Dead on Arrival: Zero Tolerance Laws Don't Work

C-Tier
Journal: Economic Inquiry
Year: 2010
Volume: 48
Issue: 3
Pages: 756-770

Score contribution per author:

1.009 = (α=2.02 / 1 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

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 Fatality Analysis Reporting System 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 blood alcohol content among drivers involved in fatal accidents. (JEL: I18, K32, D11)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:bla:ecinqu:v:48:y:2010:i:3:p:756-770
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25