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Zero Tolerance
In 2004, young drivers between 15- and 20-years of age were involved in 7,898 fatal crashes, or 18.5 percent of all fatal crashes, furthermore, these young drivers were involved in 65 percent of the alcohol-related traffic fatalities involving youth under 21. All states and the District of Columbia have zero tolerance laws that make it illegal for people under 21 to drive with any measurable amount of alcohol in their blood, as well as 21-year-old minimum drinking laws. However, the median BAC level for passenger car drivers under the age of 20 in fatal crashes was .12, well over the legal limit. To combat this problem, the Council advocates zero tolerance laws, which establish a BAC limit for underage drivers of .02 or less. A 1994 study by Dr. Ralph Hingson and others* of the first 12 states to enact such laws showed an average 20 percent reduction in single-vehicle, night-time fatal crashes among underage drivers.
Because national surveys show that 90 percent of teenagers say they would not drink and drive if it meant losing their license, the Council seeks to combine zero tolerance with Administrative License Revocation (ALR). Young people caught driving with any alcohol in their blood lose their most precious possession their license on the spot. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have underage zero tolerance laws.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety attributes a full 82 percent of crashes involving 16-year-old drivers to driver error caused by risk taking and inexperience. Because of this underlying danger posed by inexperience and recklessness, the Council has recently expanded its legislative support to include graduated licensing, which grants driving privileges to young people in stages as they gain experience.
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* Dr. Ralph Hingson et. al., "Lower Legal Blood Alcohol Limits for Young Drivers," Public Health Reports, December 1994. Among youth under 21, single-vehicle, night-time fatal crashes are three times more likely than other fatal crashes to be alcohol related. |
Results: Council-supported efforts add up to lives saved
Working alone or with a broad range of public and private organizations, the Council has helped win enactment of zero tolerance laws in Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. Traffic safety experts estimate that the passage of zero tolerance laws in these seven states represents up to 162 young lives saved each year.
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