Go Out or Stay In? The Effects of Zero Tolerance Laws on Alcohol Use and Drinking and Driving Patterns among College Students
- Presenter:
Chair: Jody L. Sindelar; Discussant: Daniel Polsky Mon June 5, 2006 15:30-17:00 Room 332
Zero tolerance laws make it illegal per se for anyone under age 21 to drive with any measurable trace of blood alcohol. While a link has been established between zero tolerance laws and lower motor vehicle fatalities, research has not produced strong evidence on how zero tolerance laws influence individual alcohol use and drinking and driving behaviors. Using a unique data set and a difference-in-difference research design, we are able to analyze a number of pathways through which zero tolerance laws can work among an important underage population, college students. We find that zero tolerance laws change both drinking patterns and drinking and driving behaviors. In particular, we find that zero tolerance laws reduce drinking frequency and the probability of drinking and driving. More importantly, we are able to infer from the data whether drinking occurs at home or away from home. Our results indicate that zero tolerance laws reduce drinking intensity when drinking occurs away from home and reduce the probability of drinking and driving for those who report drinking away from home.
