Recent Study Shows State Laws Cut Teen Drinking and Driving
A recent study conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri reviewed the drinking and driving behaviors of more than 220,000 teens ages 16 and 17. The findings suggested that graduated driver licensing laws limit new drivers to less risky driving situations
until they can exhibit necessary skills to become fully licensed. Further use-and-lose laws permit the suspension of a teen’s driver’s license if they are caught using alcohol.
The studies analyzed drinking-and-driving behaviors of more than 111,000 males and more than 110,000 females, aged 16 to 17, from data in the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System for 1999 to 2009. Full results were recently published online and will appear in the September issue of the journal
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. The full online abstract can be found by visiting
