Drink, death and driving: do blood alcohol content limit reductions improve road safety?

Benjamin Cooper; Markus Gehrsitz; Stuart G. McIntyre

doi:10.1002/hec.4016

Drink, death and driving: do blood alcohol content limit reductions improve road safety?

Benjamin Cooper, Markus Gehrsitz, Stuart G. McIntyre

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This study exploits a natural experiment in Scotland where the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) limit was reduced from 0.8 to 0.5 mg per 100 ml of blood while staying constant in all other parts of the United Kingdom. Using a difference-in-differences design, we find that this change in the BAC level had no impact on either traffic accident or fatality rates.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	841-847
Number of pages	7
Journal	Health Economics
Volume	29
Issue number	7
Early online date	13 Mar 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.4016
Publication status	Published - 1 Jul 2020

Keywords

road traffic fatalities
traffic accidents
difference in differences
blood alcohol content

Access to Document

10.1002/hec.4016

Cooper-etal-HE-2020-Drink-death-and-driving-do-BAC-limitAccepted author manuscript, 1.5 MB

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10991050

Markus Gehrsitz
- markus.gehrsitz@strath.ac.uk
- Economics - Senior Lecturer
Person: Academic

Cite this

@article{e02720ee665f4cb1b2f8c6001e383553,

title = "Drink, death and driving: do blood alcohol content limit reductions improve road safety?",

abstract = "This study exploits a natural experiment in Scotland where the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) limit was reduced from 0.8 to 0.5 mg per 100 ml of blood while staying constant in all other parts of the United Kingdom. Using a difference-in-differences design, we find that this change in the BAC level had no impact on either traffic accident or fatality rates.",

keywords = "road traffic fatalities, traffic accidents, difference in differences, blood alcohol content",

author = "Benjamin Cooper and Markus Gehrsitz and McIntyre, {Stuart G.}",

year = "2020",

month = jul,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1002/hec.4016",

language = "English",

volume = "29",

pages = "841--847",

journal = "Health Economics",

issn = "1057-9230",

number = "7",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Drink, death and driving

T2 - do blood alcohol content limit reductions improve road safety?

AU - Cooper, Benjamin

AU - Gehrsitz, Markus

AU - McIntyre, Stuart G.

PY - 2020/7/1

Y1 - 2020/7/1

N2 - This study exploits a natural experiment in Scotland where the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) limit was reduced from 0.8 to 0.5 mg per 100 ml of blood while staying constant in all other parts of the United Kingdom. Using a difference-in-differences design, we find that this change in the BAC level had no impact on either traffic accident or fatality rates.

AB - This study exploits a natural experiment in Scotland where the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) limit was reduced from 0.8 to 0.5 mg per 100 ml of blood while staying constant in all other parts of the United Kingdom. Using a difference-in-differences design, we find that this change in the BAC level had no impact on either traffic accident or fatality rates.

KW - road traffic fatalities

KW - traffic accidents

KW - difference in differences

KW - blood alcohol content

UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10991050

U2 - 10.1002/hec.4016

DO - 10.1002/hec.4016

M3 - Article

VL - 29

SP - 841

EP - 847

JO - Health Economics

JF - Health Economics

SN - 1057-9230

IS - 7

ER -