In a previous study, Ulmer, Hedlund, and Preusser (2000) calculated each state's change in total alcohol-related traffic fatalities from 1982 to 1996. To reduce the effects of random variations in individual years, they fit a simple linear regression to the annual data and then calculated the percentage change in the predicted values from 1982 to 1996, in the same manner as was used for Table 2 of Chapter III. Across the states, the change ranged from a reduction of 67 percent to an increase of 22 percent. Mississippi had an apparent increase of 88 percent, but the Mississippi FARS data are suspect for some of this time period.

The likely reason for this relationship is that measures to reduce overall drinking and driving affect both youth and adult drivers. The basic impaired driving laws apply to everyone ( both adults and youth); the special laws applying to youth merely add to these laws or make them stronger (as zero tolerance laws strengthen existing per se laws by lowering the BAC limit).

Thus, these laws should deter youth as well as older drivers. Impaired driving law enforcement may affect youth to the extent that enforcement is present at the times and in the places where youth drive after drinking. Enforcement publicity sends a message that police are looking for all drunk drivers, not just those age 21 and above. General public education programs may reach youth if the messages and methods are appropriate to young as well as older drivers. Thus, states that took effective measures to reduce overall drinking and driving likely also saw the effect of these measures on youth drinking and driving.

Another factor also may be at work. States that took effective measures to address overall drinking and driving also may have taken special efforts to reduce drinking and driving by youth. Note, though, that all states adopted MLDA 21 and zero tolerance laws, the two measures proven to reduce youth drinking and driving. (Since 1980, 36 states raised their drinking age to 21 and all states enacted zero tolerance laws.) On balance, it is likely that some of the credit for reducing youth drinking and driving can be attributed to measures to reduce drinking and driving by everyone

Youth Attitudes and Behavior Compared to Adults

"Generation X" has given way to the "Millennials," raised on media and the Internet, cell phones and computers. The generation gap yawns as wide or wider than it ever has. Persons born before 1965 - the Baby Boomers of the postwar years, the Silent Generation born before them - have difficulty understanding today's teenagers (Howe and Strauss, 1993 label those born from 1961 to 1981 as the 13th Generation and describe some of their characteristics).

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