under the age of 21.

The study, led by James C. Fell, M.S., of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), accounted for a variety of factors, such as improved safety features in cars, better roadways and tougher adult drunk driving laws, that are supposed to have contributed to a reduction in fatalities involving underage drivers who have consumed alcohol. Fell's research controlled for more variables than any other previous study on the topic, accounting for regional and economic differences, improvements in roadways and vehicles, and changes that lowered the illegal blood alcohol content for driving to .08. Yet, according to Fell, the 11% drop in youth fatalities is a "conservative" figure.
In addition to providing comprehensive evidence of the life-saving impact of minimum drinking age laws, the authors of the new study found that tougher sanctions against fake identification cards may represent the second-best legislative tool that states have in combating drunk driving deaths among young people.

"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. "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."

Article originally published on 05/06/2008 by DryOutNow.com, the alcohol specific website for Addiction Advisor

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