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Dead on Arrival: Zero Tolerance Laws Don’t Work

Author

Listed:
  • Darren Grant

    (Department of Economics and International Business, Sam Houston State University)

Abstract

By 1998 all states had passed laws lowering the legal blood alcohol content for drivers under 21 to effectively zero. Theory shows these laws have ambiguous effects on overall fatalities and economic efficiency, and the data show they have little effect on driver behavior. A panel analysis of the 1988-2000 FARS indicates that zero tolerance laws have no material influence on the level of fatalities, while quantile regression reveals virtually no change in the distribution of BAC among drivers involved in fatal accidents.

Suggested Citation

  • Darren Grant, 2007. "Dead on Arrival: Zero Tolerance Laws Don’t Work," Working Papers 0708, Sam Houston State University, Department of Economics and International Business.
    • Handle: RePEc:shs:wpaper:0708
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    File URL: http://www.shsu.edu/academics/economics-and-international-business/documents/wp_series/wp07-08.pdf
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law
    • D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory

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