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CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Lower BAC Laws for Young or Inexperienced Drivers

CDC

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

In the United States, lower blood alcohol concentration (BAC) laws apply to all drivers under the age of 21. Between states, the illegal BAC level ranges from any detectable BAC to 0.02%. In other countries, lower BAC laws apply to either newly licensed drivers or newly licensed drivers under a specified age.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends laws that establish a lower illegal BAC for young or inexperienced drivers than for older or more experienced drivers based on sufficient evidence of their effectiveness in reducing alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes.

Results / Accomplishments

Results from the Systematic Reviews:
Six studies qualified for the systematic review.

• Fatal crash outcomes: decreased by 24%, 17%, and 9% (3 studies)
• Injury crash outcomes: decreased by 17% and 4% (2 studies)
• Crashes in which the investigating police officer believed that the driver had been drinking alcohol: decreased by 11% (1 study)

About this Promising Practice

Primary Contact
The Community Guide
1600 Clifton Rd, NE
MS E69
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 498-1827
communityguide@cdc.gov
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/
Topics
Health / Prevention & Safety
Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
Community / Governance
Source
Community Guide Branch Epidemiology and Analysis Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Location
USA
For more details
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/motor-v...
Target Audience
Teens, Adults

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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