Public health reports
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Public health reports · Nov 1994
Comparative StudyLower legal blood alcohol limits for young drivers.
To reduce the involvement of young drivers in alcohol-related crashes, 29 States and the District of Columbia have established lower legal blood alcohol limits for drivers younger than age 21 than for adult drivers. Of these, 12 lowered the legal limit for young people prior to 1991. To assess the impact, these 12 States were paired for comparison with 12 nearby States matched for legal drinking age and timing of changes in that law. ⋯ It rose 4 percent in comparison States(P = .005). No significant difference appeared between States that lowered blood alcohol levels to the range of .04-.06 percent relative to comparison States. If all States adopted .00 or .02 percent limits for drivers ages 15-20, at least 375 fatal single vehicle crashes at night would be prevented each year.