in Michigan were involved in 11 to 22 percent fewer alcohol-related crashes causing property damage only.

A second study, "The Effect of Raising the Minimum Legal Drinking Age on Traffic Accidents in the State of Maine," by Terry M. Klein of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, found reductions in reported alcohol involvement in nighttime motor vehicle traffic accidents among 18- and 19-year-old age male drivers in the State of Maine of 18.6 percent and 13.9 percent respectively as a result of raising the minimum legal drinking age from 18 to 20.

For all Maine drivers aged 18 and 19, there were 17 to 22 percent fewer alcohol-related crashes causing property damage only. Also included in the study were cross-tabulations of data supplied by the fatal accident reporting system from 10 States showing motor vehicle traffic fatalities among drivers age 15 to 21 with reported alcohol involvement.

The data indicate approximately three times as many alcohol-related fatalities per hour occurred between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. on the weekend than for the same time period on weekdays. The study also states that 55 percent of the 15- to 21-year-olds that were involved in fatal accidents had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.10 or higher.

A third study, "Impact Analysis of the Raised Drinking Age in Illinois," by Delmas M. Maxwell, again of NHTSA, also studied nighttime male drivers for the ages 19 and 20. The study found reductions of 8.8 percent in male drivers involved in single vehicle nighttime accidents attributable to the law change that went into effect January 1, 1980, raising the minimum legal drinking age in Illinois from 19 to 21.

A fourth study, as has been indicated, by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, reports that on the average a State that raises its drinking age can expect about a 28-percent reduction in nighttime fatal crash involvement among drivers to which the law change applies. The study adds in the 31 States that still have minimum legal drinking age of less than 21 as of January 1981, it is estimated that each year there could be about 730 fewer young drivers in nighttime fatal crashes if the legal drinking age were raised to 21.

Based on the research and experience outlined above, the National Safety Council strongly supports efforts to increase the minimum legal drinking age to 21 in all States. A number of mechanisms to achieve this goal have been proposed. The council is currently reviewing the alternatives, and will support the mechanism which we feel can best achieve that end.

We also have attached two documents to the statement which may be of interest to the committee. The first is a fact sheet outlining some of the more significant reasons in support of 21. The second attachment is our August 1, 1983, policy update, which is a compilation of all State drunk driving laws, including legislation passed earlier this year.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to present our views on this important issue. I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

[Testimony resumes on p. 110.]

[The attachments referred to follow:]

Yes. The present diversity of state laws on the legal drinking age
invites problems from teenagers from states with a 21-year-old
drinking law driving to neighboring states where the legal age is
lower, and driving usually during late night hours home after
drinking. Many are in no condition to drive with impaired judgment
and impaired reaction times.

WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM?

-

Unfortunately, statistics are not available on the number of drivers
under the age of 21. The categories on which figures are available
are teenagers (9.8 percent of all drivers or 14,500,000) and 20-24
years of age, 11.9 percent (17,600,000). These two groups represent
21.7 percent of all drivers (32,100,000) but account for 36 percent
of drivers in all accidents. Of the 25,000 traffic fatalities in
which alcohol was a factor in 1981, about 8,500 were between the ages
1
of 16 and 24. Studies also show that 60 percent of fatally injured
teenage drivers had alcohol in their blood.2 In the past 75 years,
life expectancy in this country has increased for every age group
except for those between 15-24 years of age. The major cause of
death for this group is accidents, and traffic fatalities comprise
most of these accidents. As indicated, alcohol-related accidents
weigh heavily in the statistics for the age group. It is important
to note that alcohol also is a factor in deaths from drowning (the
next leading cause of death).

3

WHAT IS TEENAGE DRINKING COSTING THE NATION IN DOLLARS?

Just considering the traffic death and injury toll involving teen-
agers, the cost to the nation is about $1 billion.4 With the
addition of 20-year-olds to the group, the costs of accidental
deaths and injuries increase.

WHICH STATES NOW HAVE A LEGAL DRINKING AGE OF 21?

Nineteen states currently have set the legal drinking age at 21.
Seven states have increased legal drinking ages to 21 for all alco-
holic beverages in the last five years after experimenting with
reduced ages for drinking. The 19 states with 21-year-old drinking

age requirements and the year the laws were passed are:

Five states allow drinking at 18 years of age for all alcoholic beverages. The states and the dates the laws were passed are:

Twelve states permit drinking at 19 years of age. The states and the years the laws were passed are:

Alabama (1970)

Arizona (1972)

*Florida (1980)

*Georgia (1980)

Idaho (1972)
*Iowa (1978)

*Minnesota (1976)
*Montana (1979)

*New York (1982)
Tennessee (1979)
*Texas (1981)
Wyoming (1973)

*These states previously had a legal drinking age of 18.

WHICH STATES PERMIT DRINKING AT 20 YEARS OF AGE?

Six states allow drinking at 20 years of age for all alcoholic beverages. The states and the years of the enactment of their statutes are:

Connecticut (1983)

Maine (1977)

Massachusetts (1979) New Hampshire (1979)
Nebraska (1980)
Rhode Island (1981)

WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER STATES?

Ten states make a distinction in the legal drinking age for wine, beer and distilled spirits. Three states permit 18-year-olds to drink 3.2 percent beer, but require citizens to be 21 to drink other alcoholic beverages. The 3 states are:

Three states permit a drinking age of 18 for beer and table wine, and 21 for fortified wine and distilled spirits.

District of Columbia Mississippi (1966) (1934)

The states are:

North Carolina (1935)

South Carolina, since 1935, has permitted 18-year-olds to purchase beer and wine, and age 21 for distilled spirits. Virginia and Ohio allow 19yr olds to purchase beer and 21yr olds to purchase wine and spirits.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED WHEN A STATE LOWERED ITS LEGAL DRINKING AGE?

Studies show that when states reduced the drinking age, there has been an increase in alcohol-related deaths.5 For example, Dr. Gary Graham, medical director for the Kemper Insurance Group, points to the experience in Iowa which lowered its drinking age to 18 in 1973. Between 1970 and 1973, 124 teenagers died in alcohol-related accidents in the state, and the number rose to 194, a 56.5 percent increase, between 1974 and 1977 when 18 was the legal drinking age.

In New Jersey, 18 to 20-year-old drivers accounted for less than
9 percent of drivers involved in alcohol-related fatal accidents in
1972, the year before the age limit was lowered. The proportion of

the 18 to 20-year-olds involved in such accidents increased to 16.3
percent in 1973 and to 29.2 percent in 1975. (New Jersey, in 1982,
raised its drinking age to 21).

The University of Michigan's Highway Safety Research Institute study also tracked fatal accidents involving 18 to 20-year-old drivers before and after the drinking age was lowered. The 18 to 20-year-olds involved in alcohol-related fatal accidents increased by 35 percent after the drinking age was lowered.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE EXPERIENCE OF STATES RAISING THE DRINKING AGE?

The National Transportation Safety Board cites the experience of Michigan when it restored the drinking age to 21 in December, 1978.7 In the following year, a study showed a reduction of 31 percent in alcohol-related accidents among drivers aged 18-20. In Illinois, a study shows an 8.8 percent reduction in single-vehicle nighttime male driver accidents involving drivers 19 and 20 years of age when the drinking age was raised in 1980. Another study cited fatal accident data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It showed that in eight states (Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Tennessee), raising the legal drinking age produced an average annual reduction of 28 percent in nighttime fatal accidents involving 18 to 21-year-old drivers.

A study in 1981 by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety states: "On the average, a state that raises its drinking age can expect about a 28% reduction in nighttime fatal crash involvement among drivers the law change applies to." The study adds: "In the 31 states that still had a legal minimum drinking age less than 21 as of that date, it is estimated that each year there could be about 730 fewer young drivers in nighttime fatal crashes if the legal drinking age were raised to 21."

HOW DO PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT RAISING THE DRINKING AGE TO 21?

A Gallup Poll conducted in December, 1982 reported that 77 percent of Americans approve of a uniform drinking age of 21 while only 20 percent are opposed. Among 18 to 20-year-olds, 58 percent were in favor of a 21-year-old drinking age.

35-289 0-84--6

WHO SUPPORTS A UNIFORM DRINKING AGE OF 21?

Among the major supporters are the following organizations:

Alliance of American Insurers

American Association for Automotive Medicine

American Automobile Association

American Medical Association

Hotel Employee and Restaurant Employees International Union

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

International Association of Chiefs of Police

National Association of Independent Insurers

National Safety Council

National Transportation Safety Board

Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving

In addition, Congress has approved a sense-of-the-Congress resolution that the age for drinking and purchasing all alcoholic beverages should be raised to 21 in those 34 states and the District of Columbia where the drinking age is now less than 21.

IF 18-YEAR-OLDS CAN VOTE, WHY CAN'T THEY DRINK?

The two activities are not comparable. There is not likely to be a hazard to life in the voting booth, and the voter does not threaten the safety of others. But drinking does produce physiological and psychological changes in the drinker that can threaten the drinker's safety as well as the safety of others, particularly if one drinks to excess.

Many 18-year-olds do not have sufficient maturity to drink in a responsible manner. They are more likely to be subject to peer pressure than those who are older. When the 18-year-old mixes drinking and driving, personal judgment may be surrendered in hopes of being popular with the group.

HOW OFTEN DO TEENAGERS DRINK?

A 1981 study reported that 92 percent of high school seniors had used alcohol at some time.8 The same study showed that 70 percent of those surveyed had drunk alcohol in the previous month.

WHY DO TEENAGERS DRINK ALCOHOL?

For many of the same reasons that adults drink. It is part of the American social scene. In addition, teenagers are subject to peer pressure to conform, and many young people believe drinking is an adult activity.