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Go out or stay in? The effects of zero tolerance laws on alcohol use and drinking and driving patterns among college students

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  • Lan Liang
  • Jidong Huang

Abstract

Zero tolerance laws make it illegal per se for anyone under age 21 to drive with any measurable amount of blood alcohol. Although 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‐in‐difference‐type 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 reduce drinking and driving among college students. Further analysis of our detailed alcohol use measures suggests that zero tolerance laws are particularly effective at reducing the probability of driving after drinking for those who reported drinking away from home. Published in 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Lan Liang & Jidong Huang, 2008. "Go out or stay in? The effects of zero tolerance laws on alcohol use and drinking and driving patterns among college students," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(11), pages 1261-1275, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:17:y:2008:i:11:p:1261-1275
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.1321
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michael Grossman & Sara Markowitz, 2001. "Alcohol regulation and violence on college campuses," Chapters, in: Michael Grossman & Chee-Ruey Hsieh (ed.), The Economic Analysis of Substance Use and Abuse, chapter 11, pages 257-290, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Michael Grossman & Chee-Ruey Hsieh (ed.), 2001. "The Economic Analysis of Substance Use and Abuse," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2347.
    3. Jenny Williams & Lisa Powell & Henry Wechsler, 2003. "Does alcohol consumption reduce human capital accumulation? Evidence from the College Alcohol Study," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(10), pages 1227-1239.
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    5. Jenny Williams, 2005. "Habit formation and college students' demand for alcohol," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(2), pages 119-134, February.
    6. Carpenter, Christopher, 2004. "How do Zero Tolerance Drunk Driving Laws work?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 61-83, January.
    7. Daniel Eisenberg, 2003. "Evaluating the effectiveness of policies related to drunk driving," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 249-274.
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    Cited by:

    1. Erik Nesson & Vinish Shrestha, 2021. "The effects of false identification laws on underage alcohol‐related traffic fatalities," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(9), pages 2264-2283, September.
    2. Darren Grant, 2010. "Dead On Arrival: Zero Tolerance Laws Don'T Work," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 48(3), pages 756-770, July.
    3. D. Mark Anderson & Benjamin Hansen & Daniel I. Rees, 2013. "Medical Marijuana Laws, Traffic Fatalities, and Alcohol Consumption," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 56(2), pages 333-369.
    4. Frank A. Sloan, 2020. "Drinking and Driving," NBER Working Papers 26779, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Anderson, D. Mark & Rees, Daniel I., 2012. "Per Se Drugged Driving Laws and Traffic Fatalities," IZA Discussion Papers 7048, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Anderson, D. Mark & Rees, Daniel I., 2015. "Per se drugged driving laws and traffic fatalities," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 122-134.
    7. Zhang, Zili & Hu, Xiao & Zhang, Xuanxuan & Zheng, Rong, 2024. "Do tougher drinking policies affect men's smoking behavior - Evidence from China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 348(C).
    8. Erik Nesson & Vinish Shrestha, 2016. "The Effects of False Identification Laws with a Scanner Provision on Underage Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities," Working Papers 2016-17, Towson University, Department of Economics, revised Apr 2020.
    9. Yung-Hsiang Ying & Chin-Chih Wu & Koyin Chang, 2013. "The Effectiveness of Drinking and Driving Policies for Different Alcohol-Related Fatalities: A Quantile Regression Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, September.

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