Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities: Redistributing Death

by David J. Hanson, Ph.D.



A new and comprehensive study examined the effects of different traffic safety measures (speed limits, discretionary and mandatory seat belt laws, alcohol policies, etc.) over time on a variety of age groups. The researchers found that raising the drinking age was associated with fatality reductions of 5% among 18-20 year-olds at the expense of an 8% increase among 21-23 year-olds. Higher drinking age and "policies which keep teens away from alcohol may to some degree simply shift the attendant mortality risks to young adulthood," they observed. Additionally, "the magnitude of the mortality redistribution" is "quite large." 2

As Dr. Mike A. Males of the University of California observes, "The bottom line is that raising the drinking age to 21 did not improve a young person's odds of avoiding fatal alcohol mishap before age 25." 3

The popular idea that delaying the consumption of alcohol by young people appears highly questionable. As researchers at the Center of Alcohol Studies found, drinking experience reduces traffic fatalities.

This suggests that young people should learn to drink in moderation before learning to drive. Inexperienced drinking combined with inexperienced driving appears to be a highly dangerous mix.

This is not a strange or radical idea. Italians, Greeks, Spaniards, Jews, Portuguese and many others around the world teach their children how to drink in moderation as pre-schoolers. What's a strange and radical idea is imposing a minimum drinking age of 21. Of all the nations of the entire world, the the only country to maintain this extreme social experiment. The other countries that have tried it (Ukrainia and South Korea) have concluded that it doesn't work and have abandoned it.



Acknowledgement: This is based on a personal communication from Dr. Mike Males and includes materials taken directly from it with the author's permission. However, he does not necessarily agree with all material presented or conclusions drawn. Prof. Males is a sociologist at the University of California at Santa Cruz and Senior Researcher at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice in San Francisco. His homepage is and he can be contacted at

References and Readings

filed under: Drinking and Driving

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