Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Lower Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Laws for Young or Inexperienced Drivers

Task Force Finding*

These laws establish a lower BAC level for young or inexperienced drivers than for older or more experienced drivers, making it illegal for the persons targeted by the law to drive with a BAC above the established limit. In the United States, the limit is 0.02% or lower, and these laws apply to all persons under the age of 21 years (the minimum legal drinking age [MLDA] in all states). In other countries, these laws apply to either newly licensed drivers or newly licensed drivers under a specified age.

The Task Force recommends laws establishing a lower legal BAC for young or inexperienced drivers based on their effectiveness in reducing alcohol-related crashes in the United States and Australia. A potential harmful effect of these laws is that young drivers whose BACs exceed the legal limit for adult drivers (0.08 g/dL or 0.10 g/dL) may receive “zero tolerance” citations instead of being arrested for the more serious offense of driving under the influence of alcohol. One study reported an estimated benefit-to-cost ratio of $11 per dollar invested for lower legal BAC limits for young drivers.

*From the following publication:

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations to reduce injuries to motor vehicle occupants: increasing child safety seat use, increasing safety belt use, and reducing alcohol-impaired driving. [PDF - 2.30MB] Am J Prev Med 2001;21(4S):16–22.

Review completed: June 2000