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Not a Sip: Effects of Zero Tolerance Laws on Road Traffic Fatalities

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  • Andrés Ramasco

    (University of Notre Dame)

Abstract

Curtailing alcohol-related traffic fatalities is especially important for policymakers. I study whether there is an effect on Health Outcomes related to traffic accidents caused by Zero-Tolerance Laws and the mechanism driving these effects. Using Fatalities and Injuries counts at the county level. I exploit time and geographic variation in adopting the laws in a Difference-in-Differences framework. I find no sizeable reductions in various health outcomes, including traffic fatalities. I also test for heterogeneity across age groups, finding no significant differences. I propose and evaluate the persistence of drinking behavior and alcohol-related Hospitalizations as mechanisms explaining the null effects, finding no significant changes in several measures of alcohol consumption

Suggested Citation

  • Andrés Ramasco, 2023. "Not a Sip: Effects of Zero Tolerance Laws on Road Traffic Fatalities," Working Papers 289, Red Nacional de Investigadores en Economía (RedNIE).
    • Handle: RePEc:aoz:wpaper:289
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    File URL: https://rednie.eco.unc.edu.ar/files/DT/289.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Cl'ement de Chaisemartin & Xavier D'Haultfoeuille, 2020. "Difference-in-Differences Estimators of Intertemporal Treatment Effects," Papers 2007.04267, arXiv.org, revised Nov 2023.
    7. 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.
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