The Effect of Raising the Minimum Legal Drinking Age on Traffic Accidents in the State of Maine

摘要

Traffic accidents related specifically to alcohol use have been shown to be highly correlated with the age and sex of the drivers involved. This relationship reflects the lifestyle of American males, especially of young, unmarried males. Data from the Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) for ten States with good BAC reporting, shows that 55 percent of the fatally injured young adults had an illegal BAC of .10 percent or higher. By age 17, 43 percent of all fatally injured drivers in these States had some alcohol in their bodies, and 29 percent had an illegal BAC. This report analyzes the effect of raising the legal drinking in Maine from 18 to 20 years of age.