Quote:
Originally posted by DeltAlum
I took a quick look and according to the Ohio Insurance Institute for Public Safety, alcohol related accidents involving people from 15 to 20 years old dropped by 50% during the ten years following the raising of the drinking age in Ohio.
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I have a problem with these stats for one reason really. Drinking and driving laws of yesterday are nothing like what they are today. My stepfather is a police officer (now retired) and he always talks about the major changes in this area. He has often said it was not uncommon for police officers to let drunk drivers off with a warning. I don't think you'd ever see such a thing today.
ETA**
I just found this case study:
Link
It states that between 1982-1986 the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths dropped by only 4% while those deaths among those between the ages of 18-21 dropped 14%.
While after 1986 alcohol-related traffic deaths among those "under 21" (this could consider people as young as 16 because it doesn't define under 21 as between 18-21) declined 43%. But it doesn't give the percentage increase or decrease for the general population. I'll try to find some different stats but I feel there could have been a trade-off with the age ranges...