What were the effects of the minimum legal drinking age being

increased to 21?

MotivationTrouble in Davenport between underage drinking

in a controlled environment and Davenport’s Dean

Is this a safety issue? Or is it a legal issue?

Federal Uniform Drinking Age Act of 1984

Denied a large percentage of federal highway construction funds to states that maintain minimum drinking ages below 21 years

Effectively changed drinking age in all states, as no state was willing to accept the high consequence

Initial Reason for the Change in Law

To reduce the amount of alcohol-related traffic fatalities

Was this Solved?Looking at simple statistics, from the time before

the law was passed to the present, YES!

Was this Solved? (cont’d)Steady decline in alcohol-related traffic fatalitiesThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

(NHTSA) estimates that through 2002, the increase in the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) has saved 21,887 lives in the 50 states

While alcohol was involved in 60% of U.S. vehicular fatalities in 1982, the rate in 2005 was 39%

NHTSA estimates that the current MLDA will continue to save 1,000 lives each year

Possible Confounding Variables for Downward Trend

Life-saving effects, or just a redistribution of deaths over the life cycle

New safety featuresMandatory seatbelt lawsBetter law enforcementMore alcohol prevention programs/education

Redistribution of Life CycleResearch suggests that the 21 MLDA may not

alone prevent alcohol-related traffic fatalities from occurring, but simply postpone the age when they do occur

Redistribution of Life Cycle (cont’d)If the consequence of the 21 MLDA was to

postpone fatalities occurring amongst 18-20 year-olds until they became 21-24 year-olds, then the “lives saved” assertion may be worthless

New Safety FeaturesAccording to NHTSA estimates, safety belts and

airbags have combined to save 206,287 lives between 1975 and 2004

Airbags: In July 1984, the U.S. government required cars being

produced after April 1989 to have driver's side airbags Chrysler and Ford introduced airbags in the mid-1980s

Chrysler made them standard equipment across its entire line in 1990

Improvements still being made to side and curtain airbags

Anti-lock Brakes: Offered on about 30 domestic and foreign car models

during the 1987 model year

Mandatory Seatbelt LawsDictated by state legislation49 states introduced laws from 1984 to 1995

New York was first in 1984 New Hampshire only state without seatbelt law

Law EnforcementLaw enforcement is much more vigorous now than in

1982, with advances in: radar technology breathalyzer technology airbag and anti-lock brake requirements the increased use of sobriety checkpoints advent of zero tolerance laws in all 50 states a lower minimum BAC

The “designated driver,” a term virtually unknown in 1982, has now become commonplace

Could be cause for 25% reduction in the tendency to drink and drive

Suggests designated driving is the norm and not the exception

Alcohol Prevention Programs/Education

Increasing popularity of programs“Rethinking Drinking” and “School Health and

Alcohol Harm Reduction Project” (Australia) Have shown some effectiveness in influencing young

students’ drinking behaviors

AlcoholEDU Used by 450 colleges and universities across the U.S.

in 2004 Users 20% less likely to have a binge drinking

occasion Users 30% less likely to become problematic drinkers

These programs are proven to be effective

Alcohol Prevention Programs/Education (cont’d)

Other Programs: D.A.R.E. – Drug Abuse Resistance Education MADD – Mothers Against Drunk Driving Thinking When Drinking Project ALERT Just the Facts

When Alcohol Education WorksStrategies based on harm reduction and

environmental management have been successful in reducing underage alcohol abuse

Strategies that address the complex psychological expectancies that lead to excessive drinking amongst young people are effective in reducing rates and incidences of alcohol abuse

Abstinence-based education programs alone have little to no effect on preventing use or abuse of alcohol among underage drinkers

Other Effects of Higher Drinking Age

Increased binge drinking For underage binge drinkers For life

Binge DrinkingUnderage drinkers drink behind closed doors and

drink quickly in fear of getting caught This type of drinking – drinking to get drunk – is

often identified as a problem of college students Studies report that 44% of college students have

engaged in a night of binge drinking in the past two weeks

Binge Drinking (cont’d)Two decades ago, there was hardly any

mention of binge drinking in the news but, strangely enough, it was also two decades ago, in 1984, that the drinking age was raised to 21

Binge Drinking (cont’d)New data show that binge drinking is becoming

more common much later in life as well By introducing young adults to alcohol in an

unsupervised setting where the objective is to get as drunk as fast as possible, the 21 drinking age is establishing drinking practices that have negative, lifelong effects

Binge Drinking (cont’d)NHTSA estimates that the current MLDA will

continue to save 1,000 lives each yearWell over 1,000 people die each year of alcohol-

related causes other than traffic accidentsThe World Health Organization found that while

15 and 16 year-old teens in many European states, where the drinking age is 18 or younger (and often unenforced), have more drinking occasions per month, they have fewer dangerous intoxication occasions than those in the age group in the U.S.

In southern European nations the ratio of intoxication occasions to all drinking occasions for 15 and 16 year-olds in southern was approximately one in ten, while in the U.S. it was roughly one in two

ConclusionsThe effects of the change in law are

overstated, and possibly negativeThe 21 MLDA should be reconsidered