ABSTRACT

Objectives. In 1999, New Zealand lowered the minimum purchasing age for alcohol from 20 to 18 years. We tested the hypothesis that this increased traffic crash injuries among 15- to 19-year-olds.
Methods. Poisson regression was used to compute incidence rate ratios for the after to before incidence of alcohol-involved crashes and hospitalized injuries among 18- to 19-year-olds and 15- to 17-year-olds (20- to 24-year-olds were the reference).
Results. Among young men, the ratio of the alcohol-involved crash rate after the law change to the period before was 12% larger (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.00, 1.25) for 18- to 19-year-olds and 14% larger (95% CI=1.01, 1.30) for 15- to 17-year-olds, relative to 20- to 24-year-olds. Among young women, the equivalent ratios were 51% larger (95% CI=1.17, 1.94) for 18- to 19-year-olds and 24% larger (95% CI=0.96, 1.59) for 15- to 17-year-olds. A similar pattern was observed for hospitalized injuries.
Conclusions. Significantly more alcohol-involved crashes occurred among 15- to 19-year-olds than would have occurred had the purchase age not been reduced to 18 years. The effect size for 18- to 19-year-olds is remarkable given the legal exceptions to the pre-1999 law and its poor enforcement.

ABSTRACT

This paper reviews European trends regarding young drivers’ accident risk and the effects of countermeasures. Young driver risk differs between countries, and has improved in the last decade, probably as a result of general improvements in road safety levels. Young male drivers’ relative risk is rising, indicating that current policies are less effective for males than for females. Further research is needed to understand the causes of this development. In Europe, most countries are moving toward multiphase licensing systems, including elements like accompanied driving, protective measures, and probation periods. European evaluation studies show mixed results regarding these elements, pointing to a need for more research into the effective components.