Reducing Drunken Driving: Which Policies Are Most Effective?

Traffic fatalities are the leading cause of accidental deaths and the leading cause of all deaths for people aged 16-25. The present analysis evaluates the relative effectiveness of several policies in terms of reduced fatalities. All aspects of the drunken driving debate are incorporated in the stu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSouthern economic journal Vol. 54; no. 2; pp. 322 - 334
Main Author Wilkinson, James T.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chapel Hill, N.C., etc Southern Economic Association and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 01.10.1987
Southern Economic Association and the University of North Carolina
Southern Economic Association
Subjects
Accidents
Alcohol
Alcohol drinking
Alcoholic beverages
Automobiles
Average speed
Behavior deterrence
Criminal arrests
Death
Drinking age
Driving while intoxicated
Drunk driving
Economic theory
Effectiveness
Estimates
Ethanol
Factors
Fatalities
Mathematical models
Public policy
Speed
Standard deviation
Variables
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Summary:Traffic fatalities are the leading cause of accidental deaths and the leading cause of all deaths for people aged 16-25. The present analysis evaluates the relative effectiveness of several policies in terms of reduced fatalities. All aspects of the drunken driving debate are incorporated in the study; this enables policymakers to compare the relative effectiveness of these policies and to allocate financial and political resources more effectively. The theoretical model used includes a production function for fatalities and an alcohol demand function. It is found that roadway and driver characteristics are major determinants of fatalities. An important result is that, at current levels, drunken driving deterrence policies seem to have no marginal effect on the demand for alcohol or the level of fatalities. Simulations suggest that the following policies are effective in decreasing fatalities: 1. strict enforcement of speed limits, 2. increasing the minimum legal drinking age to 21, and 3. closing drinking outlets earlier.
ISSN:0038-4038
2325-8012
DOI:10.2307/1059317