01133875

Component

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

Minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) laws underwent many changes during the 20th century in the United States. Since July 1988, the MLDA has been 21 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. A preponderance of evidence shows that MLDAs of 21 are an effective deterrent to underage drinking and driving and have reduced alcohol-related crashes among young drivers. Yet many underage people still drink, many drink and drive, and alcohol remains an important risk factor in serious crashes of young drivers, especially as they progress through the teenage years. Stepped-up enforcement of the MLDA and drinking and driving laws can reduce underage drinking. Recent efforts to lower MLDAs to 18 and issue licenses to drink upon completion of alcohol education have gained local and national media attention. There is no evidence that alcohol education can even partially replace the effect of the 21 MLDA.

01133870

English

pp 124-139

2009-6

Transportation Research Circular

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

Web

Figures (5) ; References; Tables (2)

Driver education; Drunk driving; Legal drinking age; State laws; Teenage drivers

United States

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

TRIS, TRB

Jul 16 2009 11:47AM

• 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 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 Driver Involvement in Fatal Crashes
• Young Impaired Drivers: The Nature of the Problem and the Strategies Being Used in the Military