01133877

Component

http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/161810.aspx

Elder and Shults (2002) reported that between 1982 and 2001 the rate of drinking drivers in fatal crashes per 100,000 population in all age groups declined by 46%. In contrast, the rate for teenagers (15 to 17 years) declined 60% and for youths (18 to 20 years), 55%. Various explanations have been suggested for the reduction in alcohol-related crashes over the last quarter century. A study by Dang (2008), recently published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), found evidence that two factors were of major importance: (1) demographic changes including the aging of the population and a decline in the proportion of licensed drivers who are males, and (2) the passage of several impaired-driving laws, particularly the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) law. Because of the evidence that drivers younger than 21 are at higher risk for involvement in crashes, particularly alcohol-related crashes, the contribution of that age group to the observed reductions in alcohol-related crashes is of special interest. Given the large number of laws and programs initiated during the last quarter century that affect drivers of all ages, there is interest in determining whether youth for whom special “status” laws were enacted benefited more than older drivers did. This topic is relevant to the current controversy over the benefits of the MLDA law. The Dang study found that the MLDA law reduced by 40% the fatal crash involvements of underage drivers with blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. The objective of this study is to update the Elder and Shults (2002) study. Because of the complex factors that influence alcohol-related crashes, this report considers several methods, other than population, for calculating crash rates to measure the trend for underage drinking drivers in alcohol-related crashes between 1982 and 2004.

01133870

English

pp 9-17

2009-6

Transportation Research Circular

Young Impaired Drivers: The Nature of the Problem and Possible Solutions

Web

Figures (11) ; References (4)

Blood alcohol levels; Crash rates; Demographics; Drunk drivers; Fatalities; Impaired drivers; Legal drinking age; Teenage drivers; Trend (Statistics)

Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor

TRIS, TRB

Jul 15 2009 4:07PM

• A Review of the Young Impaired Driver Problem in Australia, with a Particular Focus on New South Wales
• Alcohol Monitoring Technologies: Applications for Youth and Young Impaired Drivers
• Crash Types: Markers of Increased Risk of Alcohol-Involved Crashes Among Teen Drivers
• Criminal Sanctions for Young Impaired Drivers
• Drink Driving and Drug Driving Enforcement Strategies in Australia
• Effects of 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age Laws on Alcohol-Related Driving in the United States
• Effects of a College Community Campaign on Drinking and Driving with a Strong Enforcement Component
• Females and Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes: Exposure-Adjusted Trends
• History and Effects of Graduated Licensing and Zero Tolerance
• Lack of Information from National Surveys: What We Still Need to Learn About Transition Teens
• Psychosocial and Behavioral Factors That Predict Impaired and Other Risky Driving: Findings from a Longitudinal Study
• Single-Vehicle Fatal Crashes Involving Youth: Trends and a Preliminary Analysis of the Role of Graduated Driver Licensing Laws
• The Consequences of Providing Drinkers with BAC Information on Assessments of Alcohol Impairment and Drunk-Driving Risk
• The Impact of Underage Drinking and Related Laws on Youth Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes
• The Nature of the Young Impaired Driver Problem in Europe
• The Perspective on Campus
• The Potential for Nighttime Enforcement and Seat Belt Law Upgrades to Impact Alcohol-Related Deaths Among High-Risk Occupants
• Young DUI Offenders Seen in Substance Abuse Treatment
• Young Impaired Drivers: The Nature of the Problem and the Strategies Being Used in the Military